TIME Forum: The Right to Know vs. National Security

How should the media balance values when it comes to reporting the war on terrorism?

GENERAL BARRY McCAFFREY, U.S.A. (RET.) Former U.S. drug czar In the 10 years since I've been out of uniform, I've been increasingly aware that without an aggressive free media publicizing shortcomings in government, this nation would work ineffectively at its public business. [The press] talking about a generalized vulnerability we have--that trains aren't protected--and railing against it sufficiently is more likely to protect us than put us in peril. If you publish diagrams of network computer switching, that wouldn't be the case.

DANIEL BENJAMIN Senior fellow, Center for Strategic and International Studies I remember when I was at the National Security...

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