Novak to Jail?

You know, I’m ordinarily not a big fan of reporters going to jail for refusing to divulge their sources. Protection from disclosure is a fundamental ethical safeguard that in the long run allows journalists to effectively fulfill their role as watchdogs. This role is vital to the functioning of our democracy that is too often disregarded these days. But usually the journalists are protecting whistleblowers trying to expose some wrongdoing on the part of someone else—either the government or corporation or people within those institutions. But that’s not what’s going on here. This is apparently a case of two officials in the White House who were willing to sacrifice national security, worldwide nuclear anti-proliferation efforts, and the lives and careers of the people involved in order to settle a petty political score, perhaps committing felonies to do it. Isn’t there an ethical distinction one can make here?