Synopses & Reviews
These candid conversations capture the difficulties of reporting during crisis and war, particularly the tension between government and the press. The participants include distinguished journalistsAmerican and foreign, print and broadcastand prominent public officials, past and present. They illuminate the struggle to balance free speech and the right to know with the need to protect sensitive information in the national interest. As the Information Age collides with the War on Terrorism, that challenge becomes even more critical and daunting. We are very careful in what we talk about publicly. We do not want to paint a picture for the bad guys. So we don't talk very much at all about what we're going to do going forward. Victoria Clarke, Department of Defense This was a war that was very different. It was conducted primarily by about 200 to 250 special forces soldiers on the ground. There were no reporters with those soldiers until after the fall of Kandahar, until the war was essentially over. There were no eyes and ears, and that's the way the Pentagon wants it. John McWethy, ABC News I covered Capitol Hill for a very long time and was always astounded by the nonpolitical motivation of a lot of people that are up there who really do want to make the world better, want to make the U.S. better. So don't come away believing that because there are political implications that there are always political motivations. Candy Crowley, CNN There is a feeling among the community, Muslim Americans, and also overseas that we might become the new enemy. But so far nobody knows whether it is just because of the war or if it's going to last. Hafez Al-Mirazi, Al-Jazeera Cosponsored with theShorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at the Kennedy School, Harvard University.
Synopsis
This dynamic collection of candid conversations between journalists and federal officials captures the tensions between the press and the government during wartime.
Table of Contents
Part One, The media and the government: World War II to the end of the twentieth century. Lessons of past wars / Peter Arnett ... et al.. Presidential press secretaries / Joe Lockhart ... et al.. National security decisionmakers / Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, James R. Schlesinger, and R. James Woolsey. The CNN effect / Lawrence S. Eagleburger ... et al. -- Part Two, War in Afganistan : the early stages. The pentagon and the press / Victoria Clarke ... et al.. Three months later / Victoria Clarke ... et al. -- Part Three, The journalists dilemma: three stories. The Hart-Rudman Commission report / Thomas Kunkel ... et al.. The anthrax attacks and bioterrorism / Ceci Connolly ... et al.. Dissent / Alex Arriaga ... et al. -- Part Four, Reporting from the field: three sites. Afghanistan / Michael Gordon ... et al.. The Middle East / Glenn Frankel ... et. al.. Foreign correspondents in Washington / Hafez-Al-Mirazi ... et al. -- Part Five, From different perspectives. Public diplomacy or propaganda? / Karen DeYoung ... et al.. Congress / Candy Crowley ... et al.. Public opinion / Jill Abramson ... et al.. Overview / Lloyd N. Cutler ... et al. -- Part Six, 9/11 and beyond. Running toward danger / E.J. Dionne, Jr ... et al.