The Hindu : International : Time to disclose confidential source

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Saturday, Jul 02, 2005

International

International

Time to disclose confidential source

Gary Younge

Reporters face jail for refusing to reveal the identity of contacts

NEW YORK: The owners of Time magazine on Thursday submitted to judicial pressure to disclose a confidential source and promised to hand over the notes of a reporter threatened with jail.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan has charged Matthew Cooper of Time and Judith Miller of the New York Times with contempt of court for refusing to reveal the identity of their contacts regarding the leak of an undercover CIA officer's name.

He has also charged Time Inc with contempt and threatened the company with huge fines because it was in possession of Mr Cooper's notes that could be relevant to the case. The New York Times had no relevant documents.

It was not yet clear whether Time Inc's actions over the documents would have a bearing on the case against the individual reporters, both of whom are threatened with prison sentences.

In a statement, Arthur Sulzberger Jr, publisher of the New York Times, said: ``We are deeply disappointed by Time Inc.'s decision to deliver the subpoenaed records.'' He noted that one of its reporters served 40 days in jail in 1978 in a similar dispute. ``Our focus is now on our own reporter, Judith Miller, and in supporting her during this difficult time,'' Mr Sulzberger said. After the Supreme Court refused to hear the journalists' appeal earlier this week, Mr Hogan said they could be jailed within a week and would remain there until the grand jury's term expires, which could be up to four months.

Mr Cooper said he did not want his employer to hand over his notes. In a statement, Time said it believed the Supreme Court had ``limited press freedom in ways that will have a chilling effect on our work and that may damage the free flow of information that is so necessary in a democratic society''. Nonetheless, it decided to turn the documents over.

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