Despite cherishing freedom of the press and freedom of opinion, reactionary Americans attack dissent during times of war. This reached vigilante proportions during World War I when thousands of unionists were thrown in jail, led to the blacklist of many writers during the Cold War, and caused serious repercussions during the Vietnam War.

Following the passage of the USA Patriot Act, the American media is engaging in substantial self-censorship. One major network has even become an outspoken cheerleader for the war. With approval ratings said to be 80 percent, the Bush administration is unilaterally restricting the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), refusing to release documents required under the Presidential Records Act of 1978 and has backed Patriot Act provisions that allow secret searches of newsrooms and even journalists' homes.

In May 2001, John Ashcroft's Deptartment of Justice secretly obtained the home phone records of an Associated Press reporter, in what is considered an attempt to intimidate a reporter's government whistleblower sources. In Florida, Governor Jeb Bush wants to allow secret government meetings that bar news people, and asked for new laws to keep vital public information out of the hands of the media. A number of media people have lost their jobs or have been censored for expressing unpopular views.

In an effort to continue to provide open information to Americans, NWU Local 3 joined the San Francisco Media Alliance to issue a call for press freedom. The resolution calls for sponsoring ads in the Columbia Journalism Review and other national publications. The NWU National Executive Board passed the resolution at its last meeting, calling on the NWU to circulate the following letter.

Call for Press Freedom During Times Of War

It is during times of war and crisis that the importance of freedom of the press is most vital. During such times there is increased government pressure to restrict press freedom.

It is with grave concern that we alert the public and our colleagues in the media of the following list of actions (see below) by the U.S. government that appear designed to thwart attempts to report the truth.

The public deserves to know about all newsworthy information regarding the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon an in Pennsylvania, as well as the U.S. military actions in Afghanistan.

We join together to remind the public that the media must report the truth - even when that truth challenges assertions that are made by the U.S. government.

The National Writers Union calls on all journalists, editors, media producers, publishers, owners of media outlets and our colleagues to resist government intimidation, restrictions on information and direct censorship, and to reject "loyalty tests" and other actions which restrict media workers' ability to act in the interest of the public's right to know.

We also call on the Bush administration to cease its overt and covert interference with freedom of the press.

Further, we support gathering funds and working with the Media Alliance to publish and circulate the above statement. Ads will be taken out in national newspapers to support this position. Locals are urged to contribute, as are individual members.

Background for Letter

The Media Alliance and NWU Local 3 endorsed the above statement. The letter will be published in the Columbia Journalism Review, Web news sites and national newspapers. Contributions for publication and circulation expenses will be accepted by Media Alliance and are tax deductible.

Background of Issue: Sept. 21 - Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage blocks a news segment on Voice of America Radio because the report includes an interview with Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar.

Sept. 24 - State Department spokesperson Richard Boucher defends pressure saying, "We didn't think that the American taxpayer - the Voice of America - should be broadcasting the voice of the Taliban."

Sept. 25 - VOA ultimately aired the piece, despite State Department objections. According to The New York Times, more than 100 VOA employees sent a letter to newspapers protesting that their work was being censored.

Sept. 26 - White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer advises the media and the public that people need to "watch what they say."

Oct. 2 - US embassy in Qatar complains of Al Jazeera broadcasts as biased.

Oct. 3 - Secretary of State Colin Powell applies public pressure to the owner of the Al Jazeera network based in Qatar to modify its coverage of Sept. 11 attacks, saying they encourage anti-American sentiment in the Middle East.

Oct. 10 - National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice stages a conference call with news executives from all five major US networks and wins agreement that networks will screen future broadcasts of statements by Osama bin Laden or suspected terrorists. White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer says there's a "good possibility" administration officials will be talking with newspaper executives to similarly restrain their coverage.

On the same day, Secretary of State Colin Powell appears on CBS network again attacking Al Jazeera as biased because of the broadcast of statements by Osama bin Laden and his associates.

Oct. 17 - The Guardian of London reports that "The Pentagon has spent millions of dollars to prevent Western media from seeing highly accurate civilian satellite pictures of the effects of bombing in Afghanistan." When the Defense Department moved to prevent media access to such pictures, it did not invoke provisions of American law allowing "shutter control" over U.S.-launched civilian satellites in wartime. Instead, in order to avoid a First Amendment challenge, the Guardian reports, "the Pentagon bought exclusive rights to all Ikonos satellite pictures of Afghanistan from Space Imaging, the company which runs the satellite. The agreement was made retrospectively to the start of the bombing raids."

Jan. 12 - On orders from the Pentagon, CBS, CNN and other organizations refused to air photos of hooded and bound prisoners being transported to Cuba. An AP photographer said, "There are no military implications for these photos, only political." Rear Admiral Craig Quigley supported the ban, claiming, "The Geneva Convention prohibits humiliating, debasing photos."

For electronic versions and for more information on PIC, send e-mail to monkerud@cruzio.com.
Don Monkerud is chair of the NWU's Political Issues Committee.