Off the Record: The Press, the Government, and the War Over Anonymous Sources » (Unabridged)

Norman Pearlstine, editor in chief of Time Inc. from 1995 to 2005, was previously the managing editor of "The Wall Street Journal. "He trained as a lawyer before making his career as a journalist. He is now a senior adviser to the Carlyle Group and lives in Manhattan.

ALAN SKLAR has narrated over 75 audiobooks and earned numerous awards for his work. He has also provided the voice for thousands of corporate and medical videos, as well as many radio and TV commercials. He lives with his wife in New York.

In this hard-hitting inside story, Norman Pearlstine shows that confidentiality has become a weapon in the White Houses war on the press. Pearlstine calls on Congress to pass a federal shield law protecting journalists from the needless intrusions of government; at the same time, he calls on the press to name its sources whenever possible. Off the Record is a powerful argument, with the vividness and narrative drive of the best long-form journalism.

The New York Times - William Powers

… Mr. Pearlstine s central argument is compelling, particularly his contention that when a news outlet has fought a First Amendment case all the way to the Supreme Court and lost, continued resistance amounts to defying the entire legal system, a choice that should be reserved for truly extraordinary causes. No one is above the law and that includes publishers, he writes.

Preface     xi
Chronology     xvii
Anonymous Sources     3
The Plame Episode     9
Patrick Fitzgerald     17
Subpoenas and Secrecy     21
A Journalist's Education     34
Branzburg's Long Shadow     51
Abrams v. Olson     63
The Pentagon Papers and Watergate     74
Are Journalists Above the Law?     94
Rove's Ground Rules     102
Complying with the Courts     110
Matt Cooper Testifies     117
Dealing with the Fallout     125
Welcome Support     137
Judith Miller-In and Out of Jail     141
Waivers     149
Why We Need a Federal Shield Law     157
Editorial Guidelines     166
Scooter Libby's Indictment     178
Rove Gets a Pass     183
The Government Escalates Its Assault on the Press     195
Reviving the Espionage Act     206
Prosecutorial Excess     216
Mike Price Sues for Libel     225
Wen Ho Lee     231
Libby Is Convicted     238
Conclusion     247
Afterword     255
Editorial Guidelines     267
Acknowledgments     275
Selected Bibliography     277
Index     281