Pentagon buys up copies of Army officer’s memoir on Afghan war

The Department of Defense bought out the first printing of an Army officer’s memoir out of concern that the book contained state secrets. -db CNN September 28, 2010 By Chris Lawrence and Padma Rama Washington (CNN) — The Department of Defense recently purchased and destroyed thousands of copies of an Army Reserve officer’s memoir in an [...]

President earns mediocre marks on transparency

Despite his pledges to bolster open government, so far, according to Clint Hendler of the Columbia Journalism Review, President Barack Obama has only posted modest gains in transparency. -DB Columbia Journalism Review Opinion January 05, 2010 By Clint Hendler In the year since President Obama took office, he has made significant progress on transparency and [...]

Government lawyer argues torture suit too sensitive for public court

Citing national security and state secrets, a Justice Department lawyer argued that the suit involving the CIA and a San Jose company over extraordinary rendition and torture of suspected terrorists cannot proceed in open court. -DB San Francisco Chronicle December 16, 2009 By Bob Egelko SAN FRANCISCO — A lawsuit accusing a Bay Area flight-planning [...]

Environmental reporters in Egypt and China face devastating reprisals

It is not an easy life reporting about the environment in Egypt and China as the reporters face fines, law suits, censorship, death threats and prison. -DB MediaShift September 14, 2009 By Clothilde Le Coz Since May 2009, Tamer Mabrouk has held one of the saddest records regarding human rights abuses in Egypt. He is [...]