July 28, 2013

Why Was the Military Trying to Intimidate Journalists at Bradley Manning Trial Yesterday?

Huffington Post reporter Matt Sledge characterized the feeling in the media room: "I've covered civil and criminal cases in federal and state courts (including a terrorism trial), and the Manning court martial for eight months, and I haven't run into an atmosphere quite as tense as today." Late in the day, New York Times reporter Charlie Savage tweeted that one of the armed military policemen who had swept the reporters multiple times for cell phones and aircards—because they're banned—was on his iPhone.
Of course, the press has already had to deal with restrictive conditions and absurd government secrecy rules throughout the pre-trial and trial proceedings that has made it difficult to report, and more importantly, has stifled the public's access to the trial. Bu this marks a new level.
***Read article at FREEDOM OF THE PRESS FOUNDATION***

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