To the Point
Government Secrecy and the People's Right to Know
Barack Obama promised a “transparent” government, but President Obama has cracked down on whistleblowers — in the name of national security.
By Warren Olney • • 51m ListenBarack Obama promised a “transparent” government, but President Obama has cracked down on whistleblowers — in the name of national security. Reporters and leakers have been threatened with prosecution and even prison time. Now, advocates of open government are soliciting Washington whistleblowers with advertisements and promises of confidentiality. Is it Deep Throat 2.0? When is press freedom really at risk? When is secrecy needed to make Americans safe?
Banner Image: U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at the White House about the Iraq situation in Washington June 19, 2014. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
In this episode
3 storiesPresident Obama Speaks on Iraq
President Obama today said American combat forces will not return to Iraq, but 300 US military advisors will be sent there. Julian Barnes reports from the Pentagon for the Wall Street Journal .
Read the story8 minDoes Government Secrecy Really Keep Americans Safer?
The Obama Administration has cracked down on leakers of classified information, and on reporters who refuse to reveal their sources. Now an open-government group is fighting back by advertising for whistleblowers in Washington. The first of 11 planned billboards has gone up near the State Department.
Read the story36 minResurrection of the Neo-Cons
Advocates of the war in Iraq are now back on the airwaves, and in print, criticizing the Obama Administration and offering solutions for Iraq’s current crisis. In a blistering attack on President Obama for winding down the war in Iraq, former Vice President Dick Cheney wrote in the Wall Street Journal that, “Rarely has a US President been so…
Read the story8 min