Contempt Ruling Against Reporter "Most Disturbing"

A former reporter for USA Today was ruled in contempt by a federal judge Tuesday because she is refusing to reveal her anonymous sources for stories she wrote about the much-publicized anthrax attacks of 2001.

The reporter, Toni Locy, is now a journalism teacher at West Virgina University. She could be fined as much as $5,000 a day as a result of the contempt ruling handed down by U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton.

In an article published today in The New York Times, Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said the contempt ruling was particularly troubling.

“Of all the federal court sanctions on reporters for refusing to reveal confidential sources over the past several years, this is perhaps the most disturbing,” she was quoted as saying.

In the article, Dalglish said Locy "is being punished for doing what reporters are supposed to do: making sure important information gets to the public about whether the government had the investigation into a major public health threat under control."

The ruling stems from a civil suit filed by Dr. Steven Hatfill who claims the federal government ruined his reputation by leaking his name to the news media as "a person of interest" in the anthrax attacks.

You can check out The NY Times story here.