Off the Record Named ABFFE Book of the Month

The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) has chosen Off the Record: The Press, the Government, and the War Over Anonymous Sources (FSG) by Norman Pearlstine as its Book of the Month for September.

In Off the Record, Pearlstine, the former editor in chief of Time, Inc., tells the story of his losing battle to protect the anonymity of Karl Rove, the source of a story by Time reporter Matt Cooper that confirmed that Valerie Plame worked for the Central Intelligence Agency.

"This is a fascinating book about the critical role that anonymous sources play in providing us with information about our government," said ABFFE President Chris Finan. "It provides an exciting insider's view of the fight waged by both Time and the New York Times against Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald. At the same time, it reflects deeply on both the pros and cons of how the press uses confidential sources."

In its announcement of the September selection, ABFFE said: "Pearlstine is a controversial figure, particularly among journalists. He was harshly criticized when he decided to turn over Cooper's notes after the Supreme Court rejected appeals by Time and the New York Times. His book urges journalists to be more discriminating in granting sources confidentiality. (In retrospect, he believes it was a mistake to grant it to Rove.) Nevertheless, Pearlstine believes that confidential sources are an essential source of information, and he is a strong advocate of a federal shield law to protect them."

An interview with Pearlstine is available on the ABFFE website, www.abffe.com.

ABFFE created the Book of the Month feature to help publicize important books about free speech. The first ABFFE Book of the Month was Bruce Barry's Speechless: The Erosion of Free Expression in the American Workplace (Berrett-Koehler Publishers).