Brian J. Karem, the reporter who drew fast attention for accusing the White House of “inflaming” sentiments against the news media, doesn’t just talk the talk when it comes to press freedoms: He once went to jail to protect an anonymous source.
In 1990, when Karem was 29 years old and a San Antonio TV reporter, he was jailed for refusing to give up the names of three people who helped him land an interview with a jailed murder suspect. During the interview, suspect Harry Hernandez confessed to killing the officer but said it was self-defense, according to a book Karem wrote about the case called “Shield the Source.”