Steve Chapman Claims Support for Opposing Miller's Stand in Plame Case

By: Dave Astor If the reaction received by columnist Steve Chapman is any indication, there are more than a few people who think the case that sent New York Times reporter Judith Miller to jail is not a good one to take a protect-the-source approach.

Chapman said his columns have drawn some negative reaction from journalists, "but I've been surprised that many of my colleagues are largely in agreement or at least very ambivalent."

He has written three columns about the case, with the latest one published this week. In that piece, the Chicago Tribune/Creators Syndicate commentator supported Time Inc.'s decision to "obey the law" and release Matthew Cooper's notes. Chapman also said Miller's "fortitude would be admirable in a noble cause, which unfortunately this is not." She has "chosen to shield someone who blew an American agent's cover for political revenge" -- an action which "may serve to protect a serious felon from being brought to justice," Chapman wrote.

The agent, Valerie Plame, ended up being named in a 2003 piece by Chicago Sun-Times columnist Robert Novak -- who, like Chapman, is syndicated by Creators.

Reaction from the Tribune (where he is also an editorial writer)? "My editors have a perfect record of letting me write whatever I want without objecting, and this issue is no exception. I did lose the debate in the editorial board," replied Chapman. "I've gotten no reaction from client papers [he has about 50 via Creators] except one nice note of disagreement from an editor."

Reader reaction? "I've gotten a higher than average response," said Chapman. "I'd say it's split, though lately it's more sympathetic than earlier. A lot of readers are confused about Novak's role and ask about that."

Chapman's other two columns on the topic appeared this February and last October. In the 2004 piece, he wrote: "(T)hough I normally root for the press in conflicts with the government, I have to say that in this instance, the news media are in the wrong....There are instances where it would be a terrible thing for journalists to be sent to jail for refusing to name their sources. But this isn't one of them, and the press should stop pretending it is."