Legal pressure may be silencing news sources

[Ahriman]

With several reporters facing possible jail sentences and fines, there are signs mounting legal pressure on journalists to reveal confidential sources is having a chilling effect on newsgathering.

Clark Hoyt, the Washington editor of Knight Ridder, the nation's second-largest newspaper company, said he has seen two examples in recent weeks of sources declining to provide information after initially agreeing to do so confidentially.

The sources feared they might be investigated, or that their identities could be discovered from a subpoena of the reporter's phone records, Hoyt said.

The ability of reporters to gather sensitive information confidentially received another challenge Thursday, when a federal judge approved an unusual request by bioterror expert Steven Hatfill to question journalists who wrote stories relating to the 2001 anthrax attacks.

http://www.pittsburghpostgazette.com/pg/04299/401276.stm

[takumi]

1. This isn't relevant since there aren't any REAL NEWS sources . . .

. . . all the network AND cable 'news' outlets get their 'news' from White House press releases and Karl Rove (no journalism degrees required).

[yardwork]

2. This is nonsense

This is designed to confuse people and pressure the independent investigation of Valerie Plame's outing into dropping their investigation. No deal.

The news media are ignoring lots of important issues that don't require an off-the-record first-person interview. The information is available in public documents if the press looks for them.

The real reason that news articles are being suppressed is because the bushco White House is suppressing the news.

[The Sushi Bandit]

3. Did Rep. Cox feed lies to the press about Wen Ho Lee?

Chris Cox destroyed Wen Ho Lee's life with he sensationalist congressional investigation that judged Wen Ho Lee guilty before any trail could take place. Now Wen Ho Lee is suing to get the reporters to tell who fed them incriminating falsehoods on his so-called espionage.

If the Democratic party ever gets their shit together we could put a REAL opponent against him in the next election. Lets face reality,
John Graham does not have the ability to defeat cox in the 48th district.

[Moderator]

4. not LBN