Judith Miller facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Judith Miller
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Miller in 2018
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| Born | January 2, 1948 New York City, U.S.
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| Education | Columbia University (BA) Princeton University (MPA) |
| Spouse(s) |
Jason Epstein
(m. 1993; died 2022) |
| Relatives | Bill Miller (father) Jimmy Miller (half-brother) |
Judith Miller (born January 2, 1948) is an American journalist and writer. She is known for her reporting on Iraq's weapons programs before and after the 2003 invasion. However, some of her reports were later found to be based on information that wasn't true.
Miller worked for The New York Times newspaper for many years. After that, she joined Fox News in 2008. She also co-wrote a book called Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War. This book became very popular.
The New York Times later found that some of her stories about Iraq were not accurate. She left the newspaper in 2005. Miller has always defended her work. She said her job was to report what the government believed about Iraq's weapons. In 2015, she published a book about her experiences called The Story: A Reporter's Journey.
Miller was also involved in a famous event called the Plame Affair. This happened when a secret agent named Valerie Plame was identified publicly. Miller spent 85 days in jail because she refused to tell who her source was. Her source was Scooter Libby, a top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Judith Miller was born in New York City. Her father, Bill Miller, was a successful businessman. He owned a nightclub and later ran casinos in Las Vegas. He was famous for booking popular performers like Elvis Presley. Her mother was a showgirl.
Miller went to Barnard College at Columbia University. She also earned a master's degree from Princeton University. In 1993, she married Jason Epstein, who was an editor and publisher. Judith Miller's half-brother, Jimmy Miller, was a record producer. He worked with many famous rock bands like The Rolling Stones.
Journalism Career
While working at The New York Times, Judith Miller was part of a team that won a special award. They won the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting in 2001. This was for their reporting on global terrorism after the September 11 attacks.
Some people criticized Miller's writing during this time. A scholar named Edward Said said her work sometimes showed a bias against Islam. He felt her book God Has Ninety-Nine Names had some inaccuracies. He also noted that her Arabic language skills were not strong.
Anthrax Hoax Incident
On October 12, 2001, Judith Miller received a fake anthrax letter at her New York Times office. This happened during a time when real anthrax letters were being sent to news organizations and politicians. These attacks followed the September 11 attacks.
Miller was one of the few major reporters to receive such a letter. She had already written a lot about biological threats. She had also co-authored a book on bio-terrorism, Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War. This book came out just before the anthrax mailings began.
Reporting on the Iraq War
At The New York Times, Miller focused on national security. She wrote many stories about Iraq's weapons programs. However, much of the information in these stories later turned out to be wrong.
For example, in September 2002, Miller and a colleague reported about "aluminum tubes" going to Iraq. Their story quoted unnamed officials who said these tubes were for making nuclear weapons. Soon after, top government officials used Miller's story to support their reasons for war. The "tubes" became a key part of the argument for invading Iraq.
In April 2003, Miller reported claims from an Iraqi scientist. The scientist supposedly said Iraq had kept biological and chemical weapons until just before the invasion. This report was widely covered by other news outlets. However, there was disagreement among other Times reporters about publishing these claims.
Later, it was revealed that some of Miller's sources were from groups like the Iraqi National Congress. These groups wanted a change in Iraq's government. In 2004, The New York Times admitted that some of its reporting before the war relied too much on these sources. The newspaper expressed "regret" that some information was not checked properly.
Miller left The New York Times in 2005. This happened after she faced legal action for refusing to name a source. Some people said her reporting on Iraq "effectively ended her career as a respectable journalist." However, her former colleague, James Risen, defended her. He said there was a "systemic problem" at the newspaper. He felt the paper wanted stories about weapons of mass destruction, not skeptical ones.
Refusing to Name a Source
In 2005, Judith Miller was involved in a legal case. She was ordered to appear before a grand jury. This jury was investigating who had told reporters that Valerie Plame was a secret agent for the CIA. Miller had not written a story about Plame at the time. But she was believed to have important information for the investigation.
Miller refused to tell the grand jury who her source was. Protecting sources is a key principle for journalists. Because she refused, a judge found her in contempt of court. This meant she was breaking a court order. On July 7, 2005, Miller was sent to jail. She spent 85 days in the Alexandria City Jail.
While in jail, Miller received visits from many important people. These included former Senator Bob Dole and news anchor Tom Brokaw. On September 29, 2005, Miller was released from jail. She agreed to tell the grand jury her source's identity. Her source was Lewis Libby, who was Vice President Cheney's chief of staff.
Miller testified in court during Libby's trial in 2007. She talked about her conversations with Libby. The trial ended with Libby being found guilty on some charges.
Later Career
After leaving The New York Times, Judith Miller continued to write. She wrote articles for The Wall Street Journal. She also gave interviews about her investigations into U.S. foreign policy.
In 2007, she became a fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. This is a research group that focuses on public policy. She also became a contributing editor for their publication, City Journal. In 2008, Fox News hired Miller.
As of 2018, she is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. This is a group that studies international relations. She also gives many talks about the Middle East, Islam, and national security topics.
Reflecting on the Iraq War
In April 2015, Miller wrote an article for The Wall Street Journal. In it, she defended her actions during the time leading up to the Iraq War. She also defended the Bush administration's decisions. She wrote that officials "didn't lie" and that she "wasn't fed a line."
Miller admitted that "there was no shortage of mistakes about Iraq." She also said that "the newsworthy claims of some of my prewar WMD stories were wrong." However, she disagreed with the idea that she was responsible for the war.
Critics responded to her article. They said her war reporting was "disastrously wrong." Valerie Plame said that while no one blamed Miller for starting the war, her attempt to "re-write history" was "pathetic and self-serving." Others pointed out that Miller's article had some factual errors. For example, she blamed Hans Blix, a weapons inspector, for the war. But critics noted that Blix had made it clear he did not think war was justified.
Her Memoir
In April 2015, Miller published her memoir, The Story: A Reporter's Journey. A memoir is a book about a person's own life and experiences. This book focused a lot on her reporting during the Iraq War.
Many reviews of her book were critical. Some called it "sad and flawed." Others said it was "less a memoir than an apology and an assault." One reviewer said it was "self-pitying." Many critics felt that Miller did not fully take responsibility for the mistakes in her reporting.
See also
- Reporters' privilege
- Journalistic scandal
