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.

Aug. 21, 2007

SECRET COURT TO CONSIDER RELEASING RULING. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court is considering making public a recent classified ruling on the scope of the government's wiretapping powers. — Posted at 2:12 pm

Aug. 16, 2007

SECRECY RULES IN EAVESDROPPING CASES. The lawsuits over the government's wiretapping program are subject to such "extraordinary secrecy" that a California lawyer representing the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation in its suit against the government had to compose a brief in a windowless government office, with officials shredding his drafts -- and the banana peel from his snack. The Los Angeles Times has the story. — Posted at 5:07 pm

Aug. 14, 2007

MILITARY SUICIDES RECEIVE LITTLE PRESS ATTENTION. At least 3 percent of American soldier deaths are suicides, Greg Mitchell of Editor & Publisher reports, wondering why the national media has not reported more on suicides. Part of the problem, Mitchell said, may be official military press releases that provide little information, typically followed by lengthy investigations. — Posted at 2:18 pm

TV STATIONS IN IRAQ FACE INCREASING RISKS, COSTS. Covering Iraq is getting more difficult for television stations, as budgets decrease at the same time security costs are escalating, Broadcasting & Cable reports. — Posted at 2:13 pm

Aug. 7, 2007

AP JOURNALIST MISSING, POSSIBLY TAKEN PRISONER. Iraqi journalist Talal Mohammed, who was working for The Associated Press, has been missing for more than a week. The news agency reports that Mohammed was abducted at gunpoint on his way to Baghdad, according to relatives. — Posted at 6:07 pm

Aug. 6, 2007

NEWSWEEK: LAWYER'S HOME SEARCHED IN LEAK INQUIRY. Citing anonymous sources, Newsweek reports that FBI investigators have searched the home of former Justice Department attorney Thomas M. Tamm in relation to the department's criminal investigation into who leaked details of a warrantless domestic eavesdropping program to the media. — Posted at 4:01 pm

Aug. 1, 2007

JOURNALISTS COULD BE PROSECUTED FOR ESPIONAGE. Federal espionage laws seem to allow the prosecution of journalists who publish classified defense information, Justice Department officials say in a written response to questions posed by senators to a department attorney after a June 2006 hearing. Secrecy News reports that the department said that the espionage statutes, derived largely from the 1917 Espionage Act, "do not provide an exemption for any particular profession or class of persons, including journalists." The March letter also states it would be "inappropriate to comment upon whether the Department is now considering the prosecution of journalists for publishing classified information." A recent issue of The News Media & The Law explored this topic. — Posted at 5:11 pm