There is some reassurance for professional (at least)
journalists in the decision by Eric Holder not to subpoena New York Times
reporter James Risen, at least to give confidential sources, in the trial of
Jeffrey Sterling, a former CIA official. The story by Sari Horwitz is here. Risen authored the book “State of War”. NBC has a similar story by justice reporter
Pete Williams here.
The story may seem more politically compelling because
of the recent report on CIA abuses, but it isn’t directly related.
Apparently the DOJ also reversed itself and decided
not to subpoena a CBS producer, Richard Bonin.
It is very unlikely that protections would apply to
amateur bloggers, when they somehow come into contact with classified
information, which probably happens more often than is generally realized. I contacted authorities several times on
unsolicited (non-spam) items emailed to me in the years after 9-11.
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