Media editorials are still lining up behind their own. Judith Miller went to jail (and Cooper almost did) to protect the confidentiality of her source in the Valerie Plame case, right? Nay, twas to protect the very fabric of journalism! Forsooth, for if a precedent be set, then verily the cessation of confidential information would shake the heavens, and the gods would laugh at the slow death of investigative journalism! (Apologies for that terrible Thor impression.)
But this makes no sense. The only way the government can compel a reporter to reveal their source is if (1) A crime has been comitted, and (2) there is no other way to get to that information. In other words, the only sources who would be burned by this precedent are criminals, who are committing crimes by leaking information. What’s so bad about that precedent being set?