Time Inc. Statement re: Matt Cooper Case -- June 27, 2005
28 June 2005 - 3:06AM
PR Newswire (US)
Time Inc. Statement re: Matt Cooper Case -- June 27, 2005 NEW YORK,
June 27 /PRNewswire/ -- We are disappointed that the Supreme Court
declined to hear the important issues presented by Matthew Cooper
and Time Inc. v. United States of America. It is important to know
whether the First Amendment and the federal common law provide
protection for journalists' confidential sources, as do the laws of
49 states and the District of Columbia. We and Matt Cooper shall
now seek a prompt hearing from the federal district court that
first held us in civil contempt. We shall ask Chief Judge Thomas F.
Hogan to reassess the privilege issues. We believe that changes in
the status of the Special Prosecutor's investigation and
intervening guidance from the Court of Appeals on evidentiary
privileges under federal common law merit such a reassessment.
Statements from the Special Counsel's office suggest his
investigation has changed substantially since last summer, when he
presented secret evidence to the district court. There is reason to
believe, for example, that the Special Counsel may have determined
that disclosure of Valerie Plame's identity to Robert Novak did not
violate the Intelligence Identities Protection Act. If that is
correct, his desire to know the sources for a subsequent article by
Mr. Cooper and others, that appeared on Time.com, may be solely
related to an investigation into whether witnesses made false
statements during the course of his investigation into this
non-crime. Such an investigation of obstruction of justice or
perjury may not rise to the level that justifies disclosure of
information from or about a reporter's confidential sources under
federal common law. Under these circumstances, where the facts
appear to have changed and where the appeals court has since
elaborated on a reporter's privilege under common law, Time Inc.
and Matt Cooper will ask the District Court to review and reassess
its orders. We think it premature for Time Inc. and Matt Cooper to
articulate final positions until Judge Hogan has ruled on our
request for review and reassessment. Time Inc. Contact: Dawn
Bridges Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications Time Inc.
212.522.2494 DATASOURCE: Time Inc. CONTACT: Dawn Bridges, Senior
Vice President, Corporate Communications of Time Inc.,
+1-212-522-2494, Web site:
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