Freedom of press and obligation of citizens to give relevant testimony

The James Risen case has again arisen the question of balance between freedom of the press and obligations of citizens to give relevant testimony. The supreme court on Monday turned down an appeal from James Risen, a New York Times reporter facing jail for refusing to identify a confidential source. The court's one line order completely sided with the government. The prosecutors claim it is imperative to secure evidence in a national security prosecution and what the journalist said is an intolerable fringement of press freedom.
The case arose from a subpoena to Mr. Risen seeking information about his source for a chapter of his book ' state of war'. The question arises where do the balance exists between the freedom of the press and obligation of citizens to give relevant testimony. Are we slowly moving toward totalitarianism or it is the obligatory duty of every citizen to give testimony whenever it is required? These questions need a debate to answer all the relevant issues. The answer seems to lie somewhere in the middle of both extremes.


http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/03/u....html?emc=edit_na_20140602&nlid=60830498&_r=0