More Government Spying, and Not for al-Qaeda

According to this ABC report, the government is now tracking telephone calls made by reporters. This is essentially spying on reporters. As noted in the Daily Kos;

"Even if it were untrue, putting out this information on press/source phone logging would have an incredible chill effect on anyone inside any federal agency considering resorting going to the media."

Is this good? Not for democracy it's not. Usually such a source goes to the media for a reason -- for example, they believed that internal investigations are cut off and Congressional oversightmay be non-existent in the absence of Congressional knowledge - and such activity serves as the last true check upon governmental abuses of power.

Unauthorized leaks of properly and appropriately classified information is one thing, but has this ever been, and is it such a problem in America, that spying on reporters is now warranted?

The Cato institute, prior to some of the more recent revelations, including the above, argues that the current administation has advanced federal power well beyond the limits of the Constitution.