by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB
Roanoke Times Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: FRIDAY, February 14, 1992 TAG: 9202140115 SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-2 EDITION: METRO SOURCE: Los Angeles Times DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Short
WRITER MUM ON SOURCES OF HILL STORY
Risking prosecution in a rare Senate investigation of news leaks, a Newsday reporter refused Thursday to answer hundreds of questions regarding the source of his article last fall on sexual harassment charges against then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas.The newspaper reporter, Timothy Phelps, repeatedly invoked the First Amendment guarantee of press freedom during almost six hours of questioning behind closed doors by the Senate special counsel, who was assigned to discover how confidential Senate Judiciary Committee information became public.
But the long interrogation of Phelps and the newspaper's editor, Anthony Marro, proved futile. Both resisted efforts by special counsel Peter Fleming to discover how Newsday broke the story of allegations by Anita Hill, a law professor at the University of Oklahoma, that Thomas had harassed her.
The First Amendment guarantee of press freedom, most journalists believe, also protects their right to protect the identity of their sources.
The Senate decided to name a special counsel to try to determine how Newsday and National Public Radio reporter Nina Totenberg learned of the charges Hill had made in confidence to the panel.
Totenberg has said she will refuse to answer questions about confidential sources. She has been subpoenaed to appear Tuesday.