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| Fifth Column |
| US Press Whines and Whimpers |
| 2004-12-16 |
| BOSTON (Reuters) - America's First Amendment turned 213 years old on Wednesday, but supporters of the bulwark of personal liberty and free press are hardly celebrating. The free press -- a linchpin of America's proud democracy -- faces its toughest challenge in a generation thanks to legal assaults that have left one U.S. journalist in home detention and others facing prison. A flurry of well-publicized scandals at some of the country's top news organizations has sullied the media's image and only made matters worse. With other nations expecting America to lead the world in press freedoms, the stakes could not be higher, said Committee to Protect Journalists Executive Director Ann Cooper. "The very big concern for us is if journalists are imprisoned in these cases it sends a terrible message around the world," she said. Imprisoning journalists is typically associated with tyrannies and dictatorships, making it ironic that U.S. judges in the past six months have threatened at least eight reporters with sanctions or jail time for not naming sources, said First Amendment Center Ombudsman Paul McMasters. Free press rights in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution have come under attack many times since the 45-word clause took effect Dec. 15, 1791. McMasters said the last big assault came when Richard Nixon was president. "Not since then can I recall a time where the nation's free press has been tested so intensely," he said, noting that Nixon's Attorney General John Mitchell was not mindful of balancing the need for press freedoms. ... Funny, the only time you hear the US press talk about a Proud American Democracy is when it's their power in the balance. The press, of course, has done nothing whatsoever to invite such derision, challenge, and scrutiny. J-Schools have always taught them to be socialist tools and foils and to be as partisan as possible. Everyone knows this. So, sniff sniff, why is everyone picking on them? Heh, heh. |
| Posted by:.com |
| #6 They're in the slam for contempt, and can get out any time they like - by telling the judge what s/he wants to know. There IS NO LICENSE to break the law implied in a journalism degree, folks. |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-12-16 12:23:12 PM |
| #5 Hmmm, seems that journalists are prepared to go to jail to protect the sanctity of the Source, except when the Sources in question are those who told Novak that Valerie Plame was with the CIA. Then it's the sources who need to be outed and jailed. Kinda funny, doncha think? Or doncha? |
| Posted by: Angie Schultz 2004-12-16 10:56:33 AM |
| #4 They're not in trouble for what they said, they're in trouble because they're breaking the law! What the heck makes this so hard for them to understand? Specificly, the real problem is not what the reporters are saying, but rather what the reporters are not saying. Who spilled the beans? It goes well with the fact that where in most of the rest of the world only the rich/powerful are fat, here in the U.S. typicly only the poor/powerless are fat. |
| Posted by: N Guard 2004-12-16 9:50:17 AM |
| #3 Imprisoning journalists is typically associated with tyrannies and dictatorships, making it ironic that U.S. judges in the past six months have threatened at least eight reporters with sanctions or jail time for not naming sources, said First Amendment Center Ombudsman Paul McMasters. They're not in trouble for what they said, they're in trouble because they're breaking the law! What the heck makes this so hard for them to understand? |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2004-12-16 9:19:11 AM |
| #2 I wonder what Judith Miller will look like in stripes? Does she make good license plates? |
| Posted by: Capt America 2004-12-16 7:20:40 AM |
| #1 Un? WTF? The first amendment doesn't give you a license to break the law. Break the law, go to jail. If you consort with criminals expect to get handed a jail sentence from time to time. As far as I know there is no federal shield law. Yes federal judges can toss you into jail and keep the key. This is the real world everyone else lives in. If you don't like it get a new job. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-12-16 4:20:58 AM |