bill moyers is back and he’s calling for the accountability of the american press

Bill Moyers’ new show, premiers this Wednesday evening on PBS. The first episode is entitled “Buying the War,” and it’s about the complicity of the American press during the run-up to the war in Iraq, when we, the American people, were being told of eminent mushroom clouds and the evidence linking Iraq and Al Queda. Given the source, I think it’s safe to say that it’ll be worth viewing. If you have any doubt, though, check out this clip… I was afraid, when Bill left “Now” a few years ago, that we’d lost him for good. It’s nice to have him back. His voice is absolutely critical right now, especially on the topic journalism and it’s role in a free society.

While we’re on the subject of journalism, it’s also worth pointing out that Harpers has a good piece today on Alberto Gonzales and his work to further undermine the freedom of the press in the United States. Here’s a clip:

In June, a case is slated to go to trial in Northern Virginia that will mark a first step in a plan to silence press coverage of essential national security issues. The plan was hatched by Alberto Gonzales and his deputy, Paul J. McNulty–the two figures at the center of a growing scandal over the politicization of the prosecutorial process. This may in fact be the most audacious act of political prosecution yet. But so far, it has gained little attention and is poorly understood.

In the summer of 2005, Alberto Gonzales paid a visit to British Attorney General Peter Goldsmith. A British civil servant who attended told me “it was quite amazing really. Gonzales was obsessed with the Official Secrets Act. In particular, he wanted to know exactly how it was used to block newspapers and broadcasters from running news stories derived from official secrets and how it could be used to criminalise persons who had no formal duty to maintain secrets. He saw it as a panacea for his problems: silence the press. Then you can torture and abuse prisoners and what you will–without fear of political repercussions. It was the easy route to dealing with the Guant

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One Comment

  1. mark
    Posted April 24, 2007 at 9:45 pm | Permalink

    There’s also a new Bill Moyers podcast.

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