R.I. TV Reporter Won't Appeal Sentence

By: (AP) A TV reporter sentenced to six months of home confinement for refusing to say who leaked him an FBI surveillance video will not appeal his conviction, his station said Tuesday.

WJAR said 55-year-old Jim Taricani based his decision on concern for his health and a desire to put the matter behind him. He had a heart transplant in 1996 and takes medication daily.

"The last several years have taken a tremendous physical and emotional toll on Jim and his family, and he is looking forward to getting on with his life and getting back to work," the station said.

Taricani was sentenced this month after being convicted of criminal contempt for refusing to say who gave him the tape of a city official taking a bribe. The tape was part of a corruption investigation that ultimately sent former Mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci and other officials to prison.

Taricani said he had promised to protect his source's identity.

After Taricani's conviction, a defense attorney stepped forward to say he was the source.

Taricani is one of a number of journalists nationwide who have recently been threatened with jail in disputes over confidential sources. Among them are reporters with Time and The New York Times who have been locked in a battle with the Justice Department over the disclosure of a CIA officer's identity.

Taricani's sentence began immediately after he was sentenced Dec. 9. Taricani is not permitted to work, give interviews, use the Internet, or leave his house except for medical appointments.

"I doubt that the judge was going to let him out pending an appeal, and by the time the appellate process worked out, his sentence would probably be over," said Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. "I still applaud him for sticking to his principles."