Et tu, Tempus?

With so much Constitution-threatening action going on all around us, your blogstress finds herself a bit breathless as she tries to earn her keep as a prima pontificata. With bosom heaving, your cybertrix here notes her earlier failure to comment on the shameful actions of Time magazine in turning over documents that identify an heretofore confidential source to reporter Matt Cooper in the matter of Valerie Plame's "outing". You'll recall that Ms. Plame's status as a CIA operative was revealed to reporters, apparently by someone in the White House, as an apparent payback to Ms. Plame's husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who questioned the veracity of the Administration's claims regarding Sadam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction. Got that?

Anyway, Norman Pearlstine, Time Inc.'s top honcho, forked over Cooper's notes to the judge who demanded them, despite the fact that Cooper said he was willing to risk jail in order to protect his source.

There is no excuse for any journalist making such a betrayal of a source and, in refusing to see the matter to the bitter end, Time has set a precedent that imperils the future of a free press. Joe Strupp of Editor & Publisher magazine makes that case here.

Media as the government's lapdog; how despicable. I suppose we're supposed to settle for the amusement of learning who in the White House leaked--"the big reveal," as they say on HGTV. Hope it's somebody good.