I don't recall

Only integrity is revealed

He has already sat down with his 6-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son and explained that their daddy might be going to jail. This is the part that cuts hardest at San Francisco Chronicle reporter Mark Fainaru-Wada, but he has pledged to endure it to preserve the integrity of his work.

"Yes, the family issue clearly has been the most difficult part of all of this," said Fainaru-Wada, who along with fellow Chronicle reporter Lance Williams faces up to 18 months in jail for refusing to give up the sources that leaked them grand jury testimony in the Barry Bonds/BALCO case, information they used to write some of the most significant stories the sport has ever seen and the best-selling book "Game of Shadows."

"My wife and I did sit down with the kids," said Fainaru-Wada. "It was a very difficult conversation. We just tried to tell them that I made a promise that I felt was really important to keep and that I might have to go to jail because of that. But we also said that not everybody who goes to jail is a bad person."

Is it integrity or naivete that is revealed? Whatever happened to simply saying, "I don't recall?" It worked just fine for Reagan (at the time we didn't realize he was being truthful). When asked to reveal a source, why not simply state, "I failed to write it down, and I don't recall that information." At this point you have answered the question, however unsatisfactorily, and are therefore not in contempt of court. The prosecution may try to discredit you as a witness, or even attempt to prove perjury, but what are the chances of that happening? It seems like a much better option than possibly going to jail for 18 months.

Can someone explain this to me, like I'm a six-year-old?