Freedom Of The Press

The U.S. government is insisting that New York Times "national security" reporter James Risen reveal a confidential source -- or go to jail. Risen says he won’t capitulate.

The Freedom of the Press Foundation has called the government's effort to force Risen to reveal a source "one of the most significant press freedom cases in decades."

Daniel Ellsberg says: "The pursuit of Risen is a warning to potential sources that journalists cannot promise them confidentiality for disclosing Executive Branch criminality, recklessness, deception, unconstitutional policies or lying us into war. Without protecting confidentiality, investigative journalism required for accountability and democracy will wither and disappear."

A recent brief from the Obama administration to the nation's top court "is unflinchingly hostile to the idea of the Supreme Court creating or finding protections for journalists," Politico reported.

The newspaper added that Risen "might be sent to jail or fined if he refuses to identify his sources or testify about other details of his reporting."

This threat is truly ominous. As Ellsberg puts it, "We would know less than we do now about government abuses, less than we need to know to hold officials accountable and to influence policy democratically."
        
So much is at stake: for whistleblowers, freedom of the press and the public's right to know. And for democracy.

That’s why RootsAction is joining forces with the Center for Media and Democracy, Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR), the Freedom of the Press Foundation and The Nation magazine to insist on protection for the confidentiality of journalists’ sources.

-- The RootsAction.org team

P.S. RootsAction is an independent online force endorsed by Jim Hightower, Barbara Ehrenreich, Cornel West, Daniel Ellsberg, Glenn Greenwald, Naomi Klein, Bill Fletcher Jr., Laura Flanders, former U.S. Senator James Abourezk, Coleen Rowley, Frances Fox Piven, and many others.

Background:
> Freedom of the Press Foundation: Court Guts Reporter’s Privilege
> Truthout: Conversation With James Risen: Can Journalists Protect Their Sources?
> Politico: Justice Department Urges SCOTUS to Pass Up Reporter’s Privilege Case
> Justice Department Brief: James Risen v. United States of America

Many people, including socialists, recognise that the media is far from free. The above is posted for information and as a reminder of harsher laws and diminishing freedoms. If you are a some-time supporter of petitions you can find the relevant one here.