It is tragic that, in pursuit of offenses real or imagined, a federal prosecutor sees fit to imprison a journalist who is simply doing her job and adhering to the basic ethical principles of her profession. It is a sad perversion of justice to send Judith Miller to jail for protecting a confidential source in a case where no crime has yet been alleged and no story was ever written by Ms. Miller.

To fulfill the role envisioned by the framers of the First Amendment, the press simply cannot be viewed as agents of the government or investigative tools of government prosecutors. Sending Judith Miller to jail is excessive and unnecessary. It will serve no purpose other than to use the press as an easy scapegoat for the investigation's shortcomings.