Free Press vs. National Security

I have been watching the News on the recent spat between the United States Government and the famous or infamous depending on your view point Wiki leaks which  the website has brought up the issue of secrecy and national security vs. free press and journalism. We always speak of free press and the basic goodness of a free press to provide the truth to the people. A good example of this would be the Pentagon Papers in which a military officer had given information to the public about the false Golf of Tokin incident pretentions for why Americans were fighting and dying in Vietnam. Furthermore, is the infamous Watergate scandal in which the two Washington Post reporters got a tip by a named informant who goes by the name Deep Throat. They used the tip to do an investigation which would eventually lead to President at the time Nixon trying, to get information on the Democratic Party. As a consequence, the Watergate Scandal led to Nixon’s resignation and failure as a president. As a result, some good journalistic skills and determination can lead to major embarrassment.

However, there are times in which information needs to be hidden or herd on to for a given period of time. While I do agree with Wiki leaks to try to reveal corruption, I do not think they should do it at the expense of lives and or national security.  Sometimes a lie can save lives and or prevent wars. In the instance of the Cuban Missile Crisis, a back room deal with Soviet Union and United States prevented a nuclear World War III in that the U.S. would pull out its nuclear missiles and a guarantee of not invading Cuba in exchange of USSR pulling its ballistic missiles. However, this was not told to the public to both sides in that it would escalate if not lead to war. It took several decades before the truth was known, but by that time the situation was already cool and calm. Needless to say, Freedom of the press should be supported and advocated, but there are times in certain situations where diplomatic transparency is of utmost importance in an emergency. It is best to leave the diplomats to make a deal or negotiate a peace.

Vocabulary

Transparency

Noun

Also, transparence. The quality or state of being transparent.

something transparent, design, or the like on glass or some translucent substance, made visible by light shining through from behind.

Informant

Noun

a person who informs or gives information; informer.

a person who supplies social or cultural data in answer to the questions of an investigator.