![](https://thepoliticalinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-01-112356-1120x630.png)
Katherine Herridge, a veteran former Fox News and CBS News journalist, has been charged with civil contempt by a federal judge for refusing to identify the sources of a series of articles published in 2017.
Herridge was embroiled in a lawsuit protecting the identity of a source used in a report written that year about a Chinese-American scientist who was investigated by the FBI but not charged with wrongdoing. .
This case has significant First Amendment implications.
Herridge faces fines of up to $5,000 per day if he refuses to cover the case under oath, a situation that critics have defined as an attack on the principles of free press. are doing.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper imposed a fine of $800 per day until Herridge complies, but if he continues to do so for a year, the total could be closer to $300,000.
No fine will be imposed while she appeals.
Related: CBS seizes materials from fired journalist investigating Hunter Biden
Herridge is protective of his sources.
The judge's decision to hold Herridge in contempt for refusing to disclose his sources sets a dangerous precedent that could have a chilling effect on investigative reporting.
This sends a message to potential sources that they cannot trust journalists to protect their identities, potentially reducing the number of people who come forward with important information.
In his book, Judge Cooper decisionHe said he „recognizes the vital importance of freedom of the press in our society“ and the important role of confidential sources in investigative reporting, but the court „recognizes the vital importance of freedom of the press in our society. It also has a unique role to play in protecting the authority of the judiciary.“
Cooper was appointed to the bench role by then-President Barack Obama in 2013. He was unanimously confirmed by the Senate the following year.
cooling effect
Forcing journalists to disclose their sources undermines the public's right to information and can have a chilling effect on investigative reporting. It is important that journalists are able to protect their sources in order to ensure that the public is well-informed and that those in power are held accountable for their actions.
„Herridge was a respected investigative journalist at Fox News and CBS News for many years,“ Legal Insurrection wrote. mary chastain. “She has always faced the wrath of the left whenever she reveals anything negative about the Democratic Party.”
Fox News released a statement condemning the judge's decision to hold Herridge in contempt.
“Insulting journalists for protecting confidential sources has a deeply chilling effect on journalism,” they said.
Even CBS News, which fired Katherine Herridge during this First Amendment fight and then briefly seized her file, criticized the Obama-appointed judge.
A spokesperson for the network said the contempt order „requires everyone who respects the role of a free press in our democracy and understands that reliance on confidential sources is critical to the mission of journalism. It should be about Americans.“
President Barack Obama himself has a history of mocking free speech and pursuing reporters.
The former president used the Department of Justice (DOJ) to try to shut it down. FOX News reporter James Rosen By spying on him and accusing him of committing a crime.
A 2010 subpoena approved by Eric Holder suggested Rosen was a possible co-conspirator under the Espionage Act of 1917. As a result, investigators had access to Rosen's phone calls and two days worth of emails.
The Department of Justice also first amendment Freedom of the press by seizing the records of Fox News and Associated Press (AP) reporters.
Associated Press reporters (20 of them) had call records. A summons was issued Through their provider, they claimed at the time that this was a „massive and unprecedented intrusion“ into reporting operations.
Imagine if this were the Trump-appointed judge in this case and the reporter who tried to protect the source was Jim Acosta or Don Lemon instead of Herridge. Will there be riots at that point?
Now is the time to support and share trusted sources.
Political Insider ranked 3rd place feed spot “100 Best Political Blogs and Websites.”