James Risen Quotes
I have only two choices: Give up everything I believe in – or go to jail.
There has been a constant conflict between the government and the press regarding the right of a journalist to refuse to disclose his/her sources for a story or to reveal his/her notes or outtakes. Reporters would sometimes be subpoenaed and if they refused to testify or disclose the subpoenaed information, they could be held in contempt of court and fined, jailed or both. However, one of the major reasons reporters have been able to get information on the malfeasance and incompetence of government is that leakers and whistleblowers have been willing to provide information to the press is that they are confident that the press will not disclose the source. The courts have ruled that journalists have no special rights regarding subpoenas, so the outcome of the conflict depends on the political decision of the administration. Risen had been subpoenaed during the George W. Bush Administration and he and the New York Times had fought the case all the way up to the Supreme Court which ruled, that Risen had no special right wo withhold information about a possible crime. That seemed to leave Risen with his “two choices”.
James Risen, Journalist, Speech, Boston, February 2014, ∫∫
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
There has been a constant conflict between the government and the press regarding the right of a journalist to refuse to disclose his/her sources for a story or to reveal his/her notes or outtakes. Reporters would sometimes be subpoenaed and if they refused to testify or disclose the subpoenaed information, they could be held in contempt of court and fined, jailed or both. However, one of the major reasons reporters have been able to get information on the malfeasance and incompetence of government is that leakers and whistleblowers have been willing to provide information to the press is that they are confident that the press will not disclose the source. The courts have ruled that journalists have no special rights regarding subpoenas, so the outcome of the conflict depends on the political decision of the administration. For the 2nd Obama administration, this has his announcement that the Justice Department would not jail reporters who ignored subpoenas. However many proponents of a free press, do not want to depend on the decision of the Attorney General in office and want Congress to pass a Shield Law for journalists.
Despite being a member of NATO, Turkey, in the beginning of the 21st century had a Prime Minister with very thin skin and he could not handle criticism.
Abe Rosenthal, statement to a reporter who he fired for having an affair with a politician, and continuing to cover his politics. There are multiple variations of this quote in circulation – this seems to be the most accurate.
Historically almost all dictators seized their power and war criminals committed their murders to “save their nation.”
Saint-Just himself was executed at the age of 27 by the mechanism he had created.
James Risen is an American journalist for The Intercept. He previously worked for The New York Times and before that for Los Angeles Times. He has written or co-written many articles concerning U.S. government activities and is the author or co-author of two books about the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and a book about the American public debate about abortion. Risen is a Pulitzer Prize winner.
