PBS began a four part series call News War last night which was actually fairly decent.
Part 1 dealt with the idea of anonymous sources and press confidentiality. Despite what I considered a bias towards the idea that such sources were good I think it actually showed the corrosive effects unfettered use of anonymity can have on the press / government relationship.
Especially entertaining was watching all the principled talk about press immunity break down into essentially "That damn Judy Miller", after the fight to keep her from testifying ended with a reaffirmation of Branzburg which stated (IMO) that reporters have the same basic civic duties as every other citizen. It was also amusing watching the former justice department official say, "Yeah, John Ashcroft wouldn't have approve those subpoenas". Sometimes you reap what you sow, and if the New York Times hadn't been so busy carrying Democrat water and applied a little critical thought to what was said and done a little independent investigation of Joe Wilson's claims the would have been a lot better off.
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