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December 07, 2004
The Plame Game, Continued
The media hypocrisy over L'affaire Plame continues. Weren't many of them in favor of compelling Robert Novak to reveal his sources a few months back?
Instead of lauding Mr. Novak for protecting his sources, many of his colleagues in the Fourth Estate seem eager to throw him over the side. Call it "the Novak exception." By that we mean the rule that comes into play when a conservative journalist is involved. No critic could sum this up better than Geneva Overholser did in her New York Times op-ed earlier this month calling for Mr. Novak to betray his sources.
"Never burn a source," writes Ms. Overholser. "It's a cardinal rule of journalism: do not disclose the identity of someone who gives you information in confidence. As a staunch believer in this rule for decades, I have surprised myself lately by concluding that journalists' proud absolutism on this issue--particularly in a case involving the syndicated columnist Robert Novak--is neither as wise nor as ethical as it has seemed."
Now, of course, the worm has turned and the media have rediscovered their love of journalistic privilege:
In the federal courthouse in Washington on Thursday, lawyers will try to keep two reporters out of jail. A Justice Department special counsel is trying to find the source or sources who in 2003 leaked to the media Valerie Plame's CIA connection, a potential felony. For refusing to testify fully about their confidential sources, a federal district judge has ordered the imprisonment of Matthew Cooper of Time magazine (who wrote about the Plame leak) and Judith Miller of the New York Times (who didn't). Their attorneys will urge the appellate court to overturn the ruling.
At what point does the "public's right to know" trump civic duty?
Posted by Cassandra at December 7, 2004 08:29 AM
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Comments
Unfortunately for members of the press, the Constitution does not seem to offer any kind of immunity for breaking the law. Not that it really matters. When a reporter refuses to divulge a source and has to face the person (politically correct, that!)in the black robe, what punishment do they ever really receive?
Very recently, in Rhode Island, a TV reporter just got a few months sentence - to his house! In the real world, that is called grounding the kids, and grownups call it a paid vacation. In the world of journalism, it is called being a martyr. Talk about bastardization of a word.
I'm sure the Gray Lady crowd would love to see Novak have each and everyone of his toenails pulled out to make him give up his source. The man should burn at the stake. After all, there must have been one or two people left in the capital city who did not know the woman worked for the CIA. Guess what, they do sort of thing at the CIA!
Poor Novak, his political leanings seem to be in the wrong direction. Had he given up, say, secrets to our missile systems, the same folks would be buying him cigars and having him run for the presidency.
Posted by: RIslander ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.villainouscompany.com/vcblog/nav-commenters.gif)
at December 16, 2004 08:28 PM
Unfortunately for members of the press, the Constitution does not seem to offer any kind of immunity for breaking the law. Not that it really matters. When a reporter refuses to divulge a source and has to face the person (politically correct, that!)in the black robe, what punishment do they ever really receive?
Very recently, in Rhode Island, a TV reporter just got a few months sentence - to his house! In the real world, that is called grounding the kids, and grownups call it a paid vacation. In the world of journalism, it is called being a martyr. Talk about bastardization of a word.
I'm sure the Gray Lady crowd would love to see Novak have each and everyone of his toenails pulled out to make him give up his source. The man should burn at the stake. After all, there must have been one or two people left in the capital city who did not know the woman worked for the CIA. Guess what, they do sort of thing at the CIA!
Poor Novak, his political leanings seem to be in the wrong direction. Had he given up, say, secrets to our missile systems, the same folks would be buying him cigars and having him run for the presidency.
Posted by: RIslander at December 16, 2004 08:33 PM
Wierdest thing, I check to see if it posted and nothing was there. Reposted and it was there twice. Sorry about that!
Posted by: RIslander at December 16, 2004 08:34 PM
"recurring dopplegangner phenomenon"
Posted by: Don Brouhaha at December 16, 2004 09:06 PM
Helloooo
[Hellooo]
[Hellooo]
[Hellooo]
[Hellooo]
[Hellooo]
[Hellooo]
Posted by: Cassandra at December 16, 2004 09:16 PM
Wha...
WTF???
For a minute I thought there were two of him.
Posted by: Cassandra at December 16, 2004 09:18 PM
Shades of the Clinton White House; two for the price of one.
Posted by: RIslander at December 16, 2004 11:42 PM