Necessary Secrets: National Security, the Media, and the Rule of Law
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- ISBN13: 9780393076486
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
An intensely controversial scrutiny of American democracy’s fundamental tension between the competing imperatives of security and openness. “Leaking”–the unauthorized disclosure of classified information–is a well-customary part of the U.S. government’s normal functioning. Gabriel Schoenfeld examines history and officially authorized precedent to argue that leaks of highly sensitive national-security secrets have reached hitherto unthinkable extremes, with treacherous potential for post-9/11 America. He starts with the New York Times’s recent choice to reveal the being of National Security Agency programs made under the Bush administration. He then steps back to the Founding Fathers’ intense obsession with secrecy. In his survey of U.S. history, Schoenfeld discovers a growing rift between a press that sees itself as the heroic force promoting the public’s “right to know” and a government that needs to safeguard information vital to the effective conduct of foreign policy. A masterful contribution to our understanding of the First Amendment, Necessary Secrets marshals the past evidence that leaks of highly classified government information not only endanger the public but, in some extraordinary circumstances, merit officially authorized prosecution of persons who publish them. (edited by leader)
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Intentionally or otherwise, information is frequently leaked to the media. Politicians try to smear their opponents. Bureaucrats try to let the citizenry know. Leaks can hurt the work of intelligence agencies, and even negotiations among nations. From the original gathering of intelligence to its final dissemination across the branches of government, it is vulnerable to premature exposure. In this work Schoenfeld argues that leaks are a danger to the government; they are treacherous and evil; that they must be stopped; and that the people who do the leaking are traitors, permanently. His touchstone is 9/11, even when he is discussing the founding of this nation. He reviews the history of the United States examining the major leaks, from war codes to the atomic bomb. He has no sympathy for the leakers. His analysis is weak, and his examples regularly hurt rather than help his argument. The most charitable view might be that this is a book for an earlier time, not now.
Reviewed by Kevin Winter
Reader’s Rating: 3 / 5
In “Necessary Secrets,” Schoenfeld uses past examples to make the case that The New York Times ought to be held accountable for publishing classified information related to the wiretapping of Al Qaeda operatives on American soil. Schoenfeld’s examples are well-researched and illustrated; but, I judge that Schoenfeld’s analysis does not do justice to the reasons for which journalists find it necessary to leak and publish classified information.
If one has a reasonable interest in the role of the media in contemporary democracies, they ought to read this book. If not, one might find this book to be tedious, as Schoenfeld spends a fantastic deal of time examining past precedents for journalistic leaking.
Reader’s Rating: 3 / 5