REPORTERS WORKING FOR CIA WOULD VIOLATE PRESS FREEDOMS UNDER THE FIRST AMENDMENT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00806R000100110042-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 20, 2010
• Sequence Number: 42
• Publication Date: April 17, 1980
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/20: CIA-RDP90-00806R000100110042-2
COLUMBIA MISSOURIAN (MO)
17 APRIL 1980
&porters working for. CIA
NIVoMLd violate dress freedoms
tinder the Fi'st Amendment
the press is going.to be,effective
President: -Carter's endorsement = . '
last week -of. using--reporters as CIA in its role as watchdog, itwis vitallyim
have a reputa
rtant that it should
_
operatives overseas sounds iin- omi-
tion f or. credibility: If it sells out to ad-,.
le
k
,sous
nell. The prob
m was com- vertisers, to bankers, to farmers.or to
pounded by.-another report in which a
ecial= interest-group, in
other s
p
ny
l CIA Director.:' Adm.'.Stansfield Turner .+ .
admitted he 1145 approved, ill three ul -1 represent its readers any longer? The
li
t
i
f
t
ng journa
s
or. secre
stances, us
s
press's credibility then would depend
intp-Hilrence nneratinns_:.Adm_ Turn- _ 1
week to the.:.American Society ot. =', 11 M
Newspaper Editors. ost news organizations have been
Mr. Carter's . endorsement- states I firm -and adamant.opponents of. Jour-
nalists working , i.n intelligence.. And
i
id
ld f
us
ng
ent wou
that we pres
avor: :
rightly so. They: have argued ..that
m
t
l
rt
p
repo
ers as governmen
e
oyees
. under, "extreme' circumstances" in- these.practices violate the traditional
their
endence of the press fro m'
de
i
p
n
U.S. security. Adm..,
volving
r..,tinr-?r.,ont n" A rnmnrnmicc+ thP (`nr-
the reporters he had approved had respouuellts Ill tlleu OI.n_ .::; : ,
: a num
work is important for
This
.
been pressed . into service,. but de-
s ber: of .reasons. The most significant.-'-:
r
to give fu
ther detail
dined must: be that foreign-correspondents;.;
-.In a tirne-when..the. freedoms-of the
eswho are abl
o.deal
l
tt
e
e
y on
on
i
are
press are becoming -visibly more and
more restricted, this is -a serious is- evenhandedly. in. .international=affairs .
sue. It should : be viewed, by:all who with all the parties involved. They are+
value a free and independent press,as' the only ones who can talk. with- Israeli
.having dangerous implications.-.-,-_ President Menachem Begin :one- day..
The founders-of this country; well re- and "With -Yasser''Arafat,. head of -the:
alized the importance of -a'free--press Palestine Liberation :-organization;
when they gave- us-.the First-Amend- the:next::More. importantly;- they rare'r
rnent. This-amendment was, designed the.only-.ones. who are.allowed to. And'
first and foremost.to protect 'individu why are they the only ones who are. al-
als and the press ,from ,being. coerced lowed:~to' ` Exactly because they. are-..
An any way . -by the government If the known; by - their .: sources to - be "com-;
1 press, either .;through.: coercion or pletely independent o? aheir-govern-
h willin
ment?y
'throu
ess; bec
s th
e
i
g
gn
ome
e s
r
ivant of a government, then that in it. `Fo
`correspondents build upf
ei
gn
r
self violates the-whole concept of the .
Th
build
ll
d
:
ua
ey;
:
- gra
y-3
;First Amendri ent.-Thomas. Jefferson- their.-sources
!envisioned a press totally.independent them -with the utmost tact, .wprk. and
L . a.- press which could be a'-watchdog diplomacy._Thev -value. these. sources
, -have'them,-we
ion? the goyeminent and pointout?its highly: If they did not
deficiencies ` , r r : ?i at home would not be -able to`get the
CO MM=
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/20: CIA-RDP90-00806R000100110042-2