James Risen: [Obama is] the greatest enemy to press freedom in a generation.

[Kevin_Kennedy]

The president and the attorney general both spoke nobly about the First Amendment after two reporters were arrested in Ferguson, Mo., while covering the racial protests in the wake of Michael Brown’s death.

Obama said that “here, in the United States of America, police should not be bullying or arresting journalists who are just trying to do their jobs and report to the American people on what they see on the ground.”

Holder seconded the sentiment, saying that “journalists must not be harassed or prevented from covering a story that needs to be told.”

So why don’t they back off Risen? It’s hard to fathom how the president who started with the press fluffing his pillows has ended up trying to suffocate the press with those pillows.

How can he use the Espionage Act to throw reporters and whistle-blowers in jail even as he defends the intelligence operatives who “tortured some folks,” and coddles his C.I.A. chief, John Brennan, who spied on the Senate and then lied to the senators he spied on about it?

“It’s hypocritical,” Risen said. “A lot of people still think this is some kind of game or signal or spin. They don’t want to believe that Obama wants to crack down on the press and whistle-blowers. But he does. He’s the greatest enemy to press freedom in a generation.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/17/o...-dowd-wheres-the-justice-at-justice.html?_r=1

Obama has obviously outdone any past presidents in open hostility to journalists attempting to shine light on government misconduct.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

Nonsense.


Risen’s legal troubles started well before Obama took office:

Risen is the author of the 2006 book “State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration.” A chapter of that book detailed a CIA plan to sabotage Iran’s nuclear program. Prosecutors believe that Jeffrey A. Sterling, a former Central Intelligence Agency operative charged with leaking classified information, gave Risen information that was used for this chapter.

Risen’s legal history

Since his book’s publication, Risen has fought multiple summonses demanding that he testify about his sources. He was subpoenaed in 2008 by a federal grand jury in an attempt to get him to reveal his sources for the book. Risen fought that subpoena and did not have to testify before it expired. In 2010, he was subpoenaed again and ordered to provide documents and testify before a grand jury. Again, he fought the subpoena and it was quashed by a federal district judge.


The Supreme Court declined to step in Monday on behalf of James Risen, a New York Times reporter and author who faces potential jail time for not identifying a source.


The Supreme Court won’t intervene in the James Risen case. What’s next? - The Washington Post

Risen’s quarrel is with the Supreme Court, or the Judicial Branch of government, not the Executive.

And he's clearly been afforded his comprehensive due process rights.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

Nonsense.


Risen’s legal troubles started well before Obama took office:



Risen’s quarrel is with the Supreme Court, or the Judicial Branch of government, not the Executive.

And he's clearly been afforded his comprehensive due process rights.

And continued under Obama, and Risen is not the only example one can point to in Obama's targeting of the press.

 

[oldunclemark]

anyone who wants attention claims the president had targeted him.

Its gone on for 100 years

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

anyone who wants attention claims the president had targeted him.

Its gone on for 100 years

So never mind the fact that he's used the Espionage Act more than any other President in history, and is attempting to force James Risen to testify about his source, this is just attention seeking behavior?

 

[theDoctorisIn]

Reporters going to jail for not revealing their sources is not something new under Obama.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

Reporters going to jail for not revealing their sources is not something new under Obama.

Which was Risen's point, I think.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

Which was Risen's point, I think.

I worded that in a weird way.

My point was that reporters have been going to jail for not revealing their sources for the last 50 years or so. Obama has certainly been no better than his predecessors, but not really any worse, either.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

BTW - Risen would actually be the first reporter to go to jail for not revealing their sources under Obama.

Risen would be the first journalist to go to prison for failing to divulge sources since 2005, when the former New York Times reporter Judith Miller was jailed for contempt of court, after refusing to testify about a source before a federal grand jury.

James Risen calls Obama 'greatest enemy of press freedom in a generation' | World news | theguardian.com

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

I worded that in a weird way.

My point was that reporters have been going to jail for not revealing their sources for the last 50 years or so. Obama has certainly been no better than his predecessors, but not really any worse, either.

Again, his abuse of the Espionage Act tells another story.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

Again, his abuse of the Espionage Act tells another story.

Obama has used the Espionage Act to prosecute federal workers who leak classified material to the press 7 times. That is more than any other President (in fact, more than all combined).

But that's targeting whistle blowers, not the press.

 

[G.T.]

I think its a fair obstruction of justice charge if the leaked info. Is classified, legally, sort of like aiding and abetting.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

Obama has used the Espionage Act to prosecute federal workers who leak classified material to the press 7 times. That is more than any other President (in fact, more than all combined).

But that's targeting whistle blowers, not the press.

And yet he's threatening the journalist: James Risen.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

I think its a fair obstruction of justice charge if the leaked info. Is classified, legally, sort of like aiding and abetting.

And what is it when an administration routinely classifies things so as to hide their illegal activity or stupid blunders from the American people?

 

[G.T.]

Theres checks for that in other branches. Congress critters, certain committees have access to certain things and both aisles represented. Always been that way. Always. Disingenuous to act like its some new subversion.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

Theres checks for that in other branches. Congress critters, certain committees have access to certain things and both aisles represented. Always been that way. Always. Disingenuous to act like its some new subversion.

Yeah, except how many Representatives and Senators came out and stated that they had no idea that any of this was going on? How can the Judicial branch check the Executive when a secret court is created to decide these issues with no opposing arguments being heard and rulings being classified themselves? In no way is that our vaunted system of checks and balances. And who said it was new? I'm merely pointing out that it's still being done.

 

[G.T.]

Ill be concerned with a reported printing a leak of sensitive info and not disclosing his oath breaking source.....right after



They cure cancer
Obesity is tempered
World hunger is curbed through human ingenuity
The middle class restabilizes and families can maybe once again thrive with single income earners so moms or dads can raise their families instead of daycares or other institutions
Corporate interests and world banks decentralize their power and be forced into transparency
Nations or religions acting like murderous thugs towards other nations or religions......are all in the past and our sentience prevails

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

Ill be concerned with a reported printing a leak of sensitive info and not disclosing his oath breaking source.....right after



They cure cancer
Obesity is tempered
World hunger is curbed through human ingenuity
The middle class restabilizes and families can maybe once again thrive with single income earners so moms or dads can raise their families instead of daycares or other institutions
Corporate interests and world banks decentralize their power and be forced into transparency
Nations or religions acting like murderous thugs towards other nations or religions......are all in the past and our sentience prevails

Apparently you were concerned enough to comment initially. Now it's suddenly unimportant.

 

[G.T.]

Moreso concerned with baseless whining then a reporter doing shady shit being protected.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

Moreso concerned with baseless whining then a reporter doing shady shit being protected.

I gave you a solid basis for the "whining," and you ignored it and said you don't care about this issue in the first place. It seems you don't have much of an argument at all, frankly. Simply reaching for reasons to dismiss this issue.