Secrecy

The Unseen Gulf War

by Sheldon Rampton — January 22, 2003 - 12:06pm

During the first war in the Persian Gulf, U.S. citizens saw mostly sanitized images of smart bombs hitting non-human targets. Images of death and suffering were kept to a minimum, thanks in part to the military's pool system which controlled the movements and activities of most journalists. Photographer Peter Turnley refused to participate in the pool system and managed to get pictures that few people have seen. "Many people have asked the question 'how many people died' during the war with Iraq and the question has never been well answered," he writes.

Main Source: 
http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0212/pt_intro.html

Censorship Becomes Publicity for Emma Goldman Project

by John Stauber — January 13, 2003 - 11:00pm

Front page attention in the New York Times is priceless publicity. Heavy-handed censorship at UC Berkeley has backfired, landing a fundraising appeal by the school's Emma Goldman Papers Project on the Times front page. "Goldman died in 1940, more than two decades after being
deported to Russia with other anarchists in the United
States who opposed World War I. Now her words are the
source of deep consternation once again, this time at the
University of California, which has housed Goldman's papers
for the past 23 years.

Main Source: 
New York Times, January 14, 2003

The Secret President

by Sheldon Rampton — December 31, 2002 - 11:00pm

"The Bush administration has put a much tighter lid than recent presidents on government proceedings and the public release of information, exhibiting a penchant for secrecy that has been striking to historians, legal experts and lawmakers of both parties," writes Adam Clymer in a detailed report on the administration's new and wide-ranging secrecy policies.

Main Source: 
New York Times, January 1, 2003

Secrecy Fights Loom Large in D.C.

by Sheldon Rampton — December 17, 2002 - 11:00pm

"The administration's fight to keep a tight hold over government information is far from over," reports Vanessa Blum. "Watchdog groups continue attempts to penetrate the inner sanctum of the executive branch using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and other open government laws." Numerous FOIA fights are currently underway against the White House and Justice Department. "It's absolute trench warfare," says Georgetown University Law Center professor David Vladeck.

Main Source: 
Legal Times, December 18, 2002

Shh...Don't Mention Where Saddam Got Weapons

by Sheldon Rampton — December 17, 2002 - 11:00pm

"The United States edited out more than 8,000 crucial pages of Iraq's 11,800-page dossier on weapons, before passing on a sanitized version to the 10 non-permanent members of the United Nations security council," reports the UK's Sunday Herald. Apparently the report includes embarrassing evidence of U.S. and European culpability in aiding the Iraqi weapons programs, dating back to before the Gulf War, but covering the period of Saddam Hussein's rise and his worst crimes.

Main Source: 
The Independent (UK), December 18, 2002

Media Spin Can Separate War From Death

by Laura Miller — December 10, 2002 - 7:42pm

"A dozen years after the Gulf War, public perceptions of it are now very helpful to the White House," media critic Norman Solomon writes in his Media Beat column. "That's part of a timeworn pattern.

Main Source: 
http://www.commondreams.org/views02/1206-01.htm

What You Don't Know Can Hurt You

by Sheldon Rampton — December 9, 2002 - 11:00pm

The congressional Joint Inquiry into September 11 is recommending revising government information policies not only to promote information sharing among government agencies, but also to expand public access to government information, because ""an alert and committed American public" could be "the most potent weapon" in the war against terrorism.

Main Source: 
Secrecy News, December 10, 2002

Saudi PR/Lobby Firms Dodging Congressional Subpoenas

by John Stauber — December 5, 2002 - 11:00pm

O'Dwyer's reports that top PR and lobby firms for the Saudis are dodging subpoenas from the Congressional Committee on Government Reform. Says the O'Dwyer website (now only accessible by subscription, but well worth the fee), "Michael Petruzzello, head of Qorvis Communicatins and Jack Deschauer of Patton Boggs, were not found at their offices or homes by U.S. Marshals, according to The New York Sun. A lawyer for Jamie Gallagher of the Gallagher Group stalled Congressional staffers until too late in the day for agents to serve a subpoena, reports The New York Post.

Main Source: 
www.odwyerpr.com, December 6, 2002

The Perils of Court Reporting

by Sheldon Rampton — December 1, 2002 - 11:00pm

Bob Woodward's reporting on the Watergate story made him a journalistic legend, but his reliance on secret sources troubles Richard Blow. "Among journalists who care about nagging details like accuracy, there will also be the inevitable handwringing over Woodward's dubious reporting methods, the fact that he writes from a fly-on-the-wall perspective yet never identifies his sources," Blow writes.

Main Source: 
TomPaine.com, December 2, 2002

Koppel Says Yes to Military Censorship

by Sheldon Rampton — November 25, 2002 - 11:00pm

"If and when a press corps of 3000 to 5000 lands with the U.S. military in Iraq, should they be prohibited from broadcasting the war live, using their videophones and satellite dishes? Yes, under some circumstances, says Nightline anchor Ted Koppel."

Main Source: 
Village Voice, November 20-26, 2002
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