Thursday, March 27, 2014
NYT reporter: Obama administration ‘the greatest enemy of press freedom’ in a generation
New York Times reporter James Risen called the Obama administration “the greatest enemy of press freedom that we have encountered in at least a generation” on Friday, explaining that the White House seeks to control the flow of information and those who refuse to play along “will be punished.”
Poynter reports that Risen made the remarks while speaking at Sources and Secrets conference — a meeting of journalism , communication and government professionals held in New York City. The foreign policy reporter, who is currently fighting a fierce court battle with the federal government over his protection of a confidential source, warned that press freedom is under serious attack in today’s America.
In a speech kicking off the conference, Risen claimed that the Obama administration wants to “narrow the field of national security reporting” and “create a path for accepted reporting.” Those who stray from that path, he cautioned, “will be punished.”
The result is a “de facto Official Secrets Act,” Risen explained, making the current White House “the greatest enemy of press freedom that we have encountered in at least a generation.” And the media has been “too timid” in pushing back against the onslaught.
SOURCE
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3 comments:
I'm just surprised a NY times reported is saying it. He will probably lose his job.
They would't get away with it if the sainted press didn't go along with it. Instead of exposing the repression and suppression loudly and often, the press rolls over like the good leftist lapdogs they are. Are there exceptions? Yes, but far too few and way too timid.
So it only took five years of this administration and multiple instances of the white house investigating members of the press, for a journalist to actually wake up and say what conservatives have been pointing out for years.
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