Fired CBS reported Catherine Herridge broke her silence when she spoke before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Thursday.
Herridge was testifying in favor of the PRESS Act, which would protect journalists and their confidential sources from compelled disclosure, as happened to her. In February a judge held Herridge in civil contempt for refusing to divulge a source, which carries a $800 per day fine until she complies (though it doesn't take effect immediately to give her time for an appeal).
While arguing for the PRESS Act, Herridge exposed CBS’ shady behavior following her termination, which they presented as simply being layoffs.
When I was laid off in February, an incident reinforced in my mind the importance of protecting confidential sources. CBS News locked me out of the building and seized hundreds of pages of my reporting files, including confidential source information. Multiple sources said they were concerned that by working with me to expose government corruption and misconduct they would be identified and exposed.
I pushed back, and with the public support of my union, SAG-AFTRA, the records were returned. CBS News’ decision to seize my reporting records crossed a red line that I believe should never be crossed by any media organization. The litigation, and being held in contempt, have taken a toll on
Speaking to Jim Jordan while being questioned, Herridge added “When the network of Walter Cronkite seizes your reporting files, including confidential source information, that is an attack on investigative journalism,” likening the seizure of her files to “journalistic rape.”
“I just want to be clear, congressman. Wherever you work, if this happened to you, it’s an attack on free press. It’s an attack on the First Amendment. It makes it more challenging for reporters to work in the future. That disrupts the free flow of information to the public,”Herridge said. “They call journalism a profession for a reason, because it’s about an informed electorate, and it’s a cornerstone for our democracy. I can only speak for myself. When my records were seized, I felt it was a journalistic rape.”
Jordan replied; “That should scare us too. The first time it ever happened and it happens to an award-winning journalist who’s been in this profession for a number of years, known all across the profession, and that happens on the heels of what happened to Ms. Atkinson because both journalists were critical of the government. That’s exactly what the — that’s what journalism’s about, being critical of the government when the government’s doing things wrong and then to have a major news organization or the government itself do this …”
