Judge Tells Reporter To Explain Spy Story

[maddezmom]

Source: WaPo

By Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, July 18, 2008; Page A02

A federal judge in California has ordered Washington Times reporter Bill Gertz to appear in court next week to explain why he needs to protect the identity of confidential sources he used in writing an article about a spy case, and why he considered the subject newsworthy.

In a May 2006 article, Gertz attributed to "senior Justice Department officials" information about charges to be filed against Chi Mak, a Chinese-born engineer working for a California-based defense contractor, including charges of espionage and, with three relatives, conspiracy to export articles involving Navy technology. The story also identified a potential new defendant.

Chi was convicted last year of conspiracy to export sensitive defense information and of being an unregistered foreign agent. His relatives pleaded guilty to related offenses.

In November 2006, however, U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney ruled that although the article did not prejudice a defendant's right to a fair trial, it represented a violation of grand jury secrecy. He ordered an investigation to determine whether any government official was the source of the unauthorized disclosure, which is a federal crime.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/17/AR2008071702431.html?hpid=sec-nation