Time Inc. Statement re: Matt Cooper Case -- June 27, 2005

Time Inc. Statement re: Matt Cooper Case -- June 27, 2005 


NEW YORK, June 27  /PRNewswire/ -- We are disappointed that the Supreme Court
declined to hear the important issues presented by Matthew Cooper and Time Inc.
v. United States of America.

It is important to know whether the First Amendment and the federal common law
provide protection for journalists' confidential sources, as do the laws of 49
states and the District of Columbia.

We and Matt Cooper shall now seek a prompt hearing from the federal district
court that first held us in civil contempt. We shall ask Chief Judge Thomas F.
Hogan to reassess the privilege issues. We believe that changes in the status
of the Special Prosecutor's investigation and intervening guidance from the
Court of Appeals on evidentiary privileges under federal common law merit such
a reassessment.

Statements from the Special Counsel's office suggest his investigation has
changed substantially since last summer, when he presented secret evidence to
the district court. There is reason to believe, for example, that the Special
Counsel may have determined that disclosure of Valerie Plame's identity to
Robert Novak did not violate the Intelligence Identities Protection Act. If
that is correct, his desire to know the sources for a subsequent article by Mr.
Cooper and others, that appeared on Time.com, may be solely related to an
investigation into whether witnesses made false statements during the course of
his investigation into this non-crime. Such an investigation of obstruction of
justice or perjury may not rise to the level that justifies disclosure of
information from or about a reporter's confidential sources under federal
common law.

Under these circumstances, where the facts appear to have changed and where the
appeals court has since elaborated on a reporter's privilege under common law,
Time Inc. and Matt Cooper will ask the District Court to review and reassess
its orders.

We think it premature for Time Inc. and Matt Cooper to articulate final
positions until Judge Hogan has ruled on our request for review and
reassessment.

  Time Inc. Contact:
  Dawn Bridges
  Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications
  Time Inc.
  212.522.2494
  

DATASOURCE: Time Inc.



CONTACT:  Dawn Bridges, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications

of Time Inc., [phone],  



Web site:  

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