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Just saw an interesting notation this morning in Slate's condensation of Joseph Wilson's "The Politics of Truth":
Page 343: A friend of Wilson's hails Novak on Pennsylvania Avenue. Novak casually tosses out charges of nepotism: "Wilson's an asshole. The CIA sent him [to Niger]. His wife, Valerie, works for the CIA. She's a weapons of mass destruction specialist. She sent him [to Niger]."
Now here's a question for the ethics panel (or at least other Romenesko Regulars). Since it appears Mr. Novak may have voluntarily disseminated the classified information regarding Ms. Plame's CIA status outside his role as a journalist, does he really have a valid claim for privilege?
Where I've worked, it's always been considered poor form to talk openly -- to anyone on the street, for instance -- about what you may or may not be publishing in the future. Indeed, in some circumstances it could be a firing offense. Yet here is the distinguished Mr. Novak, apparently, dropping his little tidbit on anyone on the street.
I say Mr. Novak may have learned of Ms. Plame's status while playing the part of a journalist, but once he chose to selectively pass along that information to others before his readers, he squandered the privilege. If true, this little anecdote shows him to be just a courtier and a gossip and not a journalist at all.
Yep.