Major Media "Rallies" In New York To Urge Press Freedom From Government Spies and Protection for Sources
By Danny Schechter
New York, New York: The term "spring offensive" may to be out of favor in the media, but more than 50 organizations endorsed a forum this past Friday with some of the media's best known editorial heavyweights, to discuss the most serious crisis journalistic freedom has faced in decades---a deepening collision over leaks with what has become a national surveillance State.
Sponsored by the Long Island University, and the prestigious Polk Awards, it was held in the bowels of the mainstream media--at the posh Times Center in the New York Times Headquarters. Publisher Arthur Sulzberger was present, as was Jill Abramson, the Executive Editor. She spoke on a panel challenging a securocrat who called on the media to be more "humble."
She was there primarily to rally support for an earlier speaker, investigative reporter James Risen of the Times, who is refusing to reveal his sources and has now been told by the Courts he has no first amendment right to do so.
His next step could be a jail sentence as several speakers denounced the Obama Administration for being anti-press. It has brought and threatened more prosecutions under the terms of the Espionage Act of 1917 than earlier Administrations.
Also speaking out was Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor of the Nation and editor David Remnick of the New Yorker, as well as Martin Baron , executive editor and Bob Woodward of the Washington Post along with Post national security whiz Bart Gellman.
There were also outsiders who seem to have now become insiders, Glenn Greenwald skyping in from Brazil, and his colleague Laura Poitras in Berlin. Edward Snowden's super articulate legal advisor Ben Wizner, from the ACLU appeared on the first panel.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
2
1
1
