What was DU's reaction when Fitzgerald had Judith Miller jailed for protecting a source?

[Recursion]

I wasn't here yet, and I'm curious if DU was as serious about source protection then as it is now...

[kelly1mm]

1. HAHAHA!!!! If you think that DU is above a little hypocricy at times then you really are new here.

For your viewing pleasure here is a link concerning Judith Miller being jailed from DU at that time:


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1940890

[Cha]

5. Mahalo, kelly.. I posted way back then on that thread.. "Judith Miller in jail"

Cha Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-19-05 07:31 PM
Response to Original message
2. And we wouldn't want

"advocacy" from the nyt, would we? Such as the lead up to bombing Iraq?


Thank for digging it up!

[gratuitous]

2. Consider the relative consequences

Judith Miller was protecting her source who outed Valerie Plame, a CIA operative. Based on that, several people who worked with our intelligence agencies were exposed and killed by terrorists. The fallout from Risen's reporting is that war crimes committed by the United States were exposed.

Is there a difference?

[Recursion]

6. Risen's case is *about the outing of a CIA agent* too

One who, for that matter, had the exact same job Plame did: attempting to frustrate Iran's development of nuclear weapons.

[Luminous Animal]

3. I wasn't posting much on this board but I was on another

and I supported he efforts to protect her source. I thought her reporting sucked but that was not the point.

[Blue_Tires]

4. I still don't see the big deal

Reporters worth their salt are *expected* to eat the contempt charge and go to jail for their sources, assuming the source didn't burn them or something...

It's something I was taught to do, if the situation ever came down to it...It's one of the ethical duties that comes with being a journalist...

Countless reporters have gone to jail before, so what makes Risen so special that he's above all this?

Edit: This Op-Ed says it a little better -- http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/there-is-no-pass-for-a-free-press/2014/09/01/d6e17054-3116-11e4-a723-fa3895a25d02_story.html

[MADem]

7. Here's the bottom line--reporters have to expect to get squeezed by the prosecution.

It always happens when the reporter has something the prosecutor wants.

It's the job of the reporter to not fold. They know that's part of the game.

If the reporter is on your team, you cheer for them and offer words of moral support. If not, you chuckle at their discomfort.

Unkind? Maybe--but that's partisan politics.