Shield the Source [Hardcover]

Brian Karem (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 1992

When police officer Gary Williams is gunned down in the streets of San Antonio, reporter Brian Karem's sources help him obtain the sole interview with Henry Hernandez, who confesses to killing the officer, but swears it was self-defense. Karem is subpoenaed, but refuses to reveal his sources. Cited for contempt, he becomes the first reporter in more than a decade to be jailed for protecting a confidential source.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

On March 27, 1989, in San Antonio, Tex., two Hispanic brothers, Julian and Henry Hernandez, both with criminal records and both drunk at the time, became involved in an altercation with white police officer Gary Williams, a heavy drug user who, according to the evidence, was high on drugs that night. Williams was shot with his own gun and died the next day; shortly thereafter the brothers surrendered to police. Karem, a local TV reporter, unofficially arranged a telephone interview with Henry Hernandez in jail, a conversation in which the prisoner said he had killed Williams in self-defense. The courts demanded Karem's notes to determine who had helped set up the interview; he declined to provide them and so was sent to jail for six months. Eventually all Karem's sources were uncovered by others and he was freed. The Hernandez brothers are still in jail awaiting trail. The case itself is uninteresting (except as an instance of discrimination), but journalists will applaud Karem's stand for the principle that reporters should not be compelled to reveal confidential sources.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Karem was a television reporter in San Antonio when a policeman was shot and killed in 1989. While he was investigating the crime and the two young Hispanic men charged with murder, Karem received help from an anonymous source in obtaining an interview with one of the suspects, who confessed but also brought up several disturbing and then-unknown aspects of the case. Karem's subsequent refusal to reveal the identity of his source led to several court battles and stays in jail, but throughout he held fast to his journalistic beliefs in freedom of the press and confidentiality of sources. Karem's book is an intriguing and well-written mix of newsroom excitement, courtroom drama, police procedure, and even mystery, as it becomes clear that the police officer had drugs in his system at the time of his death and the shooting may have been in self-defense (this is yet to be determined, as the suspects have yet to be tried in court). Highly recommended for all journalism and true crime collections.
- Sally G. Waters, Stetson Law Lib., St. Petersburg, Fla.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: New Horizon Press; 1St Edition edition (June 10, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0882821040
• ISBN-13: 978-0882821047
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,491,423 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Had me riveted., January 21, 1999

By 

Eric Longabardi (Newport Beach, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shield the Source (Hardcover)

I found it to be scary, interesting and perhaps one of the best accounts of journalistic ethics I've heard of in a long time. Usually I don't equate journalism with ethics, but this little known gem of a story is one of the best books I remember reading in recent years.