Thoreau turns over in his grave

Apparently, in my rush to get out of town last week, I missed the latest blow in Time Inc.'s grand jury debacle. Norm Pearlstine buckled to pressure to turn over reporter Matt Cooper's confidential source. Here's CJR's take on it.

If you haven't heard about the case, search Google News for "Matt Cooper" and you'll get a fistful of links. I don't have time to look them up for you right now. It doesn't really matter your political stance on the issue. You can think Cooper, Rove or Pearlstine (or any combination of the above) fucked up beyond all belief. You can question shoddy journalism, shoddy politics and shoddy ethics.

Cooper was willing to face 120 days in jail to protect his source. Any journalist who puts his freedom on the line in the name of civil disobedience has my kudos. That takes guts, and far too often our sensationalist society pooh-poohs that decision publicly. But it's time to see the forest for the trees, folks. Many times, the anonymity of a trusted source allows that source to identify injustices that would otherwise go undetected. Of course, it's a double-edged sword. At what point do you stop trusting your source because his anonymity will keep him from taking responsibility for his words? And at what point does a situation become grave enough to require the use of an anonymous source? Questions like these add to a debate among the American press that's over 200 years in the making.

Those judgment calls are well made from the editor's desk. Collaboration between reporter and editor means both are content when the need arises to use an anonymous source. But those are the only calls that should be made from the editor's desk. Once the paper is to bed, once the story has run, it is not the editor's job to second guess the reporter's intentions. It is his duty to stand behind his staff and their stories. To undermine the reporter by negating his promises and outing his sources goes beyond professional misconduct to the point of cowardice.

So congratulations, Norm. You've broken the trust of those who tell of injustice in whispers instead of shouts. And you've lost the personal and professional respect of those who have the power to make or break you. Was it worth it?