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The Scoop on Confidential Sources

Protecting confidential news sources is viewed by mainstream journalists as almost a sacred duty. A reporter usually will choose to go to jail rather than betray his or her source, and from time to time a judge does send a reporter to jail for contempt of court for refusing to give up a name. What effect can such a refusal have on a lawsuit against the news organization, say for defamation? Perhaps more importantly, what effect can it have on the organization’