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Covering Terrorism and Government Secrets: Journalistic Freedom or Three-Ring Circus?
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10863 |
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Section : |
CURRENT ISSUES
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7 / 1986 |
3,345 Words |
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Claiborne M. Clark
Claiborne M. Clark is a professional journalist and free-lance
writer who formerly worked for NBC Radio. |
When U.S. warplanes carry out a raid on targets in Libya, who swings into action faster than the anti-aircraft guns in Tripoli? It is the media, of course.
In recent weeks, however, the journalists themselves have come under fire on two fronts. First, there has been growing criticism of news organizations that allow themselves to be "used" as public platforms by terrorists who are out to voice threats, state demands, and gain public attention in general. Second, some critics charge that news coverage can expose U.S. secrets or intelligence capabilities to unfriendly governments. Critics say these reports, often quoting "government sources" or stating dramatically, "XYZ News has learned …" can actually threaten the national security of the United States and the lives of people working in the intelligence community.
On Monday, May 4, NBC News aired an exclusive television interview with Mohammed Abul Abbas, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Front.
Abbas is under indictment in the United States in connection with the October 1985 hijacking of the cruise ship Achille Lauro. Leon Klinghoffer, a 69-year-old, wheelchair-bound, American passenger on the ship, was shot during the hijacking and thrown into the Mediterranean Sea. U.S. Navy jet fighters later intercepted an aircraft carrying Abbas and three others believed responsible for the incident and forced the pilot to land in Sicily. The Italian authorities, however, allowed the alleged ringleader to escape.
The U.S. State Department placed a $250,000 price tag on information
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