A reporter's sources are sacred but not under Trump

So now it has emerged that the US Justice Department in the Trump administration in 2017 got hold of a CNN reporter's phone calls and emails for two months in order to try and trace who she was speaking to because of a number of what was judged to be leaks of classified information. The reporter in question is none other than the doughty Barbara Starr or Barb as everyone calls her. She is the longstanding Pentagon Correspondent for CNN. She's very good at her job, a relentless questioner at Pentagon briefings and press conferences and someone who doesn't like bland, non-specific answers. You wouldn't normally mess with Barb but it appears Trump and co did just that. The Justice Department allowed for her personal and work phone and emails to be checked by Big Brother. They weren't allowed to see the contents of the phone calls and emails but could check who she was speaking to and for how long. Leaks of classified information must be a pain in the whatsit for any administration but generally it leads to embarrassment and awkward questions rather than a dangerous breach of national security. What is at stake here is Barbara Starr's right to feel confident that she can go about her professional business without having the FBI and Justice Department tapping her phones. In a democracy it is unnerving to discover that "the authorities" are watching your every move as a reporter if you step out of line or if they think you are stepping out of line. Barb is a professional and a dedicated reporter. She will be fuming! The Justice Department needs to be transparent and reveal why it took such action against Starr. Meanwhile, Barb, it looks like you will have to go back to sending message-carrying pigeons for your next stories.