Mooney to Jail

Martin Mooney is a lean, hardboiled newshawk who likes dice and drink, prides himself on his intimacy with big-shot thugs. He says he first struck up his criminal acquaintanceship while serving 15 jail terms for nonpayment of alimony. Last week he was on his way back to jail, this time as martyr to an oldtime Press tradition.

For William Randolph Hearst's New York American, Reporter Mooney last spring wrote a series of articles "exposing" New York's "policy" (numbers game) racket. A Special Grand Jury floundering along in one of the city's perennial vice investigations hopefully summoned him, asked for names & addresses. Reporter Mooney refused to reveal the sources of his information. When he balked at answering the same questions asked by a General Sessions judge, he was sentenced to pay a $250 fine, serve 30 days in jail. The American quickly got him out of jail, carried his case up to New York State's highest court.

Only four States-- Maryland, New Jersey, Alabama and California-- have laws granting reporters the same right to protect confidences as lawyers, priests, physicians, husbands & wives. But judges generally respect the Press's tradition, knowing that the reporter who betrays one confidence would be unlikely to get more. Last week, however, New York's Court of Appeals confirmed Reporter Mooney 's sentence, brought him packing back from a script-writing job in Hollywood to serve his 30 days.

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