Save Our Media

Defend the First Amendment

We are gathering signatures on this statement deploring the jailing of New York Times reporter Judith Miller and also calling for passage of a national shield law to protect confidential news sources. We intend to use the statement as an advertisement in various major publications in the near future. If you are interested in adding your name to the statement, e-mail your name, title and organization (for identification purposes only) to firstamendment@startribune.com.

First Amendment Statement

Judith Miller, a reporter for the New York Times, has been sent to jail for refusing to testify before a grand jury about a confidential source.

For defenders of the First Amendment this is a crucial juncture in our nation's history.

It is essential to our country's democracy that journalists be able to report information without fear of intimidation or imprisonment. This sometimes requires the use of confidential sources.

Many major news stories such as the Watergate revelations have depended on confidential sources. The public is the chief beneficiary. Sometimes individuals with critical information will only speak on the condition that their identities are not revealed.

For that reason, a majority of the states and the District of Columbia recognize the need for confidential sources and have enacted media shield laws to protect journalists from disclosing those sources.

There is, however, no federal shield law to protect Judith Miller from having to disclose the identify of her source. She has been sent to jail, even though she never wrote an article, based on her confidential source.

As citizens--and as journalists--committed to a free press and the free flow of information, we support the passage of a Federal shield law.

And we urge you to join with us in speaking out against the imprisonment of Judith Miller.

Signers of First Amendment Advertisement
Organizations listed for identification purposes only

•	Bob Adams, former Washington bureau chief, St. Louis Post Dispatch

•	Edward Albee, playwright

•	Andrew Alexander, Washington bureau chief, Cox Newspapers,chairman, Freedom of Information Committee, American Society of Newspaper Editors

•	A.L. Alford Jr., editor and publisher, Lewiston Tribune, Idaho

•	George Althoff, publisher, Portage Division, Capital Newspapers, Portage, Wisconsin

•	Reed Anfinson, publisher, Swift County Monitor-News, Benson, MN

•	George Anthan, former Washington bureau chief, Des Moines Register

•	Cheryl Arvidson, former Washington bureau chief, Dallas Times Herald

•	Frank A. Aukofer, retired Washington bureau chief, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

•	Pete Banko, managing editor, The Altoona Mirror, Altoona, PA

•	Russell Banks, author

•	Sandra S. Baron, executive director, Media Law Resource Center

•	William Beecher, Pulitzer prize winner, former Washington correspondent for the Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal and New York Times

•	James Bettinger, director, John S. Knight Fellowships for Professional Journalists, Stanford University

•	Peter Bhatia, executive editor, Oregonian, Portland, OR

•	Susan Bischoff, associate editor, Houston Chronicle

•	Brenda Blagg, regional editor, Morning News, Northwest Arkansas

•	Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Attorney General

•	Julian Bond, board chairman, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

•	Tom Brokaw, correspondent-at-large, NBC News

•	Jeff Bruce, editor, Dayton Daily News

•	Arne Carlson, former Governor, Republican, Minnesota

•	John Carroll, editor, Los Angeles Times

•	Phil Casaus, editor, Albuquerque Tribune

•	Mae Cheng, President of UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc.

•	Ron Chernow, biographer, historian

•	Doug Clifton, editor, Cleveland Plain Dealer

•	Chris Cobler, editor, Greeley Tribune, CO

•	John Connolly, president, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists

•	Matthew Cooper, White House correspondent, Time Magazine

•	Brian Cooper, executive editor, Telegraph Herald, Dubuque, IA

•	John Costa, editor, The Bulletin, Bend, OR

•	Walter Cronkite, journalist

•	Lucy Dalglish, executive director, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

•	Andy Danyo, producer, the Bob Edwards Show

•	Tom Daschle, former Democratic Senate Leader

•	Tony Dearing, editor, Bay City Times, MI

•	Ariel Dorfman, playwright, novelist

•	Drew Edmondson, Oklahoma Attorney General

•	Felipe T. Edwards, El Mercurio, Santiago, Chile

•	Bob Edwards, host, Bob Edwards Show, XM Satellite Radio

•	Myron Farber, former reporter, New York Times

•	Geri Ferrara, editor, Dominion Post, Morgantown, WV

•	Luis A. Ferre Rangel, editor, El Nuevo Dia, San Juan, Puerto Rico

•	Charles M. Firestone, exective director, The Aspen Institute, Communications and Society Program

•	Deb Flemming, former editor, Mankato Free Press, Mankato, MN

•	Ellen Foley, editor, Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, WI

•	Linda Foley, president, The Newspaper Guild-CWA

•	Ernest B. Furgurson, former Washington bureau chief, Baltimore Sun

•	Philip Gailey, editor of editorials, St. Petersburg Times

•	Bob Giles, curator of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, past president, American Society of Newspaper Editors

•	Andrew J. Glass, former Washington bureau chief, Cox Newspapers

•	Francisco Goldman, novelist, journalist

•	Barbara Goldsmith, author

•	Greg Gordon, Washington correspondent, McClatchy Newspapers

•	Fred Graham, chief anchor and manager editor, Court TV

•	Rex Granum, former deputy press secretary, Carter White House; former London bureau chief ABC News

•	Irwin Gratz, president, Society of Professional Journalists

•	Pat Griffith, former Washingtoin bureau chief, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Toledo Blade

•	Anders Gyllenhaal, editor, Star Tribune, Minneapolis

•	John Hall, senior Washington correspondent, Media General

•	Steve Haynes, publisher, Goodland Star-News (KS); president, Nor'West Newspapers; treasurer, National Newspaper Association

•	Richard Hensley, editor, Highlands Today, Sebring, FL

•	Gary Hill, chair, Society of Professional Journalists Ethics Committee

•	Linwood Holton, former Governor, Republican, Virginia

•	Rob Hotakainen, Washington correspondent, Star Tribune, Minneapolis, MN

•	Joe Howry, editor / vice president, Ventura County Star, CA

•	Clark Hoyt, Washington editor, Knight Ridder

•	Don Huebscher, editor, Leader Telegram, Eau Claire, WI

•	John Hughes, syndicated columnist, Christian Science Monitor; editor and chief operating officer, Deseret Morning News, Salt Lake City, UT

•	Al Hunt, managing editor, Washington, Bloomberg News

•	Chris Ison, Star Tribune, Minneapolis/University of Minnesota, Pulitzer Prize winner

•	Saundra Keyes, editor, Honolulu Advertiser

•	Lou Kilzer, reporter, Rocky Mountain News, Denver, CO, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner

•	Larry King, executive editor, Omaha World-Herald

•	Craig Klugman, editor, The Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, IN

•	Ted Koppel, anchor and managing editor, ABC News, Nightline

•	David Kraslow, former Washington bureau chief, Cox Newspapers

•	John Lampinen, editor, senior vice president, Daily Herald, suburban Chicago

•	Donald R. Larrabee, Griffin-Larrabee News Bureau

•	Kathy Lawrence, president, College Media Advisers

•	Dale Leibach, assistant press secretary, Carter White House

•	Carl Leubsdorf Sr., Washington bureau chief, Dallas Morning News

•	Frances Lewine, CNN assignment editor

•	Simon K.C. Li, assistant managing editor, Los Angeles Times

•	Ron Magers, anchor/reporter, ABC-7, Chicago

•	John Mancini, editor, Newsday

•	Carol Marin, political columnist, Chicago Sun-Times, reporter, NBC5

•	Suzette Martinez Standring, columnist; president, National Society of Newspaper Columnists

•	Mike McCurry, former press secretary to President Clinton

•	Charlie McDowell, former columnist, Richmond Times Dispatch

•	Jack McElroy, editor, Knoxville News Sentinel

•	James M. McGarvey, editor, Herald News, West Paterson, NJ

•	George McGovern, former U.S. Senator, South Dakota

•	Tim J. McGuire, columnist and former president American Society of Newspaper Editors

•	Rob McKenna, attorney general, state of Washington

•	Walter Mears, retired Associated Press Vice President

•	Paul Merkoski, editor, The Press of Atlantic City

•	Norman C. Miller, retired national editor, Los Angeles Times

•	Wilson F. Minor, syndicated columnist, Jackson, MS

•	Bill Monroe, former moderator of Meet the Press

•	Bill Monroe, former moderator, Meet the Press

•	Larry Morgnanesi, executive editor, The Intelligencer, Doylestown, PA

•	John A. Nelson, managing editor, Advocate-Messenger, Danville, KY

•	Jack Nelson, retired Washington bureau chief, Los Angeles Times

•	Lawrence M. O'Rourke, national political correspondent, McClatchy Newspapers

•	Rafael Olmeda, vice president, print, National Association of Hispanic Journalists

•	Ronald J. Ostrow, former Supreme Court and Justice Department correspondent, Los Angeles Times

•	Hannah Pakula, author

•	Allen Parsons, executive editor and associate publisher, Star-News, Wilmington, NC

•	Eugene Patterson, editor emeritus, St. Petersburg Times

•	Matthew Paxton, publisher, News-Gazette, Lexington, VA; Region 3 director, National Newspaper Association

•	Donna Penticuff, president, National Federation of Press Women

•	Skip Perez, executive editor, Ledger, Lakeland, FL

•	Daniel Petrie Jr., president, Writers Guild of America, west

•	Jody Powell, former press secretary to President Carter

•	Mike Riley, editor, The Roanoke Times

•	James Risser, director emeritus, John S. Knight Fellowships, Stanford University

•	David Risser, executive editor, Statesman Journal, Salem, OR

•	Ken Robertson, executive editor, Tri-City Herald, Kennewick, WA

•	Cindy Rodriguez, general at-large officer, National Association of Hispanic Journalists

•	Rick Rodriguez, President, American Society of Newspaper Editors and executive editor, Sacramento Bee

•	Salman Rushdie, author

•	Kathleen Rutledge, editor, Lincoln Journal Star

•	William Safire, columnist, New York Times

•	Jonathan Safran Foer, author

•	Dena Sattler, editor and publisher, Garden City Telegram, Garden City, KS

•	Michael Scammell, author

•	Bob Schieffer, CBS News Correspondent

•	Daniel Schorr, senior news analyst, National Public Radio

•	Patrick J. Sloyan, Director, Fund for Investigative Journalism, former Washington bureau chief, Newsday

•	Hendrick Smith, former Washington bureau chief, New York Times

•	Rex Smith, editor and vice president, Times Union, Albany, NY

•	Dennis Sodomka, executive editor, Augusta Chronicle, Augusta, GA

•	Ellen Soeteber, editor, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

•	Eliot Spitzer, New York State Attorney General

•	David Starr, senior editor, Newhouse Newspapers

•	John W. Stevenson, editor and publisher, Randolph Leader, Roanoke, AL

•	Bob Stiff, executive editor, Dispatch, Lexington, NC

•	Mark W.C. Stodder, executive vice president/newspapers, Dolan Media Company, Minneapolis, MN

•	John Sweeney, president, AFL-CIO

•	Paul Tash, editor and chairman, St. Petersburg Times

•	Joyce Terhaar, managing editor, Sacramento Bee

•	Gerald terHorst, press secretary for President Gerald Ford

•	Helen Thomas, syndicated columnist, Hearst Newspapers

•	Robyn Tomlin, executive editor, Star Banner, Ocala, FL

•	Troy Turner, executive editor, Anniston Star, Anniston, AL

•	Douglas Turner, Washington bureau chief, Buffalo News

•	Christopher White Walker, editor and publisher, Emporia Gazette

•	Art Wiese, vice president, Entergy Corporation

•	David Wise, author/journalist

•	Betty Wong, managing editor, Americas Company, Reuters America LLC

•	Judy Woodruff, former correspondent, CNN

•	Andrew Young, former Ambassador to the United Nations

•	David Zeeck, executive editor, News Tribune, Tacoma, WA

•	Fred Zipp, managing editor, Austin American-Statesman

Organizations Endorsing

•	American Federation of Television & Radio Artists (AFTRA)

•	American Society of Business Publication Editors

•	American Society of Newspaper Editors

•	Asian American Journalists Association

•	Education Writers Association

•	Florida Society of Newspaper Editors

•	Investigative Reporters and Editors and National Institute of Computer Assisted Reporting

•	Media Law Resource Center

•	National Association of Black Journalists

•	National Association of Hispanic Journalists

•	National Federation of Press Women

•	National Newspaper Association

•	National Press Photographers Association

•	National Society of Newspaper Columnists

•	Newspaper Association of America

•	PEN American Center

•	Radio-Television News Directors Association

•	Religion Newswriters Association

•	Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

•	Society of American Business Editors & Writers

•	Society of Professional Journalists

•	The Newspaper Guild

•	UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc.