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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 24, 2005 Mail Tribune readers support Miller’s stance to keep quiet; express reservations about Time magazine co-operation By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune Mail Tribune newspaper readers are more likely than others nationwide to urge reporters to risk jail time to protect anonymous sources and to favor legal protections for journalists who do. About two-thirds of local readers responding to an online survey thought New York Times reporter Judith Miller did the right thing by going to jail to protect her confidential source. "Miller showed her integrity by supporting a fact-finding environment where other parts of a story can be unearthed," said Ed Roussell of Medford. "In my view, she’s a hero of journalism and its stated mission to always advocate for the public’s right to know." Nearly 60 percent of Mail Tribune readers responding to the survey said that Congress should pass a law shielding reporters from being forced to testify. But local readers were more divided over Time Inc.’s decision to comply with a court order to turn over documents that revealed a confidential source. Advertisement Nearly 40 percent supported the action, while about 45 percent opposed it. Seventeen percent remained undecided. And about 9 percent of Mail Tribune readers said the actions by Miller and Time Inc. were both correct. Many local readers struggled to balance the rule of law with the rights of a free press that sometimes uses anonymous sources to ferret out news. Many came down on the side of the law. "All of us in this great country are required to abide by court orders, why not a reporter?" wrote Howard Wand of Rogue River. A larger proportion of local readers compared to national readers advocated publication of stories of "profound importance," even if it meant facing the consequences of leaked information. More than half of Mail Tribune readers — compared to a third of national readers — said the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper should go ahead and run such stories. "We should uncover the wrongs as well as the rights. Let the investigation begin," said Lon Holston of Medford. "Tell the sources to cover their tracks." THE READERS SPEAK This Readers Speak survey was sponsored by the Associated Press Managing Editors National Credibility Roundtables Project through its Reader Interactive initiative. A total of 25 news organizations helped gather the 1,114 responses (119 from Mail Tribune readers) from 36 states and the District of Columbia. The results are not scientific; readers were contacted because they had given their e-mail address to their local newspaper, and comments were taken only online. Was Judith Miller of The New York Times right in refusing a court order to testify about an anonymous source and going to jail to protect that person's identity? NATIONAL SURVEY: Right: 616 (55 percent) Wrong: 380 (34 percent) Undecided: 115 (10 percent) MEDFORD ONLY: Right: 77 (65 percent) Wrong: 32 (27 percent) Undecided: 10 (8 percent) Were Time Inc. officials right in complying with a court order after all appeals failed and turning over documents that revealed the identity of a source promised anonymity by reporter Matt Cooper? NATIONAL SURVEY Right: 550 (49 percent) Wrong: 393 (35 percent) Undecided: 167 (15 percent) MEDFORD ONLY: Right: 45 (38 percent) Wrong: 54 (45 percent) Undecided: 20 (17 percent) People who answered that both Judith Miller and Time Inc.'s decisions were right: NATIONAL SURVEY: 134 (12 percent) MEDFORD ONLY: 11 (9 percent) The Cleveland Plain Dealer is withholding two stories it describes as "of profound importance" because they’re based on documents leaked to the newspaper by people who would "face deep trouble" for having leaked them. Should the Plain Dealer: NATIONAL SURVEY: Pursue: 507 (46 percent) Use: 399 (36 percent) Undecided: 132 (12 percent) Hold: 60 (5 percent) MEDFORD ONLY: Pursue: 41 (34 percent) Use: 64 (53 percent) Undecided: 11 (9 percent) Hold: 1 Should Congress pass a law shielding reporters from being forced to testify in such cases? NATIONAL SURVEY: Yes: 495 (44 percent) No: 455 (41 percent) Undecided: 155 (14 percent) MEDFORD ONLY: Yes: 69 (58 percent) No: 36 (30 percent) Undecided: 14 (12 percent) How would you define who deserves protection as a reporter or journalist? Check all that apply. NATIONAL SURVEY: Mainstream news: 753 (68 percent) Mainstream commentary: 619 (56 percent) Freelance: 574 (52 percent) Amateur: 301 (27 percent) Bloggers: 235 (21 percent) MEDFORD ONLY: Mainstream news: 85 (71 percent) Mainstream commentary: 86 (72 percent) Freelance: 84 (70 percent) Amateur: 49 (41 percent) Bloggers: 35 (29 percent) (Note: Not all percentages add up to 100. Some questions were left blank by a few respondents, and percentages were rounded to the nearest digit.) Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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