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13:48 minute of PBS Newshour.Jailing of Journalists? In the past week, courts have issued a series of rulings dealing with journalists ability to protect the identity of sources. On Monday, the Supreme Court rebuffed attempts by two journalists to avoid jail sentences for refusing to testify before a grand jury about the source of a leaked CIA agent's name.
June 29, 2005
* JOURNALISTS AND THE LAW
In the past week, courts have issued a series of rulings dealing with journalists ability to protect the identity of sources. On Monday, the Supreme Court rebuffed attempts by two journalists to avoid jail sentences for refusing to testify before a grand jury about the source of a leaked CIA agent's name.
Then Tuesday, a federal appeals court ruled that four reporters must answer questions about their confidential sources on stories they produced about former nuclear scientist Wen Ho Lee.
These cases have reignited an ongoing legal debate about whether reporters should have the right to protect their sources.
Tonight, NewsHour correspondent Jeffrey Brown discusses the issue with Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and Geoffrey Stone, professor of constitutional law at the University of Chicago.
Visit http://www.pbs.org/newshour/media after 9 p.m. Eastern time for more information on this segment.