Grim day. This case was useful precisely because so many people don't find Miller a sympathetic reporter. This is just grim. This week Miller, next month, who knows, it could be the Seymour Hershes of this world who expose Abu Ghraibs, My Lai and controversial US foreign entanglements based on relationships of trust with anonymous sources. More from Kevin Drum. His sixth bullet point is especially worth thinking about.

Let me add a little more here. Every time a newspaper like the New York Times publishes a leaked Iraq war plan, or the like, one could claim that the reporter who has been leaked such information has technically been witness to a crime (unauthorized disclosure of protected US information from their anonymous source). Does it really serve the American public interest for such leaks to dry up? Does the public have an interest in knowing? Or will US prosecutors now feel they have a right to call on reporters as witnesses to these crimes right from the get go? If you appreciate that kind of reporting, you might recognize what I believe has just gone up in smoke here. Would it be better if Seymour Hersh decided to garden? I just can't believe that's what the US needs at this time.

Posted by Laura at July 6, 2005 03:46 PM