Members of Congress Now Want to Prosecute New York Times Journalists

[thundley4]

Luminous Animal (14,879 posts)

 
Members of Congress Now Want to Prosecute New York Times Journalists

Last edited Mon Jul 23, 2012, 05:49 PM USA/ET - Edit history (1)

Or "Why the WikiLeaks Grand Jury is So Dangerous"

For more than a year now, EFF has encouraged mainstream press publications like the New York Times to aggressively defend WikiLeaks’ First Amendment right to publish classified information in the public interest and denounce the ongoing grand jury investigating WikiLeaks as a threat to press freedom.

Well, we are now seeing why that is so important: at a Judiciary subcommittee hearing on July 11, some members of Congress made it clear they also want New York Times journalists charged under the Espionage Act for their recent stories on President Obama’s ‘Kill List’ and secret US cyberattacks against Iran. During the hearing, House Republicans “pressed legal experts Wednesday on whether it was possible to prosecute reporters for publishing classified information,” according to the Los Angeles Times.

In addition, the Washingtonian’s Shane Harris reported a month ago that a “senior” Justice Department official “made it clear that reporters who talked to sources about classified information were putting themselves at risk of prosecution.”


http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/07/why-wikileaks-grand-jury-important-some-members-congress-want-prosecute-new-york

  http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021007918

Only one reply.

Octafish (30,649 posts)
1. Where's that put lowly Bloggers?

Thank goodness for EFF and WikiLeaks. Judging by how lowly both Dems and pukes in Washington hold the First Amendment, we may be in for another Dark Ages soon.

Thank you for the heads-up, Citizen.

Undermining national security is always a good thing right?  Funny that this is happening under what was promised to be the most open and transparent administration ever.

From the OP's linked article at EFF.

The mainstream media may see little in common with Assange’s digital publication methods or his general demeanor, but what he is accused of is virtually indistinguishable from what other reporters and newspapers do every day: poke, prod, and cajole sources within the government to give up classified information that newspapers then publish to inform the public of the government’s activities.

There is no difference if they are compromising national security.  Unfortunately Obama will go after the dissiminators of the leaks, but not the leakers.  Those leaks come from the White House and have been trying to help Obama's image.

[JohnnyReb]

...but there wasn't a damn MSM reprter nowhere that could get his hands on Obama's BC, school records, passport info....nothing.... Uh huh sure?

It doesn't get published unless it damages those the left want damaged.