Off the record : the press, the government, and the war over anonymous sources / Norman Pearlstine.

Includes bibliographical references ( p. 267-269) and index.

Anonymous sources -- The plame episode -- Patrick Fitzgerald -- Subpoenas and secrecy -- A journalist's education -- Branzburg's long shadow -- Abrams v. Olson -- The Pentagon papers and Watergate -- Are journalists above the law? -- Rove's ground rules -- Complying with the courts -- Matt Cooper testifies -- Dealing with the fallout -- Welcome support -- Judith Miller--In and out of jail -- Waivers -- Why we need a federal shield law -- Editorial guidelines -- Scooter Libby's indictment -- Rove gets a pass -- The government escalates its assault on the press -- Reviving the espionage act -- Prosecutorial excess -- Mike Price sues for libel -- Wen Ho Lee -- Libby is convicted -- Conclusion.

Confidentiality has become a weapon in the White House's war on the press, a war fought with the unwitting complicity of the press itself. Here, Time editor Pearlstine takes us behind the scenes of this battle, showing that the conflict between reporters and their sources is of great consequence for the press, and for the country as a whole.--From publisher description.