Time Magazine to Hand Over Reporter Notes

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

[BushisTheMan]

so much for protecting your source.

[Shermy]

"Exactly. But is that the focus? No, we're treated to endless harping on the lie that Wilson "discovered" there were no yellowcake deals being made."

What the Bipartisan Senate report showed was how unimportant and minute Wilson's role in the Niger matter was. A few thought his findings supported Iraqi/Nigerien contacts, some said it did nothing, some noted the trip was worthless because the Nigeriens would deny it anyway.

Wilson created a narrative where his information was crucial and linked to a personal request from the Vice President.

[CFC__VRWC]

It says freedom of the press....like the 2nd Amendment, it doesn't give limits.

That kind of misses the point. The Second Amendment doesn't give you the right to gun down your neighbor just because you feel like it. You can own a gun, but there are limits to how you can legally use it. The same with the First.

[expatpat]

By 'SCOTUS', I assume you are referring to the Socialist Court of the United States.

[AntiGuv]

Oh yeah, he's a brave one isn't he.

Folded like a pair of deuces!

[Shermy]

Time folded, I don't think he has.

My guess is the internal e-mails and such will show what two officials told Cooper about Wilson's wife. Will this be enough to get him out of testimony I don't know.

[Black Tooth]

That's odd. I wouldn't consider this routine news by any stretch.

[Black Tooth]

If the "reporters" lied about their source and it turns out not to be in the administration or is already gone, they lose again.

Not necessarily. If the source is already gone, this could be a bad thing. Think about it. Hypothetically, if the source was let go because of this, it means someone else had knowledge of it.

[No2much3]

This is my first posting on FR after lurking for months. My question which I hope someone can answer is; who is going to end up paying for this delaying tactic? I have to assume that it has cost a lot of money to delay a federal Grand Jury investigation for over six months. I would hope that Time and NYT and the reporters in question get handed a hefty bill. I do not see why taxpayers should have to pay so that the media can distort and abuse US Law.

PS- I was given this screen name by the mods. Maybe they know something even I don't know... LOL

[Black Tooth]

who is going to end up paying for this delaying tactic?

The delay was expected in a case such as this.

I'd say the source, if revealed, will be paying the bill.

[whershey]

Your right the smears then were worse than they are now. It was a different game though. Everyone knew they were smears and most people knew who wrote the various articles since it was usually a well known individual publishing under a false name.

[tobyhill]

Time reporter Matthew Cooper told prosecutors that he talked to Libby on July 12 and mentioned that he had heard that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA, a source knowledgeable about his testimony said,"Cooper testified that Libby said he had heard the same thing from the media".

My guess is it didn't come from anyone in the administration but was confirmed by the media for the media and again confirmed by omission from the administration to the media, if that makes sense. As for Novaks role, it sounds as though he took other "confirmations" and jumped the story basically leaving Cooper and Miller out on their own. Novak just had to tell the GJ that he got the "confirmation" from Cooper or Miller and that's the reason he's off the hook.
Now Cooper's notes will allege that he asked a ? administration official to confirm Plames identity and they did. After that Cooper will have to explain how it was confirmed and he will testify that Libby stated he heard that too from the media.
To boil it all down, it sounds as though the media got an inkling of something and played a good guessing game after that. No story after that!

[Black Tooth]

Don't know. But a determined Grand Jury would no doubt chase the story to it's conclusion.

In the end, it would be pretty funny if no source actually existed.

[tobyhill]

Another guess. Miller and Cooper aren't in as much trouble about not revealing sources as they are with perjury or lying to a government official and this puts them in a box either which way they go. Miller is taking the easy way out by going with simple contempt but if Cooper testifies he goes down on contempt, perjury and/or lying to a government official, depending on his previous statements. Time has just stated that they will release his notes but that is no guarantee it discloses the "source" and one can't put notes under oath. Cooper, if he's smart, will take the contempt but file an appeal on other than "freedom of the press" grounds and request bail until the appeal could be heard.

[tobyhill]

It would be funny if no source did exist and that's not beyond the possibility. Plames name was in "Who's Who in America" as working for the CIA long before the story broke. Wilson was also known for bragging about his wife's CIA career but he stated he never said she was undercover. How can anyone prove he didn't inadvertently leak the info and the media pretended to get it "confirmed" through administration sources?

[NCLaw441]

I am less than enthusiastic these days about "freedom of the press." The press has repeatedly proven itself unworthy of protection. The press lies constantly, makes up the news often, and slants what purports to be hard news with total disregard to what should be its corresponding duty (corresponding to its oft-claimed freedoms) to present the news responsibly. I remain committed to freedom of the press to present slanted news, but I know of no reason why freedom of the press must include protection of sources who are complicit in crime. The so-called press has, for my money, gotten a little too big for its britches.

[tobyhill]

Prior to all of the "leaking", Miller had interviewed Scott Ritter and was an embedded reporter with the unit tasked to search for Iraqi WMD.

While she never wrote the story of Wilson or Plame, she was intending to write one about lack of WMD and had requested that Ritter provide her with corroborating persons within the CIA.

[Shermy]

"Cooper testified that Libby said he had heard the same thing from the media"."

Judith Miller I bet was the first. Whom did she hear it from? My bet: Valerie Plame and hubby, if they wanted to promote themselves, if the tip was meant to be negative, George Tenet.

[tobyhill]

#137 should explain where she got her info.

[Black Tooth]

She doesn't ask for much, does she?