The Gray Lady doth protest too much

Remember when jail was never going to make Judy Miller change her mind?

Published October 17, 2005 12:36PM (EDT)

The New York Times, "41 Jail Days and Counting," Aug. 15, 2005: "As of today, Judith Miller has spent more time behind bars to protect privileged information than any other New York Times journalist. Reporters from other news organizations have endured longer jail time in the same important cause over the years, but for us and we hope for others, it should be clear after 41 days in a Virginia jail that Ms. Miller is not going to change her mind. . . . If she is not willing to testify after 41 days, then she is not willing to testify. It's time for the judge and the prosecutor to let Ms. Miller go."

The New York Times, "The Miller Case: A Notebook, a Cause, a Jail Cell and a Deal," Oct. 16, 2005: "Once Ms. Miller was jailed, her lawyers were in open conflict about whether she should stay there. She had refused to reopen communications with Mr. Libby for a year, saying she did not want to pressure a source into waiving confidentiality. But in the end, saying 'I owed it to myself' after two months of jail, she had her lawyer reach out to Mr. Libby. This time, hearing directly from her source, she accepted his permission and was set free."


By Tim Grieve

Tim Grieve is a senior writer and the author of Salon's War Room blog.

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