On Jan. 24, 2003, a new law enforcement and investigatory agency whose duties include functions taken from as many as 22 other federal agencies came into existence. The reorganization of these operations reportedly marks the biggest government bureaucratic shake-up since the creation of the Department of Defense half a century ago.
Even before the new Department of Homeland Security opened its doors, controversies arose over not just how it would operate and exercise its powers, but what level of access to information it would allow, and how it would respond to news media requests. Will new exemptions be carved out of the FOI Act, either by law or by practice? Will officials and agents feel free to tap phones of journalists, or subpoena their records during investigations? Will the new director consider procedural safeguards, like those adopted years ago by the Department of Justice, to ensure that freedom of the press will not be denied? And will those practices be followed?

But "homeland" security is not the only concern for journalists covering anti-terrorism initiatives; military actions abroad often present a greater challenge, as questions over disclosure of information, access to troops, and restraints on reporting seem to resurface anew with each conflict.

Questions and issues like these led the Reporters Committee to launch this "weblog," so that there will be a centralized site on the Internet for journalists who want to follow these issues and pass along information they learn while covering — or worse, being covered by — the new department and other anti-terrorism actions. Please submit comments and pass along tips to make this project as useful, thorough and up-to-date as possible.

A few words about what this project will not do. We do not intend to cover many of the issues that will undoubtedly come up as the Department takes shape, even if those issues are the ones generating headlines. We will cover information access and free press issues, but will not follow debates over many civil liberties issues that, while important, are outside of our domain.

Funding for the launch of this site was provided by The Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation.

Apr. 25, 2007

DOCUMENT SHOWS RUMSFELD STAFFER SOUGHT INFORMATION ON TILLMAN. A House committee that held a hearing Tuesday on wrong and misleading information given about the death of Pat Tillman and the rescue of Jessica Lynch has released information from the four boxes of uncensored documents the Defense Department gave Congress last week. It includes an internal e-mail indicating a speechwriter for ex-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called the Army for information six days after Tillman's death, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. — Posted at 11:55 am

Apr. 24, 2007

HOUSE PANEL HOLDS HEARING ON MILITARY MISINFORMATION. An Army Ranger told a House panel today that he was ordered not to tell Pat Tillman's family that the former football star died from friendly fire in 2004. Army Specialist Bryan O'Neal said his battalion commander made clear he would "get in trouble" if he told Tillman's brother, Kevin, who was in a convoy behind Pat Tillman when he was shot, that the death was due to friendly fire. O'Neal testified as part of a hearing before a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing into military misinformation. Tillman's family members told the panel they believe high-ranking officials, including then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, were actively thwarting them from learning the truth. Army private Jessica Lynch also testified about how the story of her ambush in Iraq was turned into a tale of heroism. "The bottom line is the American people are capable of determining their own ideals of heroes and they don't need to be told elaborate tales," Lynch said. — Posted at 3:59 pm

Apr. 17, 2007

BILL AIMED AT SECRET PRISONS, BUDGETS WON'T BE VOTED ON. A bill that would have unveiled the locations of secret CIA prisons and the annual intelligence budget will not get a vote in the Senate after maneuvers by Republican senators backed by the Bush Administration. — Posted at 4:20 pm

HATFILL WILL SEEK ADDITIONAL DISCOVERY FROM NEWS MEDIA. In a court filing Monday, attorneys for former anthrax "person of interest" Steven Hatfill said they plan to seek "additional discovery" from the news media. Additionally, the filing asks for additional time to complete the discovery since "counsel for interested reporters and media entities have expressed their inclination to oppose any discovery that would identity their sources." The filing can be found on the federal judiciary's "pacer" system. — Posted at 12:00 pm

Apr. 16, 2007

REPORT: SOLDIERS NOT JUSTIFIED DELETING IMAGES IN AFGHANISTAN. The Afghan human rights commission, investigating American soldiers' killing of Afghan civilians after a suicide bombing last month, said the soldiers' deletion of journalists' images of the bombing and its aftermath harmed "the successful undertaking of a genuinely impartial investigation." Editor & Publisher reports that the commission said the military's explanation for the actions did not justify "the substantial curtailment of the right to freedom of expression." The Associated Press had complained to the military about the incident because the photographer and videographer were working for AP. — Posted at 10:51 am

Apr. 12, 2007

AP PHOTOGRAPHER STILL BEING HELD ONE YEAR AFTER ARREST. Today marks one year that Associated Press contract photographer Bilal Hussein has been held by the U.S. military without being charged. Hussein's lawyer says there is no evidence to support the detainment of Hussein, whose work was among the AP's Pulitzer Prize-winning work in 2005. Military officials say the case against Hussein has been reviewed four times. — Posted at 11:35 am

Apr. 11, 2007

MEDIA CONTINUES EFFORTS TO SEEK PUBLIC ACCESS IN AIPAC TRIAL. News organizations filed documents in federal court in Alexandria, Va., Tuesday opposing a government request to close portions of the upcoming trial of two former pro-Israel lobbyists accused of violating the Espionage Act. The media are concerned the government is trying to keep large portions of evidence in the case out of public view in the upcoming trial of former American Israel Public Affairs Committee lobbyists Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman. Defense attorneys filed a motion to "Strike the Government's Request to Close the Trial." The judge rejected a similar press motion filed last month and said at the time that he thought defense lawyers in the AIPAC case were being "hyperbolic" in portraying the government as seeking to "close the trial." But he invited the press to re-intervene if necessary and ordered further briefing on the defendant's motion. A public hearing is to be held on April 16. — Posted at 3:37 pm

Apr. 10, 2007

HOUSE PANEL TO EXAMINE TILLMAN, LYNCH MISINFORMATION. A House committee has announced it will examine how the Defense Department spread false information about the capture of Army private Jessica Lynch and the friendly-fire death of Pat Tillman, who left the NFL to join the Army. Pentagon officials, Lynch and Tillman's family members are expected to testify at the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing, scheduled for April 24. — Posted at 6:02 pm

Apr. 9, 2007

KIDNAPPED TRANSLATOR BEHEADED BY TALIBAN. An Afghan journalist working as a translator has reportedly been beheaded by the Taliban. Ajmal Naqshbandi was kidnapped last month along with Italian reporter Daniele Mastrogiacomo and driver Sayed Agha. Gregory Warner, writing for Slate, reports on the circumstances behind the kidnapping and subsequent events that led to the release of Mastrogiacomo and the deaths of Agha and Naqshbandi. — Posted at 12:36 pm

Apr. 6, 2007

FRIENDLY FIRE MAY HAVE KILLED SOLDIERS REPORTED SLAIN BY INSURGENTS. The Army is investigating whether two soldiers died from friendly fire after the military initially reported they were killed by insurgents, Greg Mitchell of Editor & Publisher reports. The families and the press were initially told the two soldiers died of enemy fire on Feb. 2. But though friendly fire was suspected as early as Feb. 28, the families were not told of the investigation until a month later. The official Defense Department Web site did not make note of the friendly-fire investigation until Wednesday. — Posted at 12:34 pm

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE REPORT CASTS DOUBT ON LINK BETWEEN HUSSEIN AND AL-QAEDA. A Pentagon report refutes administration claims of substantial links between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda prior to the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. Sen Carl Levin (D.-Mich.) pushed for declassification of the report. — Posted at 12:33 pm

Apr. 4, 2007

IRAQI MERCHANTS SAY MCCAIN MISREPRESENTS IRAQI SECURITY. Shortly after visiting a Baghdad marketplace, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and others said the visit was evidence of improving conditions in Iraq. But Iraqi merchants said the market is still dangerous, noting that snipers returned shortly after the senators left. The New York Times reports the increased security measures during the legislators' visit, including more than 100 armed soldiers and attack helicopters circling overhead. The Washington Post reports that deaths dropped slightly in Baghdad last month but that violence has increased elsewhere. — Posted at 3:57 pm