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Time Magazine Will Hand Over Journalist’s Notes
June 30, 2005
Time magazine announced today that it would turn over reporter Matthew Cooper’s notes about the leak of CIA agent Valerie Plame’s name, in compliance with a U.S. District Court subpoena.
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On June 27th, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the appeals of Cooper and The New York Times reporter Judith Miller in the cases of Cooper v. United States and Miller v. United States, letting stand a District Court order that the reporters turn over their sources, as subpoenaed by the Special Counsel investigating the matter. Ms. Plame’s name was originally revealed in a story written by Robert Novak. Cooper subsequently wrote about the controversy following Novak’s revelation, and Miller researched though did not write about it. Novak has not revealed the sources of the leak, and has not been held in contempt.
District Court Judge Thomas Hogan held Miller and Cooper in contempt for refusing to reveal their sources. Currently, the reporters face jail time unless they comply with the court order. In a released statement, Time magazine Editor in Chief, Norman Peartine, expressed disagreement with the contempt order, citing the chilling effect such restrictions will have on the “free flow of information that is so necessary in a democratic society”, but he also stated that Time would comply with the order: “The same Constitution that protects the freedom of the press requires obedience to final decisions of the courts and respect for their rulings and judgments.”
Cooper stated yesterday that he hoped Time would not release the documents, but felt that the decision was in Time’s discretion. Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., publisher of the The New York Times, also expressed dissapointment at Time‘s decision and reiterated The New York Times’ support of reporter Judith Miller. Judge Thomas Hogan will hear arguments in two weeks’ time against jailing the reporters.
For more information, please see our earlier story:
Journalists Cooper and Miller Face Jail Time After Supreme Court Refuses to Intervene