"They didn't know someone was missing until the leaker gave that information."

Summary is that while one pilot was rescued by the second was not, President Donald Trump said an early media report tipped off Iran and endangered the rescue mission. The Trump administration wants the media outlet to disclose the source in the interest of national security or go to jail.

This  is just a google AI overview of the law. 

I reached out to Mr. David Loy of the First Amendment Coalition in California. He responded, "While perhaps in some circumstances the government may prosecute a public employee or contractor who discloses certain information, the First Amendment protects the right of the press or public to publish information of public concern that they lawfully acquire in all but the rarest circumstances. In some circumstances, journalists may perhaps be subject to a subpoena in federal court to compel disclosure of sources."

I also contacted Retired Army Colonel, former prosecutor and California attorney Mr. Allan Dollison for comment.  "So what should be first and foremost in everyone's thoughts are the safety and security of our men and women in harms way fighting in our current war with Iran. There is a tradition and history of media sources acquiescing to holds on release of information, where its release will endanger lives. Sources point to an Israeli journalist being the first to report on the fact that there was a survivor who had not been accounted for as a result of the downing of F-15E. The revelation of that fact put his life in danger. (Over the weekend the downed pilot was safely rescued.) Shortly after the Israeli journalist report the Associated Press reported on the information. Then other major media outlets covered the story. So the original journalist that reported on the incident was not a "leaker" but rather it was someone with access to the details of the mission gone awry, that revealed to that person, but the first source is the leaker. Since it was an Israeli journalist that reported on it first, it is possible that the true leak source came from a foreign government source, and not the US. Journalists in some settings have been prosecuted for their refusal to reveal a confidential source. It was pulitzer-prize winning journalist for the NYT, Judith Miller who was jailed for several months in 2005 due to her failure to reveal a source that disclosed a CIA Operative. It would be harder in question if the journalist was a foreign citizen not located in the geographic boundaries of the United States. I am of the opinion that greater OPSEC or Operational Security needs to be practiced with all aspects of this war, and that can include the number of participants in the aforementioned rescue mission. Just today, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs declined to reveal the number, then President Trump promptly did. That is wrong too."