Journalist could be jailed for protecting her sources

[rambone]

Speak, or go to jail.

A reporter must choose between breaking confidentiality with multiple trusted sources, ruining her career, or facing jail time for not complying with the will of the court.

I don't believe in coerced testimony from any party.




A Fox News Reporter Could Be Jailed For Protecting Her Sources, And Nobody Seems To Care

"A source's willingness to come forward to the press often depends on my ability to earn the source's trust and to maintain his or her confidentiality," she said in the sworn statement, posted by Fox. "Being made to testify as Holmes requests will force me to 'burn' not one, but two confidential sources. My reputation as a journalist will be irreparably tarnished."

Winter also told the court that she is "fearful for my safety based on numerous threatening internet postings about my work pertaining to the Holmes case."

"She knows what's at stake," Miller said. "She is, in my view, a very brave person."

 

[cosermann]

I liked Judge Napolitano's piece on this:

FoxNews.com's Jana Winter should be praised, not threatened with jail time | Fox News

"... if courts can force reporters to reveal confidential sources, then who will talk to reporters in the future, and how will inconvenient truths about the government become known?

The whole purpose of the First Amendment is to stimulate and protect open, wide, robust debate about the policies and personnel of the government. Truth is essential to that stimulation. Putting reporters in jail for revealing the truth while protecting their sources is profoundly contrary to that purpose and highly offensive to the values the First Amendment was written to protect and we have all come to enjoy."

 

[Trigger Time]

I think a lot of journalist should already be jailed for false reporting and laying in bed with the govt in order to stay on their good side.