Two Kinds of Leakers

Now that Bob Woodward has come out of his personal journalistic hideout to admit that he actually had the earliest yet reported knowledge of the Valerie Plame leak, I have some further comments.

As to the substance of the leak investigation itself, prosecutor Fitzgerald is asking for a new grand jury, which I take to mean he will continue to investigate whether charges should be filed against someone for leaking Plame’s identity or for perjury related offenses. Woodward’s leaker informed the prosecutor and authorized Woodward to do the same, but the leaker did not go public or authorize Woodward to go public. The American people are still being kept in the dark as to whom the leakers were besides Libby. We don’t know if the leaker to Novak, who published the identity of Plame, was the same person who leaked to Woodward. If Bush was the strict father the neocons pretend he is, he would take all his White House children behind the wood shed and beat the truth out of them. But while he claims the moral authority to torture anyone else, that prospect does not seem imminent for his own appointees, especially since they were supposedly leaking for his benefit.

As for the journalistic angle, Woodward of course claims he was shielding his source as promised, but he also admits he was intimidated by the prospect of the prosecutor subpoenaing him and threatening jail time for not co-operating. What I find especially insulting to the public, whom journalists are supposed to serve, is that while he kept mum about his own knowledge and involvement in the leaking, Woodward had no problem publicly belittling the importance of the investigation and readily appearing on TV to put it down, even specifically denying any personal knowledge.

Any privilege afforded a reporter to refuse to reveal a source exists for the protection of the source and the benefit of the public, not for the protection or benefit of the reporter. There are two kinds of leakers. The first are the kind involved in the Plame leak, administration officials attempting to stifle legitimate public criticism of the administration while hiding anonymously behind the privilege. The second are whistle blowers, insiders attempting to inform the public about matters the administration is illegitimately keeping secret. Those who leak for the benefit of the administration do not deserve any privilege in a criminal investigation. Whistle blowers do.