Wen Ho Lee Reporters Held in Contempt

[wicket]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=6&u=/ap/20040818/ap_on_go_ot/wen_ho_lee_reporters

A federal judge held five reporters in contempt Wednesday for refusing to identify their sources for stories about Wen Ho Lee, a former nuclear weapons scientist once suspected of spying, a lawyer said Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson imposed a fine of $500 a day for Associated Press reporter H. Josef Hebert, James Risen and Jeff Gerth of The New York Times and Robert Drogin of the Los Angeles Times, and Pierre Thomas of ABC, who was at CNN when the stories were done.

The fines are to continue until the reporters comply with Jackson's order to reveal the information, but Nathan Siegel, the AP's lawyer, said the fines will be delayed pending an appeal.

The reporters contend they provided all the relevant information they could without defying a commitment to protect their sources.

Lee is seeking the identity of the sources for his lawsuit against the departments of Energy and Justice. He alleges the agencies gave reporters private information on him and suggested he was a suspect in an investigation into possible theft of secrets from Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

[DrWeird]

1. Fine with me.

I hope people pay big for what they did to the guy.

[Warpy]

2. Same here

This was a colossal smear job, presided over by the then Sec. of Energy and now Governor of NM, Bill Richardson (DINO).

I don't know who was feeding the prosecutor and the press those stories but he/they need to be punished for what they did to a decent man. My guess is that it'll end up being some jealous little prick within Los Alamos who felt he wasn't getting the recognition he deserved.

[Democat]

3. I wonder if David Brock knows who the sources were?

Was the Arkansas Project involved in this one?

[wicket]

4. That would be interesting to find out!

[Moderator]

5. Kick

Kick

[slojim240]

6. Since 9/11 changed everything, protection of sources should change also.

What if a journalist was told where Osama was? Must he protect his sources?

[FormerOstrich]

8. sure....and if they

are not forthcoming with them maybe we should torture them...maybe we should go ahead and torture all journalist because they might have sources for things they haven't written.......after all nothing more important than getting those dark skinned terrorists!

[Kinkistyle]

7. Ahh... I remember those days - when the villains du jour was Red China.

Seems like so long ago - what, 3 some-odd years ago. Now its dark-skinned Ay-rabs. Oh how times change. </sarcasm> :eyes:


P.S. I know Mr. Lee is Taiwanese, who for all intents and purposes, have reason to undermine China rather than help them, which is why this whole affair smells of stupid bigotry. :mad:

[wicket]

10. Nigotry

which is why this whole affair smells of stupid bigotry.

Amen to that...

[The Zanti Regent]

9. Send Gerth to Jail

After all, that pig was one of the whores who fabricated Whitewater. Now if everyone else from the SCREW YORK TIMES (EXCEPT Dr. Krugman) got the same thing...

[0007]

11. What ever happened to those FBI agents that lied on the witness stand

about Wen Ho Lee and the evidence they said they found when arresting Wen Ho Lee?

[Veggie Meathead]

12. Arrogant whores like Gerth hide behind principles when they

subjected an honest and decent man like Wen Ho Lee and his family to
untold suffering and humiliation on the say so of an official.This guy Gerth should be consigned to a trash heap with the other whore Judith Miller.