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.

May. 31, 2007

PENTAGON WILL NOT RELEASE TRIBUNAL TAPES. The Defense Department is refusing to release the audiotape of a closed hearing where Khalid Sheikh Mohammed reportedly admitted to being the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, as well as a host of other terrorist plots. The Pentagon has released a redacted transcript of Mohammed's hearing, held in March to determine if there was enough evidence to continue to hold Mohammed as an "enemy combatant" at Guantanamo Bay. The Associated Press reports that Pentagon spokesman Byron Whitman said the agency has decided for now not to release the recording because of fears it could serve as terrorist propaganda. — Posted at 5:59 pm

JUDGE WILL RELEASE LIBBY LETTERS WITH REDACTIONS. A federal judge will allow access to more than 150 letters received about the sentencing of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, but not before the June 5 hearing. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton said the sentencing process should be "as transparent as possible," but that he would also require telephone numbers, home addresses and other personal details to be redacted before the letters are released. — Posted at 2:42 pm

LIEBERMAN VISITS IRAQI MARKETPLACE. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) made a surprise visit to Iraq, complete with a heavily guarded stroll around a Baghdad marketplace. Though Lieberman was encouraged by the visit, McClatchy newspapers talked to soldiers who said they do not feel the U.S. military is making any progress. — Posted at 10:37 am

BULLETS IN CARS MAY SIGNAL THREAT TO PAKISTANI JOURNALISTS. Reuters reports that bullets were found in the cars of three Pakistani journalists working for foreign news organizations. The move may be meant to intimidate the media. — Posted at 10:37 am

May. 30, 2007

JUDGE FAVORS DISCLOSING LETTERS AFTER SENTENCING. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton said in a Tuesday order that he is "inclined to permit at least some form of disclosure" of letters submitted to the court about the sentencing of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby after the hearing has taken place. Walton's order invited media organizations to file legal briefs by the end of today. Libby's lawyers oppose the public release of the letters. Meanwhile, court papers filed by Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald state that Valerie Plame was indeed a covert agent at the time her identity was leaked to members of the press. The revelation was contained in an unclassified summary of Fitzgerald's memos recommending Libby be sentenced to up to three years in prison. — Posted at 3:35 pm

EMBED POLICIES PROHIBIT IDENTIFYING WOUNDED SOLDIERS. In The New York Times, David Carr questions the military's policy prohibiting embedded journalists from printing pictures of dead soldiers and requiring them to obtain soldiers' consent before publishing a photograph or description of wounded soldiers. Carr notes that "capturing the brutal realities of war is a tradition in this country dating back at least to Matthew Brady." The policy became a matter of debate in February, when the Times published a story, photo and video of the wounding and eventual death of a U.S. soldier. — Posted at 1:19 pm

IRAQI POLICE SEIZE JOURNALISTS' CAMERAS. Journalists covering a blast in Baghdad had their cameras confiscated by the Iraqi police, The Associated Press reports. The Iraqi government had announced a policy barring reporters from bombing scenes for an hour after the blasts. — Posted at 10:44 am

May. 29, 2007

LIBBY WANTS SENTENCING LETTERS KEPT SECRET. Lawyers for I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice, have filed court papers opposing the public release of letters advocating a reduced sentence for the former White House aide. Defense attorney Bill Jeffress writes in the court filing, posted on The Next Hurrah blog, that given the "extraordinary media scrutiny," releasing the letters opens up the door for bloggers to publish, discuss and even mock the letters on the Internet. — Posted at 5:24 pm

May. 24, 2007

TV REPORTER WANTS TO RETURN TO MIDDLE EAST COVERAGE. CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier, who was injured by a car bomb that killed two crew members, wants to cover the Middle East again from her home in Jerusalem, The Washington Post reports. A CBS special on her injury and recovery airs Tuesday. — Posted at 12:05 pm

THREATS AGAINST SLAIN JOURNALISTS' FAMILIES REPORTED. The families of two Iraqi journalists who were ambushed and killed on Friday have been receiving death threats, presumably because it was not known that they were working for ABC News, according to CBS News. CBS has pulled a picture of the journalists from its Web site. — Posted at 12:05 pm

May. 23, 2007

ETHIOPIA RELEASES DETAINED JOURNALISTS. Three New York Times journalists who were arrested by the Ethiopian military and held for five days have been released. — Posted at 2:26 pm

MCCLATCHY REPORTERS SAY THEY ARE BARRED FROM PENTAGON PLANE. Reporters at McClatchy Newspapers say the Defense Department is retaliating against the news organization for its skeptical reporting prior to the Iraq War, Editor & Publisher reports. McClatchy staffers say they have been barred from the defense secretary's plane for three years, including four trips since new Defense Secretary Robert Gates assumed his post. A Pentagon spokesman says the allegations are "absurd." — Posted at 12:13 pm

May. 18, 2007

BIPARTISAN GROUP PUSHES CIA TO RELEASE INTERNAL 9/11 PROBE. Republican and Democratic Senators are backing a law that would force the CIA to make its internal investigation into 9/11 public. — Posted at 3:47 pm

NAVY LAWYER WHO LEAKED NAMES OF GITMO DETAINEES TO CIVIL LIBERTIES GROUP IS CONVICTED. Lieutenant commander Matt Diaz, a Navy lawyer with 18 years of military experience,was convicted on Thursday for leaking the names of Guantanamo detainees. In early 2005, as he was ending a tour of duty as a Guantanamo legal adviser, Cmdr. Diaz sent an anonymous note to a New York civil liberties group containing the names of the detainees. As a result, the lieutenant commander could be sentenced to 14 years in prison. The sentencing phase of the case begins Friday. — Posted at 11:08 am

TWO MORE JOURNALISTS KILLED IN IRAQ Two Iraqi journalists working for ABC News in Baghdad were ambushed and killed as they drove home from work, the television network announced Friday. The attack took place Thursday afternoon, when unknown assailants attacked the car carrying cameraman Alaa Uldeen Aziz, 33, and soundman Saif Laith Yousuf, 26, from the network's Baghdad bureau, ABC News President David Westin said in a statement posted on the ABC News Web site. — Posted at 10:28 am

May. 16, 2007

IRAQ BANS PHOTOGRAPHERS FROM SITES OF RECENT BLASTS. The Iraqi Government has authorized police to fire warning shots in the air in an attempt to enforce a ban on journalists photographing the sites where bombings occur. A spokesman said the ban is designed to protect evidence and privacy of the victims, not to curtail press freedom, according to a report in USA Today. — Posted at 2:54 pm

May. 12, 2007

MEDIA CALLS FOR JOURNALISTS TO BE CHARGED OR RELEASED. Representatives of two detained journalists are calling on the U.S. military to charge them or set them free, The Associated Press reports. The military says Bilal Hussein's photographs for AP were synchronized with explosions, but AP Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll, speaking during a panel in connection with World Press Freedom Day on Monday, said the group has examined 900 of Hussein's photographs and found no evidence of this. Al-Jazeera cameraman Sami al-Hajj has been detained since 2001. — Posted at 6:15 pm

GROUP SEEKS TRADE FOR KIDNAPPED JOURNALIST. A group called the Army of Islam is demanding the release of Muslim prisoners in exchange for kidnapped BBC journalist Alan Johnston, who was captured in Gaza City on March 12. — Posted at 6:14 pm

GOVERNMENT RETROACTIVELY LABELS MEMO 'SENSITIVE.' Government retroactively labels memo 'sensitive.' Rani Gupta A01: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SECURITY_LEAKS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT The Bush administration is saying a fired air marshal should have known that an unlabeled memo he received on his unsecured cellphone was sensitive and should not have been released to a reporter. In a legal brief, the government claimed the 2003 memo on removing air marshals from flights requiring overnight hotel stays was "sensitive security information," which is not classified but still dubbed too sensitive to release. The fired marshal, Robert MacLean, is asking a federal appeals court to say his disclosure of the memo is protected by federal whistleblower laws, The Associated Press reports. — Posted at 6:13 pm

MILITARY PRESENTATION CLASSIFIES MEDIA AS THREAT. A presentation made by the Army's 1st Information Operations Command classifies the "media" as a non-traditional domestic threat akin to the threat "al Qaeda" poses in the international realm. Coverage from Wired News and Secrecy News. — Posted at 6:12 pm

GOVERNMENT USES 107 'SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED' MARKINGS. Rebecca Carr of Cox Newspapers reports that there are 107 separate ways to designate unclassified government information in order to keep it secret. Furthermore, there are 131 different procedures for applying the so-called "sensitive but unclassified labels." — Posted at 6:11 pm

WHITE HOUSE OPERATES SEPARATE E-MAIL NETWORKS FOR CLASSIFIED AND SBU INFORMATION. The dispute over missing White House e-mail messages related to the firing of U.S. attorneys has shed light on White House electronic document retention. According to one former official, the White House operates a separate network for "sensitive but unclassified" network and another limited access network for classified information. — Posted at 6:10 pm

May. 11, 2007

CIA BOOK REVIEW BOARD BUSIER THAN EVER. The Central Intelligence Agency publications review board has seen a spike in submissions - from 300 in the year 2000 to about 100 per month now. The CIA screens the submissions for classified information, and some authors have been forced to take their disputes of what can be published to court. — Posted at 6:08 pm

ARMY TO REQUIRE PRIOR APPROVAL OF SOLDIER BLOGS, E-MAIL MESSAGES. It appears soldiers may no longer post to blogs or send personal e-mail messages without prior approval of a superior officer, according to a copy of rules obtained by Wired news. However, the Army has issued a fact sheet saying such approval will not be required, despite language that suggests otherwise in the regulation — Posted at 6:07 pm

HOUSE PANEL APPROVES SECRET INTELLIGENCE BUDGET. The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has authorized an estimated $48 billion budget for U.S. intelligence agencies. The exact number is classified. — Posted at 6:06 pm

ARMY TARGETS SECRECY NEWS PUBLICATIONS. The U.S. Army has asked an open government group to stop putting official documents directly on its website. "[T]here are only 5 Official Army Publication Sites. You are not one of them..." wrote an Army official in an e-mail to Steven Aftergood, director of the Federation of American Scientists Project on Government Secrecy, which operates the Secrecy News website. The Army went on to say Secrecy News could provide links to official sites, but not the full text of documents, as it frequently does on a portion of its site. Aftergood has declined to comply with the Army's request, pointing out, among other things, that the Army cannot copyright its publications. — Posted at 6:04 pm

ARMY RESCINDS SECRET STATUS OF DOMESTIC SURVEILLANCE REGULATIONS. Secrecy News has a copy of the new U.S. Army regulations on domestic surveillance. A prior copy had been marked "For Official Use Only." — Posted at 6:03 pm

DEFENSE DEPARMENT MEDIA PLAN FOR IRAQ DISCLOSED. Through an FOIA request, the National Security Archive has obtained various documents related to the Department of Defense's plan for an "information campaign" in post-invasion Iraq, which included the creation of a Rapid Reaction Media Team. The Archive has also compiled a timeline of significant media events related to the war. — Posted at 6:01 pm

NEW PENTAGON GUIDELINES RESTRICT WHO CAN TESTIFY. Only high ranking officials and political appointees can testify before Congress, according to new Pentagon guidelines. Critics call the move an attempt to stifle the flow of information about the Iraq war. — Posted at 5:59 pm

CIA FAULTED FOR NOT REVEALING COVERT PROGRAM TO CONGRESS. In The Washington Post , Walter Pincus reports that a House intelligence committee has told the CIA it violated the law by not disclosing to it the existence of a significant covert program. No details were released on what covert activity was not disclosed. — Posted at 5:58 pm

May. 9, 2007

GROUP POSTS DEFENSE DEPARTMENT MEDIA PLAN. Pentagon officials believed that the United States, in conjunction with a friendly Iraqi government could monopolize the dissemination of information and did not account for independent media outlets and other alternative sources of information, according to a white paper prepared by two Defense Department officials and obtained by the National Security Archive through a Freedom of Information Act request. The white paper also reveals that the duties of controlling the message have largely been privatized, enriching some Defense Department contractors. The National Security Archive has posted the white paper and Power Point briefing on its Web site. — Posted at 3:09 pm

BRITISH MEN GUILTY UNDER OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT. In London, a civil servant and a political researcher have been found guilty of violating the British Official Secrets Act for leaking a 2004 memo detailing talks between President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair about the Iraq war. Much of the trial was held behind closed doors, and jurors have been ordered not to reveal the information they learned in secret, including the contents of the memo. — Posted at 1:55 pm

May. 8, 2007

BOMB KILLS RUSSIAN JOURNALIST. A Russian photographer was among those killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq, the Russian ambassador has confirmed. Six U.S. soldiers were also killed in the Sunday blast. — Posted at 1:43 pm

May. 3, 2007

MILITARY: CARROLL KIDNAPPER KILLED. The U.S. military says an al-Qaida militant believed to be connected to last year's kidnapping of journalist Jill Carroll was killed in a fight near Baghdad. — Posted at 2:44 pm