From the Daily: Press espionage

By The Michigan Daily  On  May 22nd, 2013

Last week, the Department of Justice notified The Associated Press of the government’s seizure of two months’ worth of phone records from editors and reporters. The government seized the phone records to find the source of a leak of information about the CIA’s disruption of a Yemen-based terrorist plot to bomb an airliner last year. Regardless of the perceived threat to national security, the Obama administration should respect the press’s prerogative to report on government. If the administration cannot perform this check on itself, then Congress should hold the administration accountable.

Records from more than 20 telephones belonging to the AP’s offices and its journalists — including home and cell phone records — were involved in the DoJ’s seizure, which was done in secret and without consent. In an interview, AP CEO Gary Pruitt expressed his outrage, calling the government “secretive” and noted “they’ve been overbroad and abusive — so much so that, taken together, they are unconstitutional because they violate our First Amendment rights.” Despite the fact that the DoJ was searching for the source of the leakage of information about the foiled Yemen terrorist plot last May, the government still does not have the right to infringe upon the freedom of the press.

The seizure of information from the AP is not the only time President Barack Obama's administration has intruded upon the freedom of the press. The administration has pursued six cases of information leakage under the Espionage Act since the beginning of Obama’s first term. This is in stark contrast to previous presidents, where the act had been used only three times in total. The administration’s overuse of the act creates a dangerous precedent for future relations between the media and the government, and it’s not surprising that the press and members of both parties have spoken out against the DoJ’s recent move. Given this disapproval of the administration’s actions, Congress should now consider amending the act to prevent further intrusion into the press’s freedoms.

The sources the government are seeking are confidential for a reason — whistleblowers need to be able to go to the press with information without fearing possible repercussions from the government for doing so. The government is not perfect, and the freedom of the press ensures that these imperfections don’t become buried in the bureaucracy. If this process works, the public can hold the government accountable and work to improve it. However, without this flow of information from the press, it's extremely difficult for the public to obtain knowledge of the government’s affairs.

The AP phone records intrusion proves that the government’s treatment of the press deserves more scrutiny than it's currently receiving. The press and its sources should not have to fear secretive searches that undermine the First Amendment. It's now the duty of Congress to protect the freedom of the press, a process that should include a thorough reevaluation of the Espionage Act. If Congress doesn't act in response to this incident, more intrusions against the press by the current administration or future administrations are possible.

Printed from www.michigandaily.com on Mon, 27 May 2013 14:33:56 -0400