"Josh is in jail and this is his mom!" - Journalist Blogger Fights for Press Freedom

Share this

Journalist blogger Josh Wolf was jailed for contempt of court after refusing to give a grand jury film footage of a street protest. The New York Times reports he claimed his "right as a journalist to shield his sources" and compared him to disgraced Times journalist Judith Miller who was jailed for protecing her source in the Valerie Plame scandal, Dick Cheney's indicted chief of staff Scooter Libby. Josh Wolf appears to be the first online journalist jailed for protecting sources. The San Francisco Bay Guardian reports that "In addition to the National Lawyers Guild, Wolf has received assistance from the Society of Professional Journalists. The ACLU and the French organization Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press both filed amicus briefs on Wolf’s behalf." Meanwhile, Wolf's website on August 1 had this appeal: "Josh is in jail and this is his mom!. ... I don’t have any other information at this time, but his lawyer is planning to file an appeal to the federal 9th circuit court. That filing alone costs almost $500, so if you can donate any little bit helps with the expenses of legal counsel and money for Josh while in jail."