ABC Claims Government Traced Its Reporters' Calls

New York Sun ^ | May 16,2006 | JOSH GERSTEIN

[Kaslin]

ABC News claimed yesterday that phone calls made by its reporters and journalists at the New York Times and Washington Post are being traced by the federal government as part of an investigation into leaks of classified information.

In a blog posting, the network said two of its reporters, Richard Esposito and Brian Ross, were told by an unnamed senior federal official that the government had obtained records of calls placed by the two men. The network said the probe may be focused on leaks about a CIA program to detain terrorism suspects at secret locations outside America, but could also involve the network's reports on the spy agency's use of missile-firing Predator drones in Pakistan.

[cwb]

"I advocate the Constitutional view and take a dim view of any expansion of governmental power at the expense of liberty. Liberty, once lost, is difficult to reclaim without bloodshed."

---

And while I would generally agree with you, we've seen instances throughout our own history were liberties have been lost...and reclaimed. Whether we go back to Lincoln and the Civil War, the Sedition Act, FDR and internment or even J Edgar and his years, there are many instances were liberty was more threatened than it is today.

I have to laugh when I hear some people talking about how this administrations assault on civil liberties is the worst in our history. This is just nonsense when you consider what has been done during previous administrations...including the last one. Liberty, while most precious, means nothing without Life.

[BlueStateDepression]

Kirk , what about the media abusing its power?

[Toby06]

Disposable cellphones would solve the problem! $ 20 bucks buys the phone, $80 for 400 minutes of airtime.

[BlueStateDepression]

I understand the current law is, it's illegal to give out classified information, but it's not illegal to receive it. I'm still googling to double-check myself.

Well, lets see. Classified information has to be stolen in order for it to be given to someone that is not authorized to have it actually gets it. Posession of stolen property was a crime last time I checked. When a crime has been committed there is no such thing as immunity for journalists. It is time this is called what it is. A Crime. It is also time it is prosecuted for what it is. A crime.

[STARWISE]

How else could they do their exclusive reporting but to conspire with our enemies? Low .. down lowlifes.

[STARWISE]

How else could they do their exclusive reporting but to conspire with our enemies? Low .. down lowlifes.

[colorado tanker]

The drive-by media started this when they goaded the administration into appointing Fitz to investigate the "leak" of "classified" agent 008 Valerie Plame in their eagerness to "get" Cheney or Rove.

Never occurred to those morons they might unleash the wind and reap the whirlwind.

[Obadiah]

Could not be better said. Kudos to you. You get it.

[Captain Kirk]

An "abusive media" is the price we pay for liberty. I'll take that any day of the week over putting my trust in the fickle "good intentions" of the feds. Ronald Reagan used to get a great laugh from conservatives when he said: "We're from the government. We're here to help you." Now....I suspect that the audiences of conservatives, who have learned to trust big brother as long as he is "one of them") would sit in stone silence at this joke. They either "wouldn't get it" or, worse, wouldn't care.

[Sam Hill]

Buy a clue.

If these "reporters" leaked classified information they were involved in a crime.

There is no right to privacy when a crime has been committed.

[G Larry]

IF TRUE, they have a court order and ABC is SOL.

[hipaatwo]

I don't believe Ross one bit since according to DU (yes I washed after)yesterday he was on Air America and today he was on Democracy Now. Nuff said right there to show me Ross is a Dem tool.

[Mo1]

off topic ,... Tony is on FNC

[BlueStateDepression]

An "abusive media" is the price we pay for liberty

That holds as much validity as saying " An abusive government is the price we pay for liberty"

If you cared about truth or equality you would expect BOTH entities to be on the up and up and would support both being held to the same standards of checks and balances in order to prosecute the fight against bias.

This statement by you says alot about your basic position. Maybe someday you will broaden your scope and see the error in what you had to say.

[George W. Bush]

When the founders penned the Constitution insuring freedom of the press, little did they know that in our day it would be interpreted that the press is free to lie, distort, spin, be biased, indoctrinate, and aid and abet our enemies.

Actually, history reveals the press has always been pretty much that way. You'd be surprised if you review some really old newspaper accounts. They make yellow journalists like Hearst look like pikers and make Goebbels look like an amateur.

There never was an era of nobility in journalism.

[Digger]

How free republic has changed. Back in the Clinton days everyone would have been filled with righteous anger about this. On the bright side, when Hilary becomes president, everyone here will turn on a dime and suddenly become skeptics of big government again. The problem is that it will be too late and they will have no credibility.

If you think some law is going to keep the Hildabeast from breaking it then you are dilusional. We have a nation to protect because the REAL enemy is within, ei the dems, the media.

[griswold3]

"if they had NEWS to report instead of opinion"
Change that to "an agenda to promote".
Anyone who is capable of critical thinking can see what is going on here. The MSM is being challenged as the "king makers" and they are angry. The new media is a threat to them. They can no longer control the facts of a story. Too bad.

[George W. Bush]

Whether we go back to Lincoln and the Civil War, the Sedition Act, FDR and internment or even J Edgar and his years, there are many instances were liberty was more threatened than it is today.

I would argue that the threat today is far less convincing or imminent than those you mention. And internment of American citizens was just wrong and there's no excusing it.

Liberty, while most precious, means nothing without Life.

If it's 'most precious', then trumping it with 'Life' is simply saying you'd rather be a slave than dead.

“Those who would trade safety for freedom deserve neither.” - Thomas Jefferson

“Those who would sacrifice a little freedom for temporal safety deserve neither to be safe or free.” - Benjamin Franklin

“Why stand we here idle? What is that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of the chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what the course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” - Patrick Henry

The Founders tried to warn in their writings and protect us in their Constitution and Bill Of Rights against citizens like you but I fear their efforts were futile. I suspect most of them knew true liberty was to be a short-lived phenomena.

[Sam Hill]

""Those who would trade safety for freedom deserve neither.” - Thomas Jefferson"

It's absolutely perfect that you would use a BOGUS Jefferson quote to defend your clueless position.

[George W. Bush]

If you cared about truth or equality you would expect BOTH entities to be on the up and up and would support both being held to the same standards of checks and balances in order to prosecute the fight against bias.

The Founders held no such illusions about human nature, government or the press.

As Churchill so wisely opined, "...democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried."

Churchill understood what our Founders tried to forge for their descendants.