Fearing Government Surveillance, US Journalists Are Self-Censoring

[DamianTV]

http://news.slashdot.org/story/13/12/04/1826245/fearing-government-surveillance-us-journalists-are-self-censoring


"Suzanne Nossel, writing for CNN, reports that 'a survey of American writers done in October revealed that nearly one in four has self-censored for fear of government surveillance. They fessed up to curbing their research, not accepting certain assignments, even not discussing certain topics on the phone or via e-mail for fear of being targeted. The subjects they are avoiding are no surprise — mostly matters to do with the Middle East, the military and terrorism.' Yet ordinary Americans, for the most part, seem not to care: 'Surveillance so intrusive it is putting certain subjects out of bounds would seem like cause for alarm in a country that prides itself as the world's most free. Americans have long protested the persecution and constraints on journalists and writers living under repressive regimes abroad, yet many seem ready to accept these new encroachments on their freedom at home.'"

One of many results of Zero Privacy.

---

http://static.infowars.com/bindnfocom/2013/11/pr.jpg

[phill4paul]

Then they are not "journalists." If 'ordinary AmeriKans" don't care it is because they are censoring as opposed to exposing.

[DamianTV]

MSM already self censors. We all know that. So do sheep. But the Independent Journalist are the ones who are showing this trend. The web reporters. The Bloggers. The common man. When we all self-censor in fear of a Govt Boot stomping on our faces, they've won.

[acptulsa]

slashdot is understating the case. They're also self-censoring for fear of being fired. And their bosses are censoring them by firing them for fear of being excluded from information, being kicked out of press pools, and, yes, worse.

Ted Rall has spoken openly about what happened to him and his column when he openly criticized the Obama administration.

[enhanced_deficit]

Incidentally, there is no proof reported in media that SWC's puppet mastas knew Hastings whereabouts at the time of his tragic accident.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/04/us-usa-security-nsa-idUSBRE9B31AM20131204

[DamianTV]

Then how about Snowden?

If any of you were Journalists, would YOU want to be Edward Snowdens Media Contact? Doesnt matter if you worked for the MSM directly or not, but if you were the Press Source of Snowdens data, do you really think the Govt wouldnt come down on you as hard as they possibly could? Arrest you? Confiscate everything you own? Dig into every aspect of your life to discredit you? And most importantly try to STOP the flow of information?

People WANT to know this kind of information, but fewer and fewer have enough balls to say the things that the Govt does not want them to say.

http://static.infowars.com/bindnfocom/2013/11/pr.jpg

[DamianTV]

(removed, duplicate)

[Anti Federalist]

Yet ordinary Americans, for the most part, seem not to care

Seem?

They do NOT care.

In general, they hate freedom, do not want it and will actively and willingly turn in those who agitate for it.

[HOLLYWOOD]

We have the 2 party Mafia running the country with an assortment of Crime Family agencies and departments shaking-down Americans...

TSA targets Whistleblowers and CNN'S Drew Griffin for exposing TSA fraud and targeting
watch this little clip : http://youtu.be/5vYWX9yblpI


http://youtu.be/5vYWX9yblpI

then another case:

Did the IRS target a DHS whistleblower? Yes they did under false accusations
http://hotair.com/archives/2013/06/19/video-did-the-irs-target-a-dhs-whistleblower/



He had taken a long list of complaints to lawmakers about how the air marshals service was run, ranging from problems keeping marshals on flights to allegations of ineptitude and favoritism by managers. The same year he retired, he appeared in “Please Remove Your Shoes,” a documentary critical of the airline security measures travelers endure on every trip.
Then came the audit, which an Internal Revenue Service agent told him about the same day the movie premiered — “almost to the hour,” he said.
The year-long investigation included the placement of a $24,000 lien against his home. In the end, the IRS found out Black owed them $480 — while the government owed him $8,300.

Black paid his $480; the government never paid him, saying the statute of limitations had run out.

Now, he thinks someone — perhaps the Air Marshal Service, the Department of Homeland Security or elsewhere in the Obama administration — was using the IRS to retaliate against him.
“Being a veteran of extensive retaliation in my past, I am not surprised about this,” Black told CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360.” “It is basically the only way they can retaliate against me after I retired.”




then another case:
http://www.tuccille.com/blog/2009/04/tsa-sorry-well-not-really-for-detaining.html

TSA sorry ... well ... not really ... for detaining Ron Paul staffer (http://www.tuccille.com/blog/2009/04/tsa-sorry-well-not-really-for-detaining.html)

The detention by Transportation Security Administration agents of a staffer (http://www.examiner.com/x-536-Civil-Liberties-Examiner%7Ey2009m4d2-Political-activist-detained-by-TSA-for-carrying-cash) with the Ron Paul-backed Campaign for Liberty at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport became a cause celebre last week -- in part because the detainee secretly captured an audio recording of his interrogation on his cell phone.

[better-dead-than-fed]

I email a couple of journalists a day, trying to interest them in evidence I've collected of government-corruption while defending myself in court. No one's ever denied the evidence is good, or denied that the corruption is newsworthy. Instead, I get mostly ignored and a little accused of seeking attention. I have no use for attention, so it's not my goal. All I see is endless pretend journalists making excuses for failing to report serious corruption.

[better-dead-than-fed]

........................................

[DamianTV]

I email a couple of journalists a day, trying to interest them in evidence I've collected of government-corruption while defending myself in court. No one's ever denied the evidence is good, or denied that the corruption is newsworthy. Instead, I get mostly ignored and a little accused of seeking attention. I have no use for attention, so it's not my goal. All I see is endless pretend journalists making excuses for failing to report serious corruption.

There are Real Journalists, like Ben Swann, and there are those that show up to work every day for a Paycheck. Unfortunately, it doesnt require any integrity to get that precious Paycheck that so many journalist posers are after. They care for no one but themselves, and are only interested in stories that they dont have to do any real work to get the story out.

Thats kind of the difference between a Reporter and a Journalist.

[better-dead-than-fed]

There are Real Journalists, like Ben Swann, and there are those that show up to work every day for a Paycheck.

There are also journalists like Radley Balko and Alex Jones, who are not posers, but if you show them evidence that FBI agents wantonly stole a lot of things, they look the other way. The point here isn't to paint Balko and Jones with same brush as the posers. The point is that if Balko and Jone look the other way, how many other people have the FBI robbed, and you will never hear about it?

I have submitted info to Ben Swann here:

http://forums.benswann.com/showthread.php?225-FBI-Agents-Commit-Robbery-In-Broad-Daylight

[better-dead-than-fed]

... only interested in stories that they dont have to do any real work to get the story out.

The cover-ups I'm seeing aren't a matter of journalists being too lazy to work. The real work has already been done. All any journalist would have to do is email the DOJ and ask for their comment on the evidence.

[better-dead-than-fed]

There are Real Journalists, like Ben Swann

So I Google "Ben Swann", which leads to, http://benswann.com/contact, so I click that, and it says "For any news tips or suggestions please post them at our forum: http://forums.benswann.com/", so I register and post, http://forums.benswann.com/showthread.php?225-FBI-Agents-Commit-Robbery-In-Broad-Daylight, and it's just sitting there.

[DamianTV]

So I Google "Ben Swann", which leads to, http://benswann.com/contact, so I click that, and it says "For any news tips or suggestions please post them at our forum: http://forums.benswann.com/", so I register and post, http://forums.benswann.com/showthread.php?225-FBI-Agents-Commit-Robbery-In-Broad-Daylight, and it's just sitting there.

Ben Swann is one man.

As much as he needs support from people that observe on the News he investigates, he also needs other True Journalists to investigate the things he simply can not due to lack of time. My sig has a line "You are Ron Paul's Media". The same could be true for the likes of Ben Swann. We are Ben Swann's Journalists. We do have the time to investigate and do the leg work.

If we support Ben Swann, we should all be making efforts to support Ben Swann instead of expecting him to do all the work on our behalf.

[better-dead-than-fed]

Ben Swann is one man.

As much as he needs support from people that observe on the News he investigates, he also needs other True Journalists to investigate the things he simply can not due to lack of time. My sig has a line "You are Ron Paul's Media". The same could be true for the likes of Ben Swann. We are Ben Swann's Journalists. We do have the time to investigate and do the leg work.

If we support Ben Swann, we should all be making efforts to support Ben Swann instead of expecting him to do all the work on our behalf.

I understand that, but I have done all the leg work, so I don't see how your observation applies to this situation.

I'm assuming that Swann is not afraid to report crimes committed by FBI agents; but there is still a problem here, because FBI agents can steal a lot, and you can do all the legwork and send it to Swann, and get no response.


If we support Ben Swann

I can't afford to do that, if he's just another American giving the FBI free reign to prey on targeted individuals.

[enhanced_deficit]

Late Michael Hastings (RIP) rips SWC for "spying on journalists", "assassinations".
(caution, alarming):

FF to 6:55 mark in clip:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaehlN8Cbj4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=jaehlN8Cbj4#t=349
Published on May 26, 2013
Journalist Michael Hastings had very harsh words for President Barack Obama on Saturday morning.


Michael Hastings (journalist) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Hastings_%28journalist%29)
Michael Mahon Hastings (January 28, 1980 – June 18, 2013) was an American journalist, author, contributing editor to Rolling Stone

[better-dead-than-fed]

Ben Swann is one man.

If we support Ben Swann....

Why would we support him?