'NY Times' Statement on Miller's Exit

By: E&P Staff The New York Times released a brief statement shortly after 4 p.m. this afternoon on the departure of Judith Miller.

Here is the complete text:

"The New York Times said today that reporter Judith Miller has chosen to retire effective immediately.

Ms. Miller joined The Times in 1977. She was part of The New York Times team that was awarded the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting for its informed and detailed reporting, before and after the September 11 attack on America, that profiled the global terrorism network and the threats it posed. Earlier this year, Ms. Miller served 85 days in prison after refusing to testify about conversations she had with a confidential source.

"We are grateful to Judy for her significant personal sacrifice to defend an important journalistic principle," said Arthur Sulzberger Jr., publisher of The New York Times. "I respect her decision to retire from The Times and wish her well."

"In her 28 years at The Times, Judy has participated in some great, prize-winning journalism," said Bill Keller, executive editor of The New York Times. "She displayed fierce determination and personal courage both in pursuit of the news and in resisting assaults on the freedom of news organizations to report. She carries our best wishes into the next phase of her career."