Free Press, With Limits
Re “Reporter Who Shielded Source Guilty of Contempt,” Nov. 19: Reporter Jim Taricani was convicted of obstruction of justice for refusing to reveal his source of an FBI videotape showing a Providence, R.I., city official accepting a bribe. Meanwhile, there is no pressure at all on columnist Robert Novak to divulge his source -- an unnamed senior Bush administration official -- when he outed an undercover CIA operative as payback for the agent’s husband attacking White House disinformation on Iraq. I hope that Novak appreciates his protection.
David Holland
Northridge
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As a strong supporter of a free press, I applaud the bill by Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) that seeks to shield the press from going to federal court to disclose its sources. I may not be the only one who supports the bill. Novak, who was involved in disclosing the name of an undercover CIA operative who worked in catching terrorists, must also be happily cheering it on. It goes to show that our cherished freedoms often come as a double-edged sword.
Steve Ivanovics
Riverside
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