Will Judith Miller watch from jail as Robert Novak's book climbs the charts?

The answer to this question is partially up to you.

Here's what I'm on about: Jay Rosen has written a superb post, "Time for Robert Novak to Feel Some Chill," that:

1. I strongly recommend, and
2. reminds me that I've neglected to update Surfette with my own posts on the jailing of New York Times Writer Judith Miller. Here they are, from the daily blog I write on Law.com, Inside Opinions: Legal Blog Watch:

• NYT Report: Judith Miller to be jailed
• Who's the real anti-hero here: Miller? Novak? Judge Fitzgerald?
• Want to know reporters' privilege in every state and federal circuit?

Now, back to Rosen's post and Novak's profits, including many, likely, pending book deals. This is a scenario where I think journalists who use blogging technology (whether you call yourselves citizen journalists or bloggers or live-journalists or diarists) can help traditional journalists. Why not take Rosen's advice and urge media outlets to do the right thing by Novak--here's Jay:

"As the judge said Judy Miller can escape her jail cell by finally choosing to talk, so could Novak restore his column and TV appearances by finally talking about his part in the story. Novak is said to have lots of friends in the press. Friends would let him know the time is here.

"That means if you're a Washington columnist maybe you don't go on CNN with him-- until he explains. If you're a newspaper editor you consider suspending his column until he explains. If you're Jonathan Klein, president of CNN/US, you take him off the air until he decides to go on the air and explain. If you're John Barron, editor of the Chicago Sun-Times, you suspend your columnist (with pay, I should think); and if Barron won't do it then publisher John Cruickshank should.

"If Novak says he can't talk until the case is over, then he shouldn't be allowed to publish or opine on the air until the case is over. He should know the rage some of his colleagues feel. Claiming to be "baffled" by Novak's behavior may have been plausible for a while. With Miller now sitting in jail, and possibly facing criminal charges later, "baffled" is sounding lame." Read the whole thing

Once you've read Rosen right down through the comments, I'd love some help with this question: Where do Time magazine editors and Matthew Cooper stand in your estimation? Is Norm Pattis right to recommend a boycott of Time? He writes, "Judith Miller and The New York Times have taken a firm stand on principle; the same cannot be said of Time Magazine, my subscription to which, I am happy to report, will be cancelled today."

I'm firm on Novak. But I'm still making up my mind on Cooper and Time.

Tags: judith miller, matt cooper