Last Updated: October 17, 2001
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RESTON, Va. - The American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE) and the Newspaper
Association of America (NAA) today asked Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
to make a clear statement of his support for open and independent reporting
of the war on terrorism.
ASNE President Tim J. McGuire and NAA Chairman Orage Quarles III sent a letter
to Rumsfeld asking that he formally adopt the Statement of Principles on News
Coverage of Combat that were developed in 1992 after conversations between media
groups and the Pentagon. The principles were adopted by then-Secretary of Defense
Dick Cheney and by all succeeding defense secretaries.
"Such unambiguous support of the Statement of Principles communicated by you
through the chain of command will keep the press and public on course to fully
understand this crucial chapter in our nation's history," wrote McGuire, editor
of the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, and Quarles, president and publisher of
The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.
The letter suggested that, with the Statement of Principles as a guide, the
Department of Defense and the media establish special provisions to address
the unique nature of this conflict. They also asked that pool coverage be limited
in favor of placing reporters with combat troops.
McGuire and Quarles also asked that the Pentagon respect the media's position
on prior security review at the same time members of the media reaffirm their
responsibility to protect the security interest of the armed forces as part
of their reporting. To read the letter, click
here or here
for a PDF version.
ASNE, with about 850 members, is the largest organization of directing editors
of daily newspapers in the Americas. It is a leader in improving diversity in
newsrooms, strengthening newspaper credibility and improving high school journalism.
NAA is a nonprofit organization representing the $59 billion newspaper industry
and more than 2,000 newspapers in the U.S. and Canada. Most NAA members are
daily newspapers, accounting for 87 percent of the U.S. daily circulation. Headquartered
in Tyson's Corner (Vienna, Va.), the Association focuses on six key strategic
priorities that affect the newspaper industry collectively: marketing, public
policy, diversity, industry development, newspaper operations and readership.
Information about NAA and the industry may also be found at the Association's
World Wide Web site on the Internet (www.naa.org).
For more information, contact ASNE Communications Director Kevin
Wilcox, kwilcox@asne.org, 703-453-1132
or Debra Gersh Hernandez, NAA's Director of Public Relations, 703-902-1737,
gersh@naa.org.
