Subscribe!Recently San Francisco Chronicle journalists Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams were sentenced to 18 months in prison for refusing to reveal the source a grand jury leak involving the Balco case. They and people such as Wright Thompson at ESPN have gotten on a high horse proclaiming first amendment protections and attempting to portray journalists as crusaders for truth. While that may be true in many cases, Fainaru-Wada and Williams certainly were motivated by more than pursuit of the truth. Just check out their book deal from the whole scenario.
I certainly believe in first amendment rights, but I also believe in innocent until proven guilty. The reason for secrecy of grand juries is to protect the accused from having their names soiled in the public arena. When journalists get inside information from a grand jury and decide to run with it they are violating the rights of the accused. Why did they choose to write and publish about this story? Because they knew it would be big, get their names in lights, and make them a lot of money. In some cases I would likely choose to side with the journalists, but not in this case. I wonder how Thompson, Fainaur-Wada, or Williams might feel if a grand jury were held to decide if there was enough evidence to try them for some terrible crime, such as rape. What if another journalist obtains inside information about the grand jury and publishes a story about it. Their names have now been sullied and employment opportunities diminished, even if the grand jury decides not to indict.
I certainly believe in a free press, but those responsible for our press must look at the consequences of their actions. If Barry Bonds is indeed guilty of lying to the grand jury or of using steroids, that will eventually come to light. Until then, there is no need to drag his name through the mud. I wrote a blurb about this when the book, Game of Shadows, first came out condenming Bonds. If I had known the source of the information I probably would have remained silent on the issue. If these journalists were truly interested in making the world a better place, then why are the reporting on steroid use in baseball? There are certainly more meaningful things to report on, such as the atrocities being committed by the Bush administration. Journalists are an important part of our democracy, but that does not put them above the law, even if they feel that law is unfair or flawed. If they feel that way, then report on that and try to get it changed. That's the way a journalist with integrity would go about it.
