Norman Pearlstine

When the Valerie Plame scandal was at its height, Norman Pearlstine, the then-editor in chief of Time Inc., appeared to be on the opposing side from special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, who was demanding that news organizations that received leaks about Ms. Plame reveal their sources.

But today, Mr. Pearlstine, who chose to cooperate with the investigation, had fond words for Mr. Fitzgerald, telling a J-school audience, according to Editor and Publisher: "When I consider all the things that happened when Alberto Gonzales was attorney general -- I really considered him an outpost of sanity."

Mr. Pearlstine added that he had sent Mr. Fitzgerald a copy of his book, Off the Record: The Press, the Government, and the War over Anonymous Sources, published this year, with an inscription that read: "I couldn't have written this without you."

At the time, it was a wildly unpopular decision. During the summer of 2005, everywhere you looked in American journalism, some prominent writer, publication or media organization was taking a hearty whack at Norman Pearlstine.  read more »

To the Editor:    read more »

Foie Gras Faux Pas To the Editor:Having eaten at both the French Laundry and Per Se a couple of time  read more »

The last time the world saw Judith Miller—at least the part of the world that watches CNN—the Ne  read more »

The last time the world saw Judith Miller—at least the part of the world that watches CNN&mdas  read more »

At lunchtime on July 11, as Time Inc.  read more »

On June 30, Time Inc.  read more »

In the old days, the Time “Milestone” would have read like this:

DIED: Five years, six  read more »

On June 30, Time Inc.  read more »

In the old days, the Time "Milestone" would have read like this:DIED: Five years, six months and 30  read more »

Is Norman Pearlstine a strategic genius after all? Time agrees to stop fighting the corporate part of the special prosecutor's subpoena--leaving Matt Cooper to protect his personal agreement with his confidential source by his personal self in his personal jail cell. So as the locomotive of justice bears down on lonesome Cooper, the mystery source swoops in--"in somewhat dramatic fashion," as Cooper reportedly put it--to untie him from the tracks, releasing him from his confidentiality deal.

No such rescuer appeared for Judith Miller. Maybe it was because her employer stayed solidly behind her; maybe her secret source was less softhearted. Either way, Arthur Sulzberger Jr. was left to wave goodbye and issue another statement of principle. The full text:

"There are times when the greater good of our democracy demands an act of conscience. Judy has chosen such an act in honoring her promise of confidentiality to her sources. She believes, as do we, that the free flow of information is critical to an informed citizenry.

"It has been more than 25 years since Myron Farber, a Times reporter, was jailed and The Times was fined for refusing to provide the names of confidential sources. Subsequently, Mr. Farber and The Times were pardoned and the fines were returned. The case prompted many states to enact shield laws to protect journalists and to help ensure that the public receives information so important in a democracy. I sincerely hope that now Congress will move forward on federal shield legislation so that other journalists will not have to face imprisonment for doing their jobs.  read more »

"In the days, weeks and months ahead, The New York Times Company will do all that we can to ensure Judy's safety and continue to fight for the principles that led her to make a most difficult and honorable choice."

This week in the Observer:

Norman Pearlstine and Arthur Sulzberger Jr. take their separate high roads--both of which, for their reporters, lead up the river.  read more »

The Other Other Guy Who Knew About Deep Throat speaks!

Special two-week edition of the New York Times Pundit Standings

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The ostensible purpose of Norman Pearlstine's July 10 staff memo was to announce the appointment of  read more »