Posted on 08/10/2005 4:28:17 AM PDT by markomalley
WASHINGTON (AP) - Press freedom advocates normally direct their wrath toward countries where harassment or abuse of journalists is the norm. Lately they have come up with a new target: the United States.
On Wednesday, a delegation from the Inter-American Press Association, a Western Hemisphere watchdog group, was making a pilgrimage to Washington to show solidarity with Judith Miller, the New York Times reporter who has been jailed since July 6.
An evening meeting with Miller was planned at the Alexandria (Va.) Detention Center, where she was being held for refusing to testify to a grand jury investigating the leak of the identity of undercover CIA officer Valerie Plame.
The mission is led by Alejo Miro Quesada, president of the IAPA and El Comercio, a Peruvian daily. The IAPA also planned to meet with the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., to discuss a proposal before Congress meant to enable journalists to keep sources confidential.
Accompanying Miro Quesada is Gonzalo Marroquin, director of Prensa Libre of Guatemala and chairman of IAPA's Freedom of the Press Committee; Diana Daniels of The Washington Post, and IAPA vice president Julio Munoz, executive director of IAPA.
In addition to the Miller case, the IAPA has followed the problems of Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper, who came close to being locked up for activities related to the Plame case.
The United States frequently criticizes infringements on press freedom in other countries. Recent U.S. critiques have been directed at Russia, China, Cuba and Venezuela.
The IAPA has a long history of acting to protect press freedom in the Western Hemisphere. Recently, it has focused on the murders of two journalists in Mexico and the disappearance of a third. It also has been dealing with new laws in Venezuela that could impair press freedom and is working on Cuba's imprisonment of more than 20 journalists.
Joining the IAPA in condemning the treatment of Miller was another pro-press freedom group, Reporters Without Borders. It decried her arrest as "a serious violation of international law, a dangerous precedent. The United States has sent a very bad signal to the rest of the world."
The case also has caught the attention of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, an arm of the Organization of American States.
"It is imperative that journalists retain the right to confidentiality of sources," a release from the organization said, alluding to the Miller case.
Check out the reports and resolutions section. It's a hoot.
Who is she protecting? Not Karl Rove.
That's what I want to know.
If they were so solid in their support, they wouldn't make a pligimage to Washington to support her, they'd be in jail with her!
She is either protecting a source, or she thinks she is undertaking a noble cause protecting freedom of the press, sitting in jail like a modernday Thoreau. When Susan McDougal wouldn't talk, the judge handed her 18 months for contempt. Let's see if St. Judith lasts that long...
Time will tell.
I imagine it is big name Democrats and perhaps fiends for Hillary or fiends for Bill, or fiends for Teddy of MA.
It wouldn't be James Carville, would it?
Interesting. Will we ever find out? Probably not from Miller.
I have much respect for Judith Miller.
I'm actually a little surprised neither liberals or conservatives seem to think her being in jail is of much importance.
Liberals, sure they don't want to rally around a person possibly protecting a Bush WH source. If this was Seymour Hersh jailed for protecting an al-Qaeda source they would be in total outrage.
So, why no love from the conservative crowd?
Oh yeah, Judith has now surpassed William Farr for most days in jail by a reporter protecting a source.
...not that anybody seems to care
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.