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Contempt

Entry 215, on 2005-09-01 at 11:10:07 (Rating 3, News)

I listened to a discussion today concerning journalist protecting their sources of information, even when ordered by a court to reveal them. Courts are using the threat of contempt of court to try to force journalists into releasing the names of informants. I personally think a lot of courts deserve nothing but contempt, so how can someone be jailed for an attitude which is inevitable (I know that isn't really a valid comparison, I'm just making a point).

A journalist who is punished for failing to reveal his sources is likely to be highly successful in future. The ironic thing is that it is about the best career move an investigative journalist could make, because his credibility with both informants and the public is boosted. But I heard the other side of the story too. A journalist in Australia is preparing for a jail term as a result of a contempt finding. He's prepared to do the time because he knows he's morally (if not legally) right.

But the aspect we often overlook is, how does his family cope? He's busy telling his kids how to answer their peers when they say their dad is a "jail bird". What sort of society do we have when the law can do this? Innocent kids suffer because their father did the right thing. No wonder people say the law is an ass!

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