The Keller/Sulzberger silence: were they threatened?

[DeepModem Mom]

Setting aside the possibility of physical threat, what kind of pressure was brought to bear on the leadership of the NYT to cause them to delay publishing the domestic surveillance story for a year -- until forced to publish by their reporter James Risen's forthcoming book, which would reveal the explosive information the Times had kept hidden? The Times has since published good follow-up articles on the secret spying, so has not been completely spineless, but Keller and Sulzberger have addressed only vaguely their failure to publish this enormous story until their hand was called, and have said nothing about their summons to the WH for an Oval Office meeting with GWB himself. The Times public editor, their reader rep, challenges Keller and Sulzberger today in strong terms, revealing that they have refused him answers to questions he sent to them, on behalf of readers, in written form. He also points to the critical importance of the NYT's failure to publish the story before the 2004 election.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5724496

Is it possible Keller and Sulzberger did not understand the Constitutional issues involved? What is the very important story behind the story here, which involves not only rights of the people, but freedom of the press, both cornerstones of our democratic system?

[DBoon]

1. I'm sure Keller & Sultzberger were subject to NSA surveillance

I can only guess the sorts of personal (and very damaging) information that the White House has about the entire NYT editorial staff.

[MetaTrope]

2. Or else the quantity of Fort Detrick anthrax still not accounted for

:applause:

[DeepModem Mom]

3. Given their powerful positions, I'd say that was a good possibility, DB.

[acmavm]

4. I doubt it. They're just corporate thugs. Like the rest of them. The only

difference is that these two are major media corporate thugs. The rest are major air polluting, price fixing, environmental damaging, employee abusing, law breaking, manufacturing or mining or munitions (or whatever) corporate thugs.

[aquart]

5. i don't care what reasons they had. they weren't good enough.

[Vincardog]

6. They are CORPORATE CONTROLLED MEDIA that is all the reason they need

[emald]

7. these guys are not imbeciles

they knew what they were holding and did so until exposure was assured by the book. They have joined the GOP and Bushistas, holding the article for protection of the pResidents re-election. They did this out of no greater reason than supporting their boy king, keeping him in office.
What a fucking rag. How can anybody bother reading anything this now denuded daily liars chronicle has to say? Any credibility they might have had is gone, shredded by the knives of partisanship.
Even the Times recipe section must be suspect now; who knows what lies are even now being perpetrated on the american public by institutions that have used their heretofore respected voice for underhanded political purposes.
Buck fush and his paper tigers. GOP = LIARS and THIEVES.