Saturday, May 08, 2010
Omar Khadrm then and now
Four journalists have been banned from covering military tribunals at Guantánamo Bay because they reported the name of a former soldier accused of abusing a detainee. The Defense Department said the media was asked at a recent hearing to identify former Army Sergeant Joshua Claus as Interrogator No. 1—even though Claus’ identity has previously been reported by newspapers, including an interview he gave to a Canadian publication.
The reporters blacklisted by the Pentagon work for the Miami Herald, Toronto Star, Toronto Globe and Mail and CanWest Newspapers of Canada.
The newspapers plan to appeal the military’s decision, arguing the demand to not publish Claus’ name made no sense given his prior public exposure.
“That reporters are being punished for disclosing information that has been publicly available for years is nothing short of absurd—any gag order that covers this kind of information is not just overbroad but nonsensical,” said Jameel Jaffer, deputy legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union. “Plainly, no legitimate government interest is served by suppressing information that is already well known.”
The Pentagon said the ban only applies to the individual reporters in question, and that their newspapers can send other journalists to cover the tribunals.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Pentagon Bans Mcclatchy Reporter from Guantanamo Hearings (by Nancy A. Youssef, McClatchy Newspapers)
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