(CA) Press Enterprise Editorial: Media silence

[question everything]

Media silence

10:57 PM PST on Thursday, February 17, 2005

Lawyers, doctors, spouses and priests enjoy a special privilege under the law. They can't be compelled to testify in court about information given to them in confidence -- not even in criminal cases. Journalists lack such protection. It's time for Congress to change that.

If government could squeeze sources' names from reporters, few people would confide in journalists or tip writers off to government scandal (remember "Deep Throat"?). The harm to a free press, and to government accountability, would be incalculable.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. circuit ruled Tuesday that reporters have no right to refuse to testify before a grand jury, even if it means exposing sources.

The three-judge panel unanimously upheld a lower court's order that a New York Times reporter and a Time Magazine correspondent name their sources to federal prosecutors investigating how CIA operative Valerie Plame's name was leaked to the press -- or face up to 18 months in a federal prison.

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Online at: http://www.pe.com/localnews/opinion/editorials/stories/PE_OpEd_Opinion_op_18_ed_testimony2.57d2f.html