
A fabulist who changed journalism (2016) - samclemens
https://www.cjr.org/the_feature/the_fabulist_who_changed_journalism.php
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zeveb
> Cooke’s story, about an 8-year-old heroin addict, created an instant
> sensation—the 1980s equivalent of “going viral”—reprinted around the country
> and around the world. As DC Mayor Marion Barry and city health and police
> officials hustled to find the child and prosecute his guardian-tormentors,
> the Post stood fast behind its First Amendment right to protect its reporter
> from having to reveal the boy’s whereabouts.

That's begging the question! The First Amendment forbids restraint on the
press — it says nothing about reporters being immune from reporting crimes.

Otherwise what would prevent anyone from claiming to be a reporter and
refusing to testify?

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two2two
A member of the press, or journalist/reporter, will be held in contempt for
obstruction of justice if they're the only ones with information about a crime
and they refuse to give up that information. It's looked at like a badge-of-
honor for journalists to goto jail under this scenario, and it would also be
journalistic suicide to give up a source. Check out Branzburg v. Hayes.
There's "reporter's privilege" and shield laws which may help a reporter in
some jurisdictions.

If there are other means, which is usually the case, to get such information,
then those should be pursued before pressuring a reporter for that
information.

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cafard
How changed? Every few years, another journalist files a few dozen fake
stories before he's caught.

