Posted on 01/27/2005 3:43:44 PM PST by SandRat
When do the efforts of those charged with covertly protecting our nation from attack take precedence over the public's right to know about their mission?
The First Amendment to our Constitution protects the right of the press to operate freely. The debate over which stories journalists should not publish, even though they can legally do so, remains open ended.
Investigative reporter Seymour Hersh's recent allegations in The New Yorker magazine bring again into question the type of information a journalist should report and what he or she should keep confidential. Hersh alleges that the United States has Special Forces soldiers reconnoitering sites inside Iran that intelligence claims may be nuclear, chemical or missile sites.
If the Bush administration is attempting to bully Iran by leaking certain information, then Hersh has been a player in a high-stakes international chess game that could turn deadly for the pawns - American soldiers.
If Hersh merely seeks to make a splash, gambling that his Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting of the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War grants him license to reveal secrets that imperil our troops, then his motives are questionable at best, and his reporting erodes our global image even further.
Our current performance on the world stage is not likely to stimulate international audiences into rewarding us with standing ovations.
The question of Hersh's credibility is of little consequence compared to the welfare of our military forces that may indeed be operating clandestinely all over the world. If they are collecting intelligence that will help protect us against attack,
Hersh would have served our nation better by remaining silent. Most nations gather intelligence on friends and foes, but they keep quiet about it.
Engaging in sneak-and-peek operations is preferable to a frontal assault based on lack of credible intelligence, provided the sneaking and peeking remains undetected. When journalists pursue an exclusive story that could possibly affect national security or endanger those charged with protecting us, caution and restraint should be the watchwords.
When Hersh announced that we have dispatched Special Forces to several countries - including allied nations - using the implied excuse that the public needs to know, that kind of reporting seems irresponsible. The world doesn't need to know the details about brave soldiers who must avoid detection to accomplish their intelligence-gathering missions.
Journalists rely on sources - insiders who reveal information that other insiders prefer to keep hidden, such as details of inappropriate behavior committed by public or corporate officials. In many cases, those secrets may protect questionable or illegal policy that should be uncovered. Such reporting is commendable.
Conversely, putting our security forces at additional risk is seldom necessary or desirable.
A difference exists between the need for uncovering corruption and international recklessness at our highest levels of government, and the need to shield our brave soldiers who slog about in the murky swamps of international intrigue. Those soldiers must remain unnoticed while they ferret out potential threats to our nation.
A close, longtime friend of mine was an honorable clandestine soldier, a warrior who always placed the welfare of our nation and the welfare of his fellow soldiers above his own. His selflessness in and out of combat would make publicity-seeking officials gasp at the way he served his country yet maintained as low a profile as possible.
I haven't discussed Seymour Hersh's most recent revelations with my friend, but I'll venture that he takes a dim view of a reporter possibly endangering our soldiers for the sake of a story.
Betrayal or lies from the New Yorker magazine by Seymore Hersh.
Hersh is a traitor.
bttt
Considering the tone and tenor of the story, I'd say Mr. Hersh is probably truth-challenged.
more like suffering from veritaphobia.
The First Amendment does NOT protect the media from committing treason.
Okay, I like yours better. Makes me somewhat Hershaphobic
Thanks for the ping!
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