New York Times reporter James Risen, who is fighting an order that he testify in the trial of Jeffrey Sterling, a former CIA officer accused of leaking information to him, opened the conference earlier by saying the Obama administration is “the greatest enemy of press freedom that we have encountered in at least a generation.” The administration wants to “narrow the field of national security reporting,” Risen said, to “create a path for accepted reporting.” Anyone journalist who exceeds those parameters, Risen said, “will be punished.” The administration’s aggressive prosecutions have created “a de facto Official Secrets Act,” Risen said, and the media has been “too timid” in responding. The conference also featured remarks from Jeffrey Toobin, a staff writer for The New Yorker and senior legal analyst for CNN, and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D–N.Y.). They were among the speakers who debated a federal shield law for the press. >>> Check Out: Liberal Professor Slams Obama’s Use of Executive Orders Risen’s critique of the Obama administration comes just weeks after Sharyl Attkisson left her job at CBS News following investigative reports on the Obama administration’s handling of the Fast and Furious gunrunning operation and Benghazi terrorist attack.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 21:00:15 +0000
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