Plame Game

This subject has been written about endlessly, so I'll keep my comments limited to a question. I honestly and truly don't understand why journalists are reacting so wildly to a federal judge's ruling to jail one reporter and not jail another only because of Time Magazine's decision to turn over certain documents.

The reporter's privilege is justified by many on the basis that the public, without such reporter's privilege, might never find out certain information it has a right and a need to know. Watergate is a perfect example.

The Plame Game is not such a situation. The public had ZERO right or need to know the secret employment status of Ms. Plame. Whether such a disclosure by Mr. Rove to Mr. Novak was a crime may be debated, but the underlying "the public needs to know and removing the reporter's privilege will chill that" just doesn't fly in the current context.