19 Pulitzer Prize winners call on Justice Department to drop pursuit of journalist James Risen

A group of 19 Pulitzer Prize winners has called on the Justice Department to drop its pursuit of charges of against the journalist James Risen in order to compel him to reveal a confidential source.

The Pulitzer winners released statements to the Press Freedom Foundation.  The Pulitzer Prize is the highest honor that an American journalist can win. It is often awarded for groundbreaking investigative reporting.

Risen has said that he will go to jail rather than divulge his source, but this has not dissuaded the federal government. Such an imprisonment would have a chilling effect on press freedom throughout the United States.

Gareth Cook of the Boston Globe said as much in his statement, "A vibrant democracy is not possible without a free press. Our nation needs journalists who are willing -- and able -- to reveal facts that make the government uncomfortable."

Risen's charges stem from stories he reported that brought to light the covert efforts undertaken by the United States to subvert and retard the progress of Iran's nuclear program. These measures included the installation of computer viruses on Iranian computer hardware used for the nuclear program.

The New York Times' David Barstow said he has felt the chilling effect of the Risen case himself. His statement reads in part, "The...vindictive effort by two administrations to force Jim Risen into betraying his sources has already done substantial and lasting damage to journalism in the United States. I've felt the chill first hand. Trusted sources in Washington are scared to talk...regardless of whether the subject touches on national security or not. My fellow investigative reporters commiserate about how we're being forced to act like drug dealers...Do we really want to be that kind of country?"

The Supreme Court has declined to hear Risen's case, meaning he has no other option than to testify or go to jail.