The protection of journalists' confidential sources: an examination of the Valerie Plame affair and beyond

Discusses the alleged release of information by US administration officials that the wife of a former ambassador, who had challenged the justification for the invasion of Iraq, was a CIA operative working on weapons of mass destruction. Reviews the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia decision in United States v Miller on whether a journalist's sources were protected by privilege under the First Amendment or common law. Considers the implications of the case for the protection of journalists' sources and news gathering, and proposals for a federal shield law.