Free Republic

There has always been a debate over whether journalism is a profession or a craft. A retired and revered editor at The New York Times, Sheldon Binn, offered a third option. He used to remind us regularly that there would be days when we'd feel "like the piano player in a whorehouse." I believe journalism is a profession—but that belief has standing only when we regulate and explain ourselves. And those conditions don't exist often enough. Take the story in Washington now about the "outing" of a CIA operative's identity. The press was directly involved in the blowing of Valerie...

WASHINGTON — A State Department (search) employee was found dead outside the agency headquarters in Washington, D.C., Friday around 5 p.m., Fox News has confirmed. Police said the official cause and manner of death is to be determined by the D.C. medical examiner, the Post reported.

<p>WASHINGTON — A State Department employee was found dead outside the agency headquarters in Washington, D.C., Friday around 5 p.m., Fox News has confirmed.</p> <p>State Department sources told The Washington Post that John Kokal (search) worked in a unit that dealt with intelligence and research. Sources said he handled classified documents regularly but was not involved in intelligence analysis.</p>