With the Senate set to vote on a new federal shield law for journalists, Judy Miller, the former Times reporter-cum-shield law advocate, has bubbled back into the news.
Last week, she spoke about the issue at the Foreign Correspondent's Club in Hong Kong, and was the subject of a lengthy Q&A published yesterday online at U.S. News and World Report.
It's a classic example of When Bad Spokespeople Happen to Good Issues.
I fully support a federal shield law for journalists to augment the laws designed to safeguard journalists and their sources already on the books in 49 states. Indeed, I don't think the proposed Congressional legislation goes far enough, especially since it leaves open the question of whether it would cover bloggers and other independent journalists.
But having Judy Miller be the face of such laws is like having Amy Winehouse doing PSAs for the Partnership for a Drug Free America.