Mr. John Ashcroft
Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice
Washington, DC
USA
Fax: + 1 202-514-0293
Vienna, 1 August 2001
Dear Mr. Ashcroft,
The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists, is deeply concerned over the jailing of a journalist for refusing to hand over her research notes to a federal grand jury.
According to the information before IPI, Vanessa Leggett, a freelance journalist, was found in contempt of court by U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon and jailed without bail in Houston, Texas, on 20 July. The decision was made at the request of Assistant U.S. Attorney Terry Clark after Leggett refused to give U.S. prosecutors notes from her investigation into the April 1997 killing of Doris Angleton, whose husband, the millionaire and former bookie Robert Angleton, was charged with the murder but later acquitted by a state jury in Harris County, Texas, in February 1998.
Leggett, who has spent several years researching the society killing, was asked to hand over her material by a federal grand jury, which initiated proceedings to build a federal case against Robert Angleton after his acquittal.
Under law, Leggett could remain in custody for up to 18 months, the length of the grand jury’s term, if she decides not to hand over the requested material or if her appeal is turned down by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
IPI believes that the journalist’s right to protect confidential sources and unpublished information is one of the fundamental aspects of investigative journalism and that any encroachment on this right is a direct threat to press freedom. If journalists are compelled to hand over information provided to them in confidentiality, the betrayal of trust involved will mean that individuals will be less prepared to offer information which, in turn, will seriously hamper the media in carrying out its primary function of disseminating news and information to the public. Any restriction on the free flow of information is a restriction on citizens’ right to be fully informed.
Therefore, we urge you to take the necessary steps to ensure that Leggett is released and that she is not forced to hand over any material collected while conducting her journalistic research. Moreover, we urge you to ensure that journalists are not compelled by the authorities, federal or state, to disclose unpublished information. By doing so, you will send an important signal that journalists enjoy the protection which is necessary in order for them to carry out their professional duties.
Yours sincerely,
Johann P. Fritz
Director
