Patriotism and the Press

While the prez calls out the New York Times for its "disgraceful" reporting of the bank-surveillance story, the Times has taken it upon itself to mount a vigorous defense of its work and its motivations. Today's edition has a lead editorial, "Patriotism and the Press," that is a must read for anyone wanting to know about Press Freedom 101:

Why publish such bombshell stories? It's a function of the watchdog role of the press, a role disrespected by the administration and forgotten by most who would submit to anything to win a "war" that will no doubt go on for decades. The Times argues:

From our side of the news-opinion wall, the Swift story looks like part of an alarming pattern. Ever since Sept. 11, the Bush administration has taken the necessity of heightened vigilance against terrorism and turned it into a rationale for an extraordinarily powerful executive branch, exempt from the normal checks and balances of our system of government. It has created powerful new tools of surveillance and refused, almost as a matter of principle, to use normal procedures that would acknowledge that either Congress or the courts have an oversight role.

And there's this conclusion, worth reprinting in its entirety:

The United States will soon be marking the fifth anniversary of the war on terror. The country is in this for the long haul, and the fight has to be coupled with a commitment to individual liberties that define America's side in the battle. A half-century ago, the country endured a long period of amorphous, global vigilance against an enemy who was suspected of boring from within, and history suggests that under those conditions, it is easy to err on the side of security and secrecy. The free press has a central place in the Constitution because it can provide information the public needs to make things right again. Even if it runs the risk of being labeled unpatriotic in the process.