US journalists ordered to testify
Publish date: 21 February 2005
Issue Number: 1280
Diary: Legalbrief Today
Category: Media
Two American journalists, from The New York Times and Time magazine, have lost their appeal against a contempt of court ruling that said they must testify in an investigation into the leak of a covert CIA officer\'s identity.
The Washington Post reports the three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled there was no First Amendment privilege that allowed reporters to conceal information they gathered from a criminal inquiry. The ruling held out some hope for the media, with two judges suggesting that common law could shield journalists seeking to protect the identity of confidential sources in other situations. Lawyers for the Times and Time said they would appeal the decision to the full Appellate Court and possibly to the Supreme Court. Full report in The Washington Post
