Abstract
In 1973, the FBI arrested investigative reporter Les Whitten and charged him with possession of stolen government documents. This jailing of a journalist during the Nixon administration was largely overshadowed by more famous cases involving the media during the Watergate era. But United States v. Whitten turned out to be an important victory for press freedom at a time when First Amendment rights were under siege by the government. The case would eventually inform two other important media law cases, help shape a third, and reinforce new government rules protecting journalistic privilege. Although more recent court decisions appear to be moving toward journalistic liability for receiving stolen documents, the impact of the historic Whitten case is arguably still being felt today.
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