Time Magazine to Hand Over Reporter Notes

Yahoo! News ^ | 6/30/2005 | AP

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

NEW YORK - Time Inc. said Thursday it would comply with a court order to deliver the notes of a reporter threatened with jail in the investigation of the leak of an undercover CIA officer's name.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan is threatening to jail Matthew Cooper of Time and Judith Miller of The New York Times for contempt for refusing to disclose their sources.

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear the reporters' appeal and the grand jury investigating the leak expires in October. The reporters, if in jail, would be freed at that time.

In a statement, Time said it believes "the Supreme Court has limited press freedom in ways that will have a chilling effect on our work and that may damage the free flow of information that is so necessary in a democratic society." '

But it also said that despite its concerns, it will turn over the records to the special counsel investigating the leak.

[Peach]

Thought you might be interested in this; I haven't kept up on the case so maybe it's not breaking news.

[Perdogg]

I wonder who the leaker is.

[eyespysomething]

In a statement, Time said it believes "the Supreme Court has limited press freedom in ways that will have a chilling effect on our work and that may damage the free flow of information that is so necessary in a democratic society." '

Welcome to our world.

[Dog]

Time blinked.

[cyncooper]

Thanks---very early here and this is new news. The previous reports were they were contemplating giving the information, so the fact that they have decided to is indeed breaking (and no surprise, imo).

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

FWIW: I did initially post it under "Breaking News"... but: it was relocated. :)

[Dog]

There is someone in a office in DC...who just got this very sinking feeling sweep over them.

:-)

[Wristpin]

I'm sure they are busy "collecting" the notes as we speak.

[cyncooper]

Fox doing an Alert on it now and I could slap them. The guy (sorry, forget his name) presented it as if it's precedent setting.

This is absurd. Matt Cooper has already spoken with this grand jury after having been held in contempt before. Is it so hard to report in context?! The rulings ordering Cooper and Miller to cooperate were based on Supreme Court precedent that said reporters had to testify in criminal cases.

[kcvl]

bttt

[prairiebreeze]

Wow, even Time ragazine is mad at the SCOTUS.


;^)

[Buck W.]

"In a statement, Time said it believes "the Supreme Court has limited press freedom in ways that will have a chilling effect on our work...""

One can only hope.

[aynrandfreak]

At least maybe they can still throw Judith Miller in jail.

[Peach]

SCOTUS...just racking up enemies with every ruling. They've forgotten that the government that governs least, governs best.

[Carolinamom]

Will someone explain to me so that I can understand it why Robert Novak was not before this judge for HIS column?

[Peach]

I can't wait to hear what's in those notes.

[GSlob]

Jail them anyway. Indeed they ought to be uncommonly grateful for not being tossed to lions, which should have been an SOP.

[Peach]

It should be in breaking news, imo. Some days I just don't understand what is considered breaking and what isn't.

[Buck W.]

"At least maybe they can still throw Judith Miller in jail."

Nah, they'll probably just put her in Gitmo. Not even the full Martha Stewart treatment.

[P-Marlowe]

I'm sure they are busy "collecting" the notes as we speak

Yeah, I got your notes. I got 'em right here...

[YaYa123]

There is no way in hell Matt Cooper, (husband of Mandy Grunwald), would go to jail.

[Jonah Johansen]

Let me translate, we will fight to the bitter end and go to jail if necessary to protect information or informants which may harm the Democratic Party
but if it may harm Republicans we will issue self serving statements and then gladly rat them out.

Please, please Mr. Judge, don't make me reveal something which will hurt those nasty Republicans.

[daviscupper]

Yes, Gitmo.

"Gitmo, the preferred lodging by terrorists from around the world."

[tobyhill]

This is a good thing in my opinion. If it really was someone in the administration then this will out a person that maybe playing games against the President and the "reporters" will now lose all credibility with their "anonymous" sources. If the "reporters" lied about their source and it turns out not to be in the administration or is already gone, they lose again. If the person is a trusted official then all they have to claim is they heard it from Wilson himself and he just claimed Plame worked for the CIA but never covertly and everything else beyond that is "I don't know". It probably wasn't too hard for the reporters to figure out, 1) CIA employee 2)In Nigeria 3) Seen at the Embassy in Nigeria. Last I checked there are reporters all around the world. If I recall correct, the reporters came back later and tried to claim it wasn't a current administration official?

[cyncooper]

Will someone explain to me so that I can understand it why Robert Novak was not before this judge for HIS column?

It's a grand jury that calls witnesses and it's a secret proceeding. We only hear about going before judges if a witness refuses to cooperate. Therefore, I deduce that Novak has testified and that's why he was not held in contempt.

[cyncooper]

I can't wait to hear what's in those notes.

We probably never will unless there's a trial (doubtful).

I wish I could learn what the notes say, too, but alas...

[Peach]

Assuming what's in those notes is who leaked the story, you don't think there will be another leak about the leaker? (That's probably clear as mud!)

[CFC__VRWC]

In this case I have to agree with the SCOTUS. "Freedom of the press" was never intended to be "freedom for the media to use anonymous sources to smear, distort, character assassinate and invent fairy tales." They have abused this freedom for years, and frankly it's high time someone called them on it. And while there are cases where it's essential to protect the identity of sources, 99% of the "anonymous sources" the media use today are political hacks deliberately causing harm for no other reason than to advance their agendas.

Cry all you want to, MSM - this one's all yours.

[cyncooper]

I am aggravated that Fox hired him as a pundit, evidently because of his rising profile due to his refusal to cooperate in the grand jury.

They honestly have seemed surprised when the Supreme Court didn't intervene and then today when TIME capitulated.

Good grief.

[rawhide]

What if it was Wilson himself who was the leaker?

[cyncooper]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Let me think on that one.

LOL

[6SJ7]

What if it was Wilson himself who was the leaker?

Now that would be entertainment!

[Pukin Dog]

Time is only giving in because Novak said he is going to talk in October, and Time would look really bad for letting its reporters go to jail to protect a DEMOCRAT. They are cutting their losses, as their bluff was called.

[Physicist]

"Freedom of the press" was never intended to be "freedom for the media to use anonymous sources to smear, distort, character assassinate and invent fairy tales."

Everyone should read up on early American politics. The Founding Fathers ended up knowing everything there is to know about the subject. The press abuses of the late 1700's/early 1800's would make your head spin.

[Steve_Seattle]

It's still not clear to me why Novak isn't part of this - did he divulge his source? Why Cooper and Miller, but not Novak, who was the one who started the whole thing?

[Peach]

:-)

[Perdogg]

I don't know why this is even an issue. Her name was on his bio on a Middle Eastern think-tank website.

It was hardly a secret.

[Peach]

I'm delighted too. But can't help feel some delight at the left's anger at SCOTUS.

[Perdogg]

You know if it were damaging to Pres. Bush, the names would have been leaked by know.

[tobyhill]

"What if it was Wilson himself who was the leaker?"

I actually believe he probably was. If it was someone in the administration, State Dept. or Pentagon, that person has already been dealt with and is just awaiting to be hung out to dry. I guarantee that the Depts have already done an investigation and knows exactly who leaked it and that's why they aren't real worried about it. After all, it was the President who stated he wanted to know who it was too.

[cyncooper]

I've long surmised that the investigation has taken a tangent...

[cyncooper]

See my #26.

Also, it's not just Miller and Cooper (and Novak, who has most likely cooperated). Tim Russert, for example, at first refused to testify and was threatened with contempt and then testified instead.

[altura]

chilling effect.

another overused stock phrase.

Tho, I'd like a chilling effect right now. It's hotter than the hinges of the hot place and has been for 3 weeks.

[mware]

Interesting why October????

[mware]

Damn, I just realized, "October Surprise."

[Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit]

I'll take a leak too . . . umm I mean, well you know.

[tillacum]

For sure, it can't be deep-throat. Why is the "investigation" still going on? She wasn't undercover or anything like that, so why the secrecy?

[pepperdog]

Will these be the original notes, or the retyped copies of the originals (which have no doubt been destroyed)? I trust nothing the MSM writes or says anymore.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Will these be the original notes, or the retyped copies of the originals (which have no doubt been destroyed)?

Whichever ones are currently stashed away in Sandy Berger's pants. :)