A federal judge tapped by former President Barack Obama ruled on Thursday to hold veteran investigative journalist Catherine Herridge in civil contempt for refusing to reveal who her source was for a series of reports about a Chinese scientist working at an American university who was under FBI criminal investigation.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper imposed a fine of $800 per day — nearly $300,000 per year — until Herridge reveals who her source was for the stories that she wrote while at Fox News.
“Herridge and many of her colleagues in the journalism community may disagree with that decision and prefer that a different balance be struck, but she is not permitted to flout a federal court’s order with impunity,” Cooper wrote.
Cooper said that Herridge, who is widely respected for being impartial and pursuing stories that many in the mainstream media ignore, must reveal…
