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Journalists Fight to Protect Today's 'Deep Throats' Despite Threats
Without the country's most famous anonymous source—and two dogged young reporters—the truth about the Watergate break-in and the Nixon administration's criminal cover-up could have been buried for years, if not forever.
It's the most high-profile example journalists still cite today when talking about why anonymous sources are critical to a core democratic principle: the public's right to know.
"At its heart, the right to protect sources is central to the watchdog function of the press," said Linda Foley, president of The Newspaper Guild-CWA. "And while anonymous sources can be overused and shouldn't be relied upon when on-the-record sources are available, a reporter's right to protect those sources is tantamount to freedom of the press and to democracy itself."
The debate over anonymous sources had been coming to a boil for months when it got a fresh perspective in June, as "Deep Throat" ended 33 years of silence and revealed himself to be Mark Felt, the former deputy director of the FBI.
Watergate reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein—who were both card-carrying members of The Newspaper Guild at the Washington Post—confirmed Felt's identity as the source that helped them break the story. In a whirlwind series of interviews the reporters and their editor, Ben Bradlee, made it clear that Felt and other still-anonymous sources were vital to drawing back the curtain on an ultra-secretive White House.
That's the situation journalists—and their readers and viewers—find themselves in today, Foley said. "I think not since the Nixon administration have we had people in power who are so secretive about information that the public should know and has the right to know," she said.
The Bush administration is presently threatening New York Times reporter Judith Miller and Time magazine reporter Matt Cooper with jail time for refusing to reveal their sources in the case of the leaked identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame. While many states have shield laws that protect journalists from being forced to name sources, there is no such federal privilege.
Both news organizations have stood firmly behind their reporters through various court challenges. On June 27, the Supreme Court refused to hear the reporters' appeal. As a result, they could be jailed for 18 months.
Miller interviewed people but never wrote a story about Plame, and Cooper only wrote about the controversial leak itself after the story broke. Yet Foley said they have been singled out by the government while letting other reporters closer to the story off the hook.
"They've picked and chosen whom they're going after," Foley said. "This case in particular is being used by the Justice Department as a way to censor journalists. That's a much different abuse of power than even trying to identify a source. It can have a chilling effect on reporters."
Foley said she's hopeful that the renewed interest in Deep Throat is helping the public understand how and why journalists sometimes have to rely on anonymous sources in order "to bring to light abuses of power."
"If the role of journalists is to speak truth to power, they need to have access to whistleblowers," she said.
It's the most high-profile example journalists still cite today when talking about why anonymous sources are critical to a core democratic principle: the public's right to know.
"At its heart, the right to protect sources is central to the watchdog function of the press," said Linda Foley, president of The Newspaper Guild-CWA. "And while anonymous sources can be overused and shouldn't be relied upon when on-the-record sources are available, a reporter's right to protect those sources is tantamount to freedom of the press and to democracy itself."
The debate over anonymous sources had been coming to a boil for months when it got a fresh perspective in June, as "Deep Throat" ended 33 years of silence and revealed himself to be Mark Felt, the former deputy director of the FBI.
Watergate reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein—who were both card-carrying members of The Newspaper Guild at the Washington Post—confirmed Felt's identity as the source that helped them break the story. In a whirlwind series of interviews the reporters and their editor, Ben Bradlee, made it clear that Felt and other still-anonymous sources were vital to drawing back the curtain on an ultra-secretive White House.
That's the situation journalists—and their readers and viewers—find themselves in today, Foley said. "I think not since the Nixon administration have we had people in power who are so secretive about information that the public should know and has the right to know," she said.
The Bush administration is presently threatening New York Times reporter Judith Miller and Time magazine reporter Matt Cooper with jail time for refusing to reveal their sources in the case of the leaked identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame. While many states have shield laws that protect journalists from being forced to name sources, there is no such federal privilege.
Both news organizations have stood firmly behind their reporters through various court challenges. On June 27, the Supreme Court refused to hear the reporters' appeal. As a result, they could be jailed for 18 months.
Miller interviewed people but never wrote a story about Plame, and Cooper only wrote about the controversial leak itself after the story broke. Yet Foley said they have been singled out by the government while letting other reporters closer to the story off the hook.
"They've picked and chosen whom they're going after," Foley said. "This case in particular is being used by the Justice Department as a way to censor journalists. That's a much different abuse of power than even trying to identify a source. It can have a chilling effect on reporters."
Foley said she's hopeful that the renewed interest in Deep Throat is helping the public understand how and why journalists sometimes have to rely on anonymous sources in order "to bring to light abuses of power."
"If the role of journalists is to speak truth to power, they need to have access to whistleblowers," she said.