PressEthic

Something I came across this morning which I think will be of interest, is JudithMiller.org's publishing of the various correspondence surrounding her debacle at the New York Times. Every article relating to the case was uploaded yesterday, and she describes herself as, "a former reporter for the New York Times," although her resignation was only made public yesterday.

It is therefore pretty clear that this has been planned for a couple of weeks at least, and that her website hopes to capitalise on the attention she believed she would receive. The contact page where you can apparently send Judith emails displays the message:

Sorry, could not send mail. Server has reached maximum for today.

Has she really been sent thousands of emails already today, by those encouraging her support of a Federal Shield Law for journalists? This federal law now seems to be her crusade, whether retrojectively or not, and in her letter to Byrone Calame, the New York Times public editor, she says:

On July 6 I chose to go to jail to defend my right as a journalist to protect a confidential source, the same right that enables lawyers to grant confidentiality to their clients, clergy to their parishioners, and physicians and psychotherapists to their patients. Though 49 states have extended this privilege to journalists as well, for without such protection a free press cannot exist, there is no comparable federal law. I chose to go to jail not only to honor my pledge of confidentiality, but also to dramatize the need for such a federal law.

So while she did choose to honor her promise to "Scooter" Libby, her jail time, as many critics have alleged over the last two months, was for dramatic effect, at least in part. Her open posting of all the back and forth between herself, Maureen Dowd, Bill Keller et al. is absorbing, even if it serves to draw further attention to herself...