7 Reasons Why the Media Shouldn't Keep Eric Holder's Secrets

[WestVirginiaRebel]

National Journal:

The dustup over whether journalists should meet privately with Attorney General Eric Holder is a forest-for-the-trees flap.

The existential issue still tangling Washington in knots a dozen years after 9/11 is how to balance our primal need to protect U.S. security with our fundamental belief in civil liberties.

Six months into a second term, President Obama seems to realize that he and his predecessor let the pendulum swing too far. The president is recalibrating the so-called war on terrorism and reconsidering its shadowy tactics, including the use of drones and the methods for investigating people who leak national security secrets.

That brings us to the Holder-media issue. While being the ultimate inside-baseball story, it does highlight the Obama administration's ignorance of the media's role in Washington as well as the malpractice that permeates its communications operation.

How the administration handles a micro issue like this may have a negative impact on the existential struggle. A forest, after all, is a gathering of trees.

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And an echo chamber is an echo chamber.

[Valin]

@WestVirginiaRebel

 

 

Real Clear Videos

 

DAVID AXELROD: Let me just say last summer everybody was clamoring for when are they going to shut down the leakers? Now some of the same people are calling these leakers, whistle blowers and they're rallying to their defense. The fact is, there are some things that can't be public because they will jeopardize national security. The question is how do you do that responsibly?

 

Look, there is no responsible news organization that isn't going to continue to plow away. I used to be a reporter. I've said before, when officials would threaten me my newspaper would put them on the front page every day just to send a message. I don't think the AP, I don't think the The New York Times, I don't think any of these -- certainly not FOX News, they're not going to pull their horns in because of this. But it may discourage some people who take a sworn oath that they're not going to release highly classified information. It may persuade them that they shouldn't do that. Is that really a bad thing? (Morning Joe, May 31, 2013)

 

 

See notthing to see here...move along.