Concerns Raised Over US Supreme Court Decision on Reporters’ Rights

A decision by the US Supreme Court not to get involved in the case of two reporters threatened with jail time if they don’t disclose notes to a grand jury disappoints the Executive Director of Investigative Reporters and Editors. Brant Houston, who also teaches journalism at the University of Missouri, says though he’s disappointed, he believes the inaction by the Court will only have a minor impact. The courts had threatened both Time Magazine and the New York Times with heavy fines, and their reporters with jail time, if they failed to hand over material to the grand jury. Time, over the objection of its reporter, has decided to comply with the court order and hand over the material.