Increasing use of criminal law against journalists in western countries?

In what is rather an unfortunate trend, there seems to be an increase in prosecutions against journalists in western countries for matters such as refusing to reveal their sources, publishing 'state secrets' and criminal defamation.

In the Netherlands, the State also use quite enthusiastically the old criminal law provisions of libel and slander. In one case, a well-know PR guru, Maurice de Hond, is being sued for accusing the police of having nibbed the wrong person in an infamous murder case some time ago, and naming the person he reckons did it. A serious accusation, I agree, but we need to remember that alongside the criminal prosecution, the guy now being accused of the murder is already suing De Hond under Dutch libel laws. How, in such circumstances, can a criminal prosecution be justified?