Over time, I've become increasingly disillusioned with the press, particularly in their coverage of major crises and events. I am not talking about the incessant coverage of freak shows like Anna Nicole Smith; no, coverage of the Iraq War - particularly in the dark days of 2002 and the first half of 2003 - has seriously burned me up. In particular, the perception that media elites are far more interested in cultivating and maintaining relationships with those in power than in speaking truth to power.

This has become painfully evident in the run-up and sad aftermath of the Iraq War. Reporters like Judy Miller, who became an acolyte of the charlatan Ahmed Chalabi, gave cover to Bush administration propaganda about Winnebagos of death and Niger yellowcake.

Then there was the Valerie Plame outing. Countless books will be written on this topic, but an important contribution has just been published by Max Frankel in The New York Times Magazine, a media elite during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. Mr. Frankel does two things in the article - he provides an insightful analysis of just what transpired, starting with Ambassador Wilson's fateful trip to Niger and concluding with Scooter Libby's conviction. In addition, Mr. Frankel makes the case for why we need to maintain the system of making secret official information available to the public through official leaking to the press.

Mr. Frankel is particularly exercised by prosecutors coercing reporters to give up their secrets - as in the case of Judy Miller, who spent time in the big house protecting her source, Scooter Libby. Mr. Frankel also spends time differentiating whistle blower leaks made in the public interest from the abusive leaks made by Mr. Libby and Vice President Cheney, et al, to discredit Valerie Plame and her husband Joe Wilson. Mr. Frankel concludes:

It may sound cynical to conclude that tolerating abusive leaks by government is the price that society has to pay for the benefit of receiving essential leaks about government. But that awkward condition has long served to protect the most vital secrets while dislodging the many the public deserves to know... In loose translation: Prosecutors of the realm, let this back-alley market flourish. Attorneys general and others armed with subpoena power, please leave well enough alone. Back off. Butt out.