At Leak Inquiry's Center, a Circumspect Columnist

At Leak Inquiry's Center, a Circumspect Columnist
By LORNE MANLY and ADAM LIPTAK

Published: December 31, 2004

snip

On the C-Span "Washington Journal" this month, he calmly swatted away one caller who asked how it felt to watch others face jail. Then, when queried by Brian Lamb, the program's host, about the matter, he referred dismissively to the reporters, Judith Miller of The New York Times and Matthew Cooper of Time magazine.

"I don't know why they're upset with me," Mr. Novak said. "They ought to worry about themselves. I worry about myself."

snip

Geneva Overholser, a professor at the University of Missouri School of Journalism and a former ombudsman for The Washington Post, added: "He's a journalist. If he believes in reporting and truth-telling, it's time he did some of that."

Ms. Miller and Mr. Cooper have said that Mr. Novak is legally entitled to name Ms. Plame. But, in an interview, Mr. Cooper wondered about Mr. Novak's professional courtesy.

"It's bizarre and disappointing that he hasn't said, 'Judy and Matt shouldn't go to jail,' " he said.

more
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/31/politics/31novak.html