Judy Miller leaving New York Times

NEW YORK, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- The New York Times and veteran reporter Judith Miller have reached agreement on a deal to end her career at the newspaper, the Times reported Wednesday.

Miller's future with the newspaper had been the subject of speculation following her involvement in the federal investigation into the leak of a CIA agent's identity in 2003. Miller spent 85 days in jail this summer, refusing to testify before a federal grand jury about her sources.

New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller announced in an internal memo Wednesday that Miller is retiring from the Times after 28 years with the newspaper. Arthur Sulzberger Jr. said the Times was grateful to Miller for "her significant personal sacrifice to defend an important journalistic principle."

The announcement came after weeks of negotiations between Miller and her employer. Miller will receive an undisclosed severance package and the Times will publish a letter to the editor from Miller explaining her position.

Miller had demanded that the paper publish her side of the story on its Op-Ed page, but the page's editor, Gail Collins, refused.

"We don't use the Op-Ed page for back and forth between one part of the paper and another," said Collins.