Opinion: Prosecuting reporters who protect sources is not good public policy
Renee Nadeau
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Journalists have always played an important role our democracy. They are the watchdogs keeping government in line by informing the public of politicians' actions. Recently, however, courts have been threatening to lock some of these watchdogs in a kennel, leaving the American public unprotected.
There are several journalists at the moment who face heavy fines and jail time for refusing to turn over the names of confidential sources. None is being charged for printing what they learned from these sources, but simply for refusing to tell prosecutors the identity of their sources.
One recent case involves respected television reporter Jim Taricani in Providence, R.I. Mr. Taricani, an investigative reporter for NBC affiliate WJAR, aired an FBI videotape of a former city official taking a $1,000 bribe. A special prosecutor was appointed to uncover who had leaked the tape to Mr. Taricani, but the reporter would not reveal his source. He now faces up to six months in jail for his refusal to cooperate with the court.
In an interesting twist, Mr. Taricani's source has revealed his identity, yet this will not change Mr. Taricani's fate. His punishment will still stand, despite the fact that the court has the information it wanted.
Mr. Taricani's sentencing date is set for Dec. 9. He and several other journalists, including The New York Times' Judith Miller and Time magazine's Matthew Cooper, are anxiously waiting to hear their fate handed down from judges, while their colleagues anxiously wait to hear the fate of their profession. The outcome of these cases could damage the ability of journalists to do their job.
Confidential sources, when used wisely, are a cornerstone of investigative journalism. Just ask Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, who reported the Watergate scandal with the help of a source known only as "Deep Throat." They did what they had to in order to break an important story and are held in regard because of that. Today, journalists attempting to do the same are being held in contempt.
It is not only the journalists on trial who will suffer from the charges they face. Nor is it only those in the field of journalism. It is the American public, unable to get the whole story from the bound-and-gagged media, who, in the long run, will suffer most when the free press is punished.