Dec. 01, 2006 - 21:18 MST

WORDS TO THE WISE

When Cokie and Steven V. Roberts come up with something, it is a smart thing to do to just listen and think about it, and then perhaps take action if we can. Don't know how much good a single citizen can do, but together we can accomplish something for the good of our country.

Their column today emphasizes one of our troubles of today. Quoted here in full (some italics, bolds and caps mine):

EROSION OF LIBERTY SHOWS URGENT NEED FOR SHIELD LAW

"When the new Congress convenes next month, it should pass a federal shield law enabling journalists to protect their secret sources. The threats to press freedom are growing and Congress is the only recourse."

"The courts are useless. In a string of recent decisions, judges have consistently refused to recognize a media privilege based on the first amendment."

"The independence of American journalists has eroded so badly that Reporters Without Borders, and international watch dog group, ranked the United States 53rd among 168 nations in its "press freedom index" for 2006. Only four years ago the U.S. ranked 17th, and Reporters Without Borders blames the slide on President Bush, who has "used the PRETEXT of 'national security' to regard as suspicious any journalist who questioned his 'war on terrorism.'" But the car-bombing of the media is not limited to national security cases. Two reporters for the San Francisco Chronicle face 18 months in jail for refusing to divulge their sources for a story breaking open the baseball drug scandal."

"This trend is a tragedy, aggravated by another powerful force: the economics of the media business. As major news outlets lose audience and revenue to the Internet, they have fewer resources to devote to investigative reporting."

"To understand the importance of a free press to a healthy democracy, just look at America's misguided mission in Iraq. Leading up to the war, the Bush administration repeatedly misrepresented the military power of the Iraqi regime and its ties to terrorists. The press, to its discredit, failed to penetrate that cloak of lies, and the disastrous invasion proceeded unchecked."

"Then the White House tried to hide its assaults on civil liberties in the name of SECURITY. But The New York Times and The Washington Post revealed those assaults, triggering questions and investigations that continue to this day."

"The president was called to account for only one reason: courageous and persistent reporters did their job."

"Public policy cannot repeal the laws of economics, but it can support journalistic independence. If the current trend continues, undercutting the ability of reporters to keep promises to their sources, the American system of checks and balances gets blown apart."

"Thirty-three states already have shield laws that protect reporters from overzealous prosecutors. But on the federal level, there is no shield law."

"For a long time, that didn't matter. Prosecutors subpoenaed reporters only in major cases, and then only as a last resort. but during the Bush years, prosecutors have gotten steadily more aggressive. They seem even bolder since Times reporter Judith Miller spent 85 days in prison for refusing to identify a source that unmasked and undercover CIA agent."

"Eve Burton, general counsel to the Hearst Corp., told the Times that in the last 18 months her company has received 80 subpoenas seeking testimony from its reporters. In the previous two years, Hearst received perhaps five."

"The culture of the press as an independent body is now under attack," says Burton, and she's right. The attack will continue unless Congress steps in and stops it by passing a shield law."

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Huh, next to come under attack will be the secrets of the confessional, the sanctity of privacy between doctor and patient ? Or have they also been lost by the wayside ?

According to the column, four years ago Reporters Without Borders ranked the U.S. as 17th - - - - makes me wonder why in the name of hell we got down so far to begin with ? Nixon maybe ? ? ? ?

Cokie and Steven Roberts are to my way of thinking above reproach and their intergity is the greatest. And they are passing words of wisdom . . . I do hope those in Congress are smart enough to heed those WORDS TO THE WISE . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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