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NEWS RELEASE: The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

Reporters Committee releases report on war

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Mar. 15, 2002

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Lucy Dalglish, (703) 807-2100

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reply with "remove" in the subject line.)

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press released a

special "RCFP White Paper" today chronicling the effects the War on

Terrorism has had on media coverage.

The 34-page report, called "Homefront Confidential: How the War on

Terrorism Affects Access to Information and the Public's Right to

Know," outlines actions taken over the last six months by state and

federal government agencies that limit the ability of journalists to

do their jobs.

The report, released this morning at the National Freedom of Information Day conference at the Freedom Forum, is available in PDF electronic format on the Reporters Committee Web site at http://www.rcfp.org.

The report includes a chronology of federal government actions

taken since September 11 that jeopardize the public's right to know,

as well as a compilation of actions taken by state legislatures and

officials to respond to the terrorism threat. It summarizes problems

journalists will have collecting information because of the USA

PATRIOT Act, President Bush's order for military tribunals and

secret detention hearings in immigration courts. The report also

analyzes Attorney General John Ashcroft's Oct. 12 directive on

interpretation of the federal Freedom of Information Act.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is a voluntary,

unincorporated association of reporters and editors that works to

defend the First Amendment rights and freedom of information

interests of the news media. The Reporters Committee provides

representation, guidance and research in First Amendment and Freedom

of Information Act litigation.

The Homefront Confidential report was funded by a grant from the

John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. "The foundation promotes

excellence in journalism worldwide and invests in the vitality of 26

U. S. communities."