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Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo

By Jeralyn, Section Terror Detainees
Posted on Wed Jun 14, 2006 at 10:26:45 AM EST
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So much for freedom of the press. Journalists have been forced to leave Guantanamo in the wake of the suicides.

In the aftermath of the three suicides at the notorious Guantanamo prison facility in Cuba last Saturday, reporters with the Los Angeles Times and the Miami Herald were ordered by the office of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to leave the island today.

A third reporter and a photographer with the Charlotte Observer were given the option of staying until Saturday but, E&P has learned, were told that their access to the prison camp was now denied.

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    Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo | 28 comments (28 topical)
    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#1)
    by TomStewart on Wed Jun 14, 2006 at 10:47:23 AM EST
    Well, reporting the suicides is probably what caused them. If you don't report them, they won't happen. It is this kind of logic that has made Bush thinking world famous.

    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Jun 14, 2006 at 10:47:51 AM EST
    Pathetic. I just hope the American public will extract their heads from their asses before it's too late and the concept of constitutional law is just a hazy memory from some old tv show. Or have we already passed that point?

    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#3)
    by Sailor on Wed Jun 14, 2006 at 11:15:14 AM EST
    If a detainee dies at gitmo and there's no press to witness it is he really dead?

    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#4)
    by Dadler on Wed Jun 14, 2006 at 12:01:54 PM EST
    What do Gitmo and Fox News now have in common? There's no real press at either of them. What do Gitmo and MSNBC have in common? Neither will be meaningfully affected by the ascension of Dan Abrams to GM. What do Gitmo and Ann Coulter have in common? They're both torturous to experience. What do Gitmo and Bush have in common? Everything...except the sandals.

    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Jun 14, 2006 at 12:06:27 PM EST
    They kicked out the attorneys for the detainees today, too. Second day in a row they've barred attorneys from seeing their clients. Attorneys were made to leave the side of the base where the detainees are held (and where the attorneys typically stay) and sleep on the other side of the base.... I think WaPo and NYT articles are in the works on this for tomorrow.

    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#6)
    by Al on Wed Jun 14, 2006 at 12:10:18 PM EST
    This is very disturbing. There is a real possibility that future suicides as well as prisoner abuse may go undetected. Is the International Red Cross still admitted to Guantanamo?

    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#7)
    by Dadler on Wed Jun 14, 2006 at 12:30:13 PM EST
    My previous (attempted) levity aside, I agree with the above two posters that this is indeed disturbing. This is the reaction one expects from a totalitarian regime, not a free country seeking to find truth and improve itself through serious self-criticism.

    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Jun 14, 2006 at 12:41:13 PM EST
    The state of NJ just barred all press from interviewing inmates. Looks like they have precedent. Dangerous...

    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#9)
    by scribe on Wed Jun 14, 2006 at 12:45:12 PM EST
    Since when was this admin ever interested in anything but the version of "truth" that served to line the pockets on their and their buddies' pants? Posing the hypothesis that the NYT and WaPo were actually going to write articles, it would be helpful if they actually went forward and did some actual naming of names and places and such. We never got the full story on the "secret" gulag in Europe - W personally intervened with the WaPo to keep that part of the story from breaking. We never got the full story on the NSA wiretaps - W personally intervened with the NYT on that, to keep it from coming out before the election. Rummy, if you don't want reportage on despairing captives in your gulag finding ways to kill themselves, close the f'g gulag. If you go back to the Amnesty International ads and post from the other day, part of the translated text for the ad campaign was:
    The constitution/basis of AI is, exactly, [while remaining] true to practicality and with respect for the victims, to accurately report, which decidedly also means naming names. It means to show what really happens. (my emphasis)
    I read that part of the quote as being a bit of a swipe at the ICRC - not because they're bad folks for dealing with governments on a confidential basis, but rather because sometimes naming names is the way to go. Without that, the perps of these abuses and atrocities go unknown, and thereby get away with it. Each approach has its merits, but the time has come (and passed) where polite discussion and some measure of deference are no longer appropriate. The prior administration never got so many breaks - the current one shouldn't either.

    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#10)
    by desertswine on Wed Jun 14, 2006 at 12:51:24 PM EST
    Journalists have been forced to leave Guantanamo in the wake of the suicides.
    Huh, and on Flag Day, no less.

    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#11)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Jun 14, 2006 at 02:00:44 PM EST
    Add this together with all the people certain that Fitzgerald was told to back off, and ice it with the impossibility of verifying the vote, and you get a cake I don't want to eat. If I stay here to take care of my old parents, is it going to be too late to leave the country by the time they die. It sure looks like it.

    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#12)
    by squeaky on Wed Jun 14, 2006 at 02:55:57 PM EST
    Michael Gordon of Aluminum tubes fame is at Gitmo. Maybe the last we hear from there. I now can understand why they want to kill the press: the comments from people running the concentration camp do not make america look too good. Perhaps the comments look good to wingnuts and jailers/torturers, but not to me and evidentially not to most of the civilized world. I can't wait for the war crimes tribunals to start so that America can start to clean the stain that these creeps have left on all of us. link Oh and the Aluminum tubes link has a Democracy Now! interview with Gordon. From the interview:
    JUAN GONZALEZ: There was, of course, the bombing of Iraqi television that occurred in the early days of the war. And you were actually on CNN where you were quoted as saying, "Personally, I think that the television, based on what I've seen of Iraqi television, with Saddam Hussein presenting propaganda, that I think it was an appropriate target."
    Gordon hedges and qualifies a bit but stands by his comment. It would be interesting to hear about whether or not he thinks the Gitmo suicides were either "Asymmetrical Warfare" or "PR". All in all he in wholly unapologetic about his part in bringing us to war. A good match for Judy.

    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#13)
    by jondee on Wed Jun 14, 2006 at 03:15:40 PM EST
    I wouldnt be suprised if they instated Michael Savage or Oxycotin Boy to broadcast live from Gitmo. Whats the status of The Red Cross? Anyone know?

    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#14)
    by squeaky on Wed Jun 14, 2006 at 03:20:55 PM EST
    From E & P,in an attempt to balance out my contempt for Michael Gordon.
    [Rick]Thames [his editor] ... in statement e-mailed to E&P today. "The Pentagon appears to have panicked when it discovered it couldn't manipulate a first-class reporter, so it shoved him and all other press out," the statement said. "Michael Gordon was invited by the commander to report on the base for six days, and he was doing that in a very professional manner. His stories helped the world understand the actual circumstances our soldiers faced in managing a very difficult situation. It's unfortunate that the military couldn't see the value of that."


    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#15)
    by Aaron on Wed Jun 14, 2006 at 04:43:28 PM EST
    Wake up people, It's called Empire Building 101 . To build a stable empire, you must have the ability to control public opinion. Therefore it is imperative that you control the media. If incidents occurs which hamper your efforts to consolidate public support, you must immediately quash any independent reporting of said incidents. If corporate control of the major news media providers is no longer sufficient to accomplish your propaganda goals, the government must interpose itself on these organizations The next step will be for George W. Bush to appoint a government official to oversee all journalistic entities. This media czar will have absolute authority to censor, newspaper, broadcast and Internet news providers. He will have the ultimate authority to hire and fire top-level administrators and editors at the major networks and newspapers. What we see happening here is freedom of the press in America being relegated to the history books under the jackboot of the treasonous Bush administration. SIC SEMPER TYRANNUS

    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#16)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Jun 14, 2006 at 06:53:28 PM EST
    You missed the real reason, at the end of the piece:
    "We told [the journalists] on Monday that we are in a difficult position," said Gordon, the Pentagon press officer. "We are trying to be impartial and fair." He added that pressure from other media outlets to be given similar access also forced the complete press ban. "We are between a rock and a hard place," he said. He told E&P that Williams and Rosenberg were originally part of a 10-person media group invited to arrive Saturday to cover a military tribunal set for this week. But on Saturday, the tribunal, also known in the military as a commission, had been postponed following last week's suicides of three detainees. Press Officer Gordon said the Pentagon informed all 10 journalists on Saturday that they were not allowed to visit. All 10, including reporters from Associated Press and The Wall Street Journal, had planned to arrive via military aircraft. But he said that Williams and Rosenberg arrived on their own, via a commercial aircraft, and were allowed to be on. Michael Gordon, who had also arrived Saturday, was allowed to remain for his story. "We didn't like it, we didn't think it was appropriate," the press officer said of their arrivals. "But it was plausible." By Sunday, however, J.D. Gordon said he began getting complaints from other news outlets, such as Fox News, AP, CNN, and Reuters, claiming that their reporters should be allowed on the island if the three other journalists were there. "The other media started to have a mini-phone riot," he told E&P. "'Hey, why are they there?' We had a major issue on our hands for other media to 'either get them in there or we have to see you in court.'"

    So they arrived outside the allowed pool, and then other media organizations screamed about equal access. Nice cherry picking on your part though.

    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#17)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jun 14, 2006 at 06:56:13 PM EST
    TomStewart writes:
    Well, reporting the suicides is probably what caused them.
    (.....to be kicked off.) Actually it is probably a false story, such as the Guardian story that claimed that Utabyi was going to be released, when the DOD says that actually,
    Utaybi had been recommended for transfer to another country for continued detention in that country.
    DOD link. When the Left makes such mistakes with access, I guess DOD figures that can't do much worse with none. But you know, it is things such as this that just destroys all the claims of the Left.

    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#18)
    by squeaky on Wed Jun 14, 2006 at 07:17:52 PM EST
    JR- I think that you missed the intention of my quote above from E&P. The article was very favorable to Michael Gordon and offers a different point of view than mine about the guy. I did in fact 'cherry pick' the quote for just for that reason. Just in case you also did not get what I think about Gordon, I think he is a creep and a partisan hack colluding as a WHIG member in war crimes. His editor was right that Rumsfield was stupid to send him away. He serves their interest, not mine, or yours.

    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#19)
    by squeaky on Wed Jun 14, 2006 at 07:43:50 PM EST
    Oh and if you think I believe for a second that the reason Rummy pulled the plug was because the logistics were getting too difficult to handle because "other media organizations screamed about equal access.", you are wrong. It is part of Roves new master plan for winning the November elections. First step is to control the press because reality has a liberal bias. Next viciously smear the democrats as being weak on terror and therefore poor war time leaders. He appeals to bedwetters brigades across the country with the slogan: 'If the dems gain control of Congress al Qaida is certain to take over all of America.' He sure knows where to aim unlike Cheney.

    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#20)
    by Aaron on Wed Jun 14, 2006 at 07:50:46 PM EST
    James Robertson Your so-called "real reason" is specious, at best. Why shouldn't the major media providers have access to Guantánamo. That's where the story is right now, and that's precisely why journalists are being denied access. The government wants to control the information coming from this detention facility. A few weeks ago, hardly anyone wanted to go to Guantánamo, because little of public interest was happening there, it's a pretty boring place most of the time. That was before detainees started dying If the US, land of liberty wants to conduct its business in the sunshine, for all its citizens to see, then there should be a parade of journalists flying in and out of Guantánamo whenever they please. They don't have to be granted access to the detainees or be able to converse with them, but journalists have a right to report the news, and go where that news is. This is US territory on the island of Cuba, so why wouldn't US journalists be allowed to show up there when something tragic happen? It's part of the war and most Americans are interest in the war. It's not even a war zone, it's not like the Cubans are going to attack. But more and more in this little war, journalists are either restricted from areas or are being dissuaded through the use of tactics like not providing US soldiers for security, as in Iraq. Often journalists there must hire private security forces to ferry them around the country, while 15 to 20,000 US Marine and Army units lie quartered on bases doing nothing but waiting for some emergency. I guess part of the problem is that oftentimes when US journalists go out with the US troops, they wind up becoming more of a target. So to some degree I guess it could be argued that you're safer without US military soldiers providing security. That's a pretty sad state of affairs for us as occupiers to be in. Now when the president goes and visits, of course they call out all those reserve Marines and Army forces to secure the Green zone so George W. Bush can have a safe visit, but the Free Press is left to fend for themselves in most of the country. So as a consequence journalists are concentrated into extremely small areas while much of the country remains in media darkness. And perhaps that's exactly what the Bush administration wants. Instead of kicking the Free Press of Guantánamo, the US government should be inviting them in, and letting them see and speak with detainees. But of course that will never happen because it could compromise national security. How convenient.

    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#21)
    by Al on Wed Jun 14, 2006 at 10:12:06 PM EST
    PPJ, it is not surprising that the military state that the three were hardened terrorists. But since they weren't actually charged with anything, the military press releases are irrelevant. And whatever DOD now says about their intentions regarding Mr. Utaybi is of course completely unverifiable, and therefore, again, irrelevant. You want people to believe you? Charge the prisoners in Guantanamo, and try them in a court of law. Anything less is propaganda, and therefore, you guessed it, irrelevant.

    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#22)
    by jimakaPPJ on Thu Jun 15, 2006 at 06:51:49 AM EST
    Al - As you know, the issue I write of isn't the specific charges, but the disparity between what the press is reporting, and what the DOD is saying. The Guardian story's headline:
    Guantánamo suicide prisoner 'not told release was due'
    As you read into the story the clear message is that:
    Mr Utaybi, a Saudi national, had not been informed of being declared "safe person, free to be released" because US officials had not yet decided which country he would be sent to, Mr Denbeaux said.
    the failure to do so drove him to kill himself. The problem is this. First, Mr. Denbeaux has later said that Mr. Utyabi was not his client, although he did not refute the claim that he was being released. Secondly, the DOD has said:
    Utaybi had been recommended for transfer to another country for continued detention in that country
    Links to both articles are in my original comments. Now. Clearly there is a difference here that should be looked at. Is the Guardian correct? Is the DOD correct? Absent any indication by the Left, or for that matter, any indication by anyone here, that they are concerned, then I have to think that the Left is not interested in "truth," but in charges. And if the charges are not true, then no one cares as long as they make the DOD look bad and provide bad PR for Gitmo and the US.

    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#23)
    by soccerdad on Thu Jun 15, 2006 at 06:59:57 AM EST
    and PPJ is only interested in pushing the state's story regardless of the truth. PPJ's continued pejorative use of "left" clearly defines his agenda.

    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#24)
    by jimakaPPJ on Thu Jun 15, 2006 at 08:19:18 PM EST
    SD - Well, it is an excellent chance for the Left to prove their point. If they can... That you are the only responder speaks loudly. And even you don't defend the Left's actions.

    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#26)
    by jondee on Thu Jun 15, 2006 at 10:24:18 PM EST
    He's required to mention "the Left" at least a couple of times in every post obviously. Or maybe the Left would just like us to believe that. That the Left does says alot about the Left.

    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#27)
    by jimakaPPJ on Fri Jun 16, 2006 at 06:20:15 AM EST
    et al - To know them is to love them.

    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#29)
    by Aaron on Fri Jun 16, 2006 at 09:39:27 AM EST
    JimakaPPJ doesn't remember the 60s, he had two 50s and went right on into the 70s.

    Re: Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo (none / 0) (#30)
    by squeaky on Fri Jun 23, 2006 at 09:20:38 PM EST
    Rove has a plan to simplify news reporting. It makes things much less confusing for America:
    Last week, the Pentagon "shut down access entirely" to the Guantanamo Bay prison after the suicide deaths of three detainees. Journalists covering the suicides had their clearances revoked and were immediately flown back to the United States, and regular visits between detainees and their lawyers were cancelled. Afraid of American journalists, that is, as long as they're not from Fox. This morning, Fox News analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano described how the Defense Department had personally invited him on a trip to Guantanamo on Wednesday
    think progress

    Pentagon Kicks Press Out of Guantanamo | 28 comments (28 topical)