Kurtz Kliff Notes: Miller/Cooper Edition

More Howard Kurtz today on the Judith Miller/Matthew Cooper story, so we thought we’d offer some more Kurtz Kliff Notes:

Deepest Analysis: “It’s an amazing twist in [Judith Miller's] career,” said Columbia Journalism Review contributing editor Michael Massing.

Most Obvious Point: “You’d have to be catatonic not to be unsettled by the prospect of a jail sentence.” — Matthew Cooper

Quote That Sounds Most Like It Was Once Spoken by Patrick Henry: “I have to be willing to go to prison,” Miller told CNN. “I think the principles at stake in this case are so important to the functioning of a free press and to the confidentiality of sources that I just have to be willing to do that.”

Kurtz’s One-Line Sermon From Atop Mt. Journalism: “The concept of journalists being jailed for doing their jobs — which often includes promising sources confidentiality — strikes a sensitive chord within the Fourth Estate.”

Biggest Word: Orwellian

Sentence That Sounds Dirty But Isn’t: “The same law that could force a journalist to betray a confidence about a ‘bad’ leaker could be used to cudgel a reporter into outing a ‘good’ leaker.” — Matthew Cooper

Most Surprising Fact: Judith Miller is 57.

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