Maybe it's just me but theres to many leaks in our government. And what makes it a truely sad thing is it seems all these leaks end up in the hands of the new york times.
We need to find the source of the leaks and plug it (preferebly with a lead slug).But the main thing I am wondering should the NY times be charged with crimes of treason for betraying the country and it's peoples safety and security by exposing classified programs that are in place to protect the US.
I believe strongly in freedom of the press but I draw the line at the press risking the safety and security of possibly a whole nation.
Where should a news org draw the line and say "we can't print this we have to report the leak" So NY Times you should be very ashamed, your actions in my oppinion put you in ranks of those we are fighting.....................
2006-07-09 04:44:10 · 14 answers · asked by wardancer 3 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
Did you actually read the article, or just listening to people complain about it?
Everything that the NYT has posted recently has been well-known to everyone involved for years. The government announced that it would be tracking terrorist financial activity starting in 1996, and that it would be monitoring foreign money transfers starting in 2002. So, what's the big news that the NYT leaked other than the government is being successful?
Now, granted, that could be argued as irresponsible journalism, claiming the government is being effective without first checking to see if that statement is true. But we all make mistakes.
As for the other "leaks", it's the job of the media to report when the government is breaking the law. That's why the media is sometimes referred to as the fourth branch of the government -- to provide additional checks and balances.
If the NYT reveals illegal activity by the government, it should be applauded, not condemned. Unless you really do think the Commander-in-Sheik is above the law and can do anything he wants whether it's illegal or not.
Killing people (plugging with a lead slug) who blow the whistle on illegal government activity is exactly what tyrants do. Just like punishing newspapers for reporting that illegal activity. So, you seem to be advocating that the government can always determine what gets printed, and can punish anything it doesn't like -- even if the reporting is about illegal activity by the government itself.
That's tyranny, and that's being just as bad as the people we claim to be fighting.
2006-07-09 09:59:37 · answer #1 · answered by coragryph 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
The NYT actions might have been even a tad redeemable if they were publishing those stories in the name of preserving free speech and public interest. Too bad their ultimate motivation is to sell papers.
Recently, Pepsi Co. was offered a chance to buy Coca Cola trade secrets, but did the ethical thing and turned the bastards in after telling their rivals what was going down. NYT should have done the same thing when they found out someone in the government was leaking sensitive information instead of running the story. This behaviour shows a lack of integrity on a colossal scale, which is why I never bother with they NYT to begin with.
2006-07-09 11:51:53 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Great question!
But am free press is a strong part of a free people. Even now with most of the press being own by fewer and fewer companies I wonder are we being presented with true information or just the information upper management deems fit for us to know.
No, I do not see an act of treason on the part of the NY Times. I see a press alerting the public of possible government intrusion in your life. This item regarding the tracking of banking information ws public knowledge in Europe over a year ago ( hearld tribune intl. april 05 ). I wonder what took us so long to hear about it.
2006-07-09 12:02:26 · answer #3 · answered by Leslie G 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They should have charges brought against them. While we here in America know how things are tracked, and how this information can help in the capture of terrorists here on our soil, it is not necessary to alert them to the fact they themselves are being watched. We would not go to a known drug lord and tell him the feds are coming to get him cause them found a paper trail of bank statements linking him to people in Columbia. They know these things exist, but their reasoning is..."we won't get caught". Newspapers have the responsibility to report the news. The fact that many are skewed to one side of the political line or the other is sad, but that does not absolve them of wrongdoing in cases such as this. Many years ago I believe CNN was with our boys when they went to launch a beach landing for Desert Storm. The reporters gave away our troops location and put our boys potentially in harms way. Were they negligent...Hell Yeah! Should they be held accountable for their actions...Again Hell Yeah! Freedom of the press does not extend to the right of a paper to print whatever they want at the expense of the American people, our Military, our Government, or our Nation. I canceled my newspaper subscription long ago....Perhaps others should follow suit.
2006-07-09 15:21:52 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sorry but what was printed in the Times was already known by the terrorists and their supporters. It' easy too follow the money, anyone with computer save can do this. This was not "leaked" in the usual sense. This was told by people very close to GWB, his people, on purpose. Then they say Oh we didn't want them to publish this, we just wanted them to know. Come on, if you tell the press they print. This smells of entrapment to me.
2006-07-09 11:54:33 · answer #5 · answered by olderandwiser 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
YES, YES ,YES,I would shut the NY Times down... what a disgrace for NY . I would love to see something done ....... If that doesn't aid those animals what does? There laughing at us for the stupidity of SOME people in this country
2006-07-09 12:22:35 · answer #6 · answered by DC 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not at all. The press is the 4th power or something. It is their job to protect the reset of us from Government greed stupidity and so on by exposing stuff.
2006-07-09 11:53:50 · answer #7 · answered by Mohammed R 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, if anyone should be charged it should be the government official that leaked the story. The newspapers receive so many intentional leaks how do you separate the intentional ones from the criminal ones?
2006-07-09 11:53:05 · answer #8 · answered by kniggs 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oh grow up. You are losing all the rights that have made this country what it is today (do they really need to know transactions in our bank account, who we talk to and where you shop?) Instead we should praise these news reporters for doing all they can to let us know what the government is really up to.
2006-07-09 12:32:51 · answer #9 · answered by Mary B 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. Perhaps you should move to a country like Saudi Arabia where the press is censored.
2006-07-09 11:50:48 · answer #10 · answered by wmp55 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋