In the trial of a psychiatrist charged with disclosing investigative materials on a teenage boy who set a house fire that killed his stepmother, half-brother and half-sister about 2 1/2 years ago, a journalist has testified in court that the psychiatrist was the news source.

It is extremely rare for a journalist to identify a news source — and in court at that — and regrettable when it happens. The journalist told the press that she did so to help the defendant, who insists he had a justifiable reason to disclose the materials to her.

Still, she should have considered recent moves by the government to control the flow of information to journalists through various measures, including the 2008 basic law for reform of the national public servants system, which calls for strict disciplinary actions for disclosure of secrets.