AP president proposes media lobby to fight government secrecy

[Gloria]

COULD THIS BE TRUE??????????????????


http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/peninsula/8619334.htm
(registration required...)

Posted on Sat, May. 08, 2004

AP president proposes media lobby to fight government secrecy

LINDA DEUTSCH

Associated Press

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Denouncing increased official secrecy, Associated Press President and CEO Tom Curley unveiled a plan Friday for a media advocacy center to lobby in Washington for open government.

"The powerful have to be watched, and we are the watchers," Curley said, "and you don't need to have your notebook snatched by a policeman to know that keeping an eye on government activities has lately gotten a lot harder."

At every level of government, records are being sealed and requests for information denied, and courts are imposing gag orders and sealing documents, Curley said, speaking in the Hays Press-Enterprise Lecture series.

In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the news media remained largely silent on important issues, including secret arrests of suspects of Middle Eastern descent and closed deportation hearings, he said.

"That was an extraordinary time for the country," he said. "It's entirely understandable - and reasonable - that the press and public were willing to step back for a time and give the government room to address an unknown and frightening threat."

But Curley warned that a continued relaxation of vigilance by news organizations "could become a dangerous habit if we allow it to take hold, dangerous for us and the society in which we play such a critical role."

MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[LoZoccolo]

1. Now they're gonna say that this is more evidence of...

..."liberal bias in the media".

:eyes:

And since it's the AP and not just one source like ABC News, they'll say like "see, they're all banded together in a conspiracy like we've been saying all along"!

[Kanary]

9. That's fine..... let 'em.

They've been saying that anyway, when the press was being fascist, so...... Might as well be closer to the truth.

If they are professional journalists, they will have all their ducks in the proper row (silly cliche), so that their facts are propersly backed up, so the reich wing can shriek all they want, and that won't alter what most people will start to see.

Actually, it might be enjoyable to hear the shrieks.

~~evil grin~~

Kanary

[Gloria]

2. Text of speech available on the Net:

Text of speech available on the Net:

The AP: http://www.ap.org/pages/about/whatsnew/hayspress.html

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. FINALLY

About bloody time

What did it, a Senator dressing down Gen Myers over
his "request" to CBS to supress a story?

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hallelujah!!!!!!!!!!

[calimary]

4. Well, sonuvagun.

They're finally waking up, are they? This is starting to get RAWTHER intriguing.

Good to hear. Maybe there are a few reporters OTHER THAN those Joseph Wilson described - scared to death to write anything negative about the bushies because they have two kids in private school and a mortgage to pay...

THIS is worth following.

[Gloria]

5. I'm kicking....because we all have to watch this and how it

develops....

[Kanary]

10. May I respectfully suggest we all do more than "watch"...

Now's the time to quote from this article, and write those letters....... send 'em to local papers and TV stations, and let 'em know we're watching.

Remind the print journalists of their duty, and remind the TV that it's our airwaves, also.

If enough of us followup, with quotes, it'll reinforce it.

Thanks for this post........ I was needing something encouraging. Needing it badly.

Kanary

[maggrwaggr]

6. News alert -- "Press Realizes It's supposed to do its Job"

well whaddya know.

What a radical notion.

[Spazito]

7. Watching the news today, the reporter referred to bush as...

MR. bush, not President, MR. I loved it, it was very noticeable and, it seemed to me, very deliberate.

[sandnsea]

8. Curley's Contact Info

I got this off the League of Conservation Voters Organizing Tools Web Site. MOST EXCELLENT TOOL! http://www.envirovictory.org/tools/lettertotheeditor.cfm

Let's let him know how much we're behind him!


Title: President; Chief Executive Officer
Department: Headquarters
E-mail: [e-mail]
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Address: 50 Rockefeller Plz, New York, NY 10020
Education: MBA Rochester Inst. of Tech., 1977
Previous Experience: 1989-present, USA Today, CEO and President; 1986-1989, USA Today, Executive Vice President

[Kanary]

11. GREAT! Thanx for the excellent info! Let's go, folx

Now's the time for us to do our part to get our country back.

Kanary