December 14, 2016


News and Views


I AM RELIEVED TO SEE THAT THE ENERGY DEPARTMENT IS NOT GOING TO ROLL OVER AND BARE ITS’ THROAT HERE. I WILL BE INTERESTED TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/energy-dept-rejects-trump-transition-request-for-climate-staff-names/

Energy Dept rejects Trump transition request for climate staff names
By REENA FLORES CBS NEWS
December 14, 2016, 11:02 AM

Photograph -- US Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz listens during a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Environment and the Economy Subcommittee on Capitol Hill July 31, 2013 in Washington, DC. BRENDAN
Play VIDEO -- Trump team wants names of Energy Dept. staff who worked on climate change


The Energy Department will not release the names of employees that have worked on climate change policy, an agency spokesperson said Tuesday, pushing back on requests from President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team.

“We will be forthcoming with all publicly-available information with the transition team,” spokesperson Eben Burnham-Snyder said in a statement. But, “[w]e will not be providing any individual names to the transition team.”

The agency said it “received significant feedback” from its employees, after the Trump transition team released a 74-question survey asking officials to identify those who were involved in international climate talks and who worked to advance the current administration’s climate policies.

The questionnaire, obtained by CBS News on Friday, asked questions including, “Which programs within [the Department of Energy] are essential to meeting the goals of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan?” Here’s another one: “Can you provide a list of all Department of Energy employees or contractors who have attended any Interagency Working Group on the Social cost of Carbon meetings?”

Such questions, the department said, “left many in our workforce unsettled.”

“Our career workforce, including our contractors and employees at our labs, comprise the backbone of DOE and the important work our department does to benefit the American people,” Burnham-Snyder said. “We are going to respect the professional and scientific integrity and independence of our employees at our labs and across our department.”

The pushback from the department comes just as the Trump transition team has announced the president-elect’s pick for energy secretary, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

The former Texas governor has made statements contrary to the scientific consensus on climate change that it is a human-made phenomenon.

“We should be skeptics about those who say there is incontrovertible evidence that global man-made warming is happening and it is man’s fault,” Perry once said at a New Hampshire town hall in 2011.

If confirmed by the Senate, Perry, a former Republican presidential candidate, would be charged with leading a department he once proposed shutting down completely. During one 2012 GOP primary debate, Perry once infamously forgot the name of the agency, stumbling over an answer ticking off departments that he would scrap from his Cabinet.

“The third agency of government I would -- I would do away with Education, the --Commerce...Commerce and, let’s see. I can’t. The third one, I can’t,” Perry said. “Sorry -- oops.”

The president-elect, for his part, promised during the presidential campaign to dismantle America’s involvement in the Paris climate accord, and he has vowed a renewed investment in coal and fossil fuel industries.




http://www.cbsnews.com/news/president-obama-russia-cia-election-hacking-probe-daily-show-with-trevor-noah-donald-trump/

Obama defends decision to order probe of alleged Russia hacking
CBS NEWS
December 13, 2016, 7:04 AM

Play VIDEO -- Sen. Mitch McConnell says hacking concerns "cannot be a partisan issue"
Play VIDEO -- Trump dismisses claim of Russian hacking as "conspiracy theory"


CBS News has learned the U.S. is likely to impose sanctions on the leaders of Russia’s largest intelligence agency.

A senior administration official said the U.S. has “high confidence” that Russia’s main intelligence directorate conducted cyberattacks to try and help elect Donald Trump. Congressional leaders from both parties support an investigation of the hacking. Both Republicans and Democrats are also defending the CIA from public attacks by the president-elect.

Mr. Trump has so far denied any Russian involvement in the campaign hacking. But President Obama appeared on late night television Monday night, defending his decision to launch an investigation before the end of the term, reports CBS News correspondent Jeff Pegues.

President Obama explained on “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” why he asked for a review before leaving office.

“The reason that I called for a review is really to just gather all the threads of the investigations the intelligence work that has been done...” the president said.

The U.S. is confident that the cyberattacks were conducted by Russia’s GRU military intelligence arm and stole private emails, opposition research and campaign information from the Republican National Committee, the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Damaging information on the Democrats was then leaked to WikiLeaks and other sites.

Even after being exposed, the hackers didn’t stop.

“This is pretty bold; this is pretty brazen in a lot of ways,” Pegues said.

“It’s very Russian,” said Adam Meyers, who works for CrowdStrike – the cybersecurity firm that investigated the hack and works closely with U.S. intelligence.

“The actions definitely were more detrimental to one candidate than the other,” Meyers said.

“More detrimental to Hillary Clinton?” Pegues asked.

“Yeah,” Meyers said.

Meyers said the Russians have used information warfare to influence elections before by leaking embarrassing or sensitive documents -- most notably during the 2014 elections in Ukraine. The strategy is part of what some believe is a Russian playbook to sow confusion and uncertainty.

On Capitol Hill, there is a groundswell of bipartisan support for a probe into the report.

The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff, is calling for sanctions.

“We ought to have a joint investigation, House and Senate Intelligence Committees, to look into this,” Schiff told MSNBC.

And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell cast Russia as a foe.

“The Russians are not our friends,” McConnell said. “I think we ought to approach all of these issues on the assumption that the Russians do not wish us well.”


If this probe doesn’t explore any possible direct connections with the Trump camp I will be unhappy. He has acted so strangely about it, denying repeatedly and strongly that Russia was “trying to help him” get the Presidency, and calling it “ridiculous.” I’ll admit it may not be true, but it isn’t beyond belief by any means, and all that emotional denial makes me more suspicious, not less.



http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/community/beaufort-news/bg-military/article120916443.html

Parris Island Marine could face highest-level court-martial in hazing, abuse case
LOCAL MILITARY NEWS
BY WADE LIVINGSTON
wlivingston@islandpacket.com
DECEMBER 14, 2016 4:54 PM

Photograph -- A drill instructor with Recruit Processing Company, Support Battalion, shouts commands to new recruits on Dec. 7, 2015, on Parris Island, S.C. Recruits learn from the moment they step on the yellow footprints they are expected to move with speed and intensity and to respond to all commands loudly and confidently. Lance Cpl. Aaron Bolser Department of Defense


An unnamed staff sergeant at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island charged with “cruelty and maltreatment” and making false statements could be tried in the highest military court.

That person, whose name the Corps is withholding because of “legal requirements,” currently faces an Article 32 hearing stemming from multiple investigations that uncovered hazing and recruit abuse within the depot’s 3rd Recruit Training Battalion.

The Article 32 hearing is required before a case can proceed to a general court-martial, according to Corps spokesperson Capt. Joshua Pena — and that type of court-martial is “the most serious level of military courts,” according the Corps.

For now, Maj. Gen. James W. Lukeman, commander of Training and Education Command, awaits the recommendations of that hearing before deciding how to proceed.

In addition to the unnamed staff sergeant, the Corps released Tuesday the names of three individuals who will face special courts-martial, an “intermediate court level,” according to the Corps. Staff Sgt. Matthew T. Bacchus, Sgt. Riley R. Gress and Staff Sgt. Jose Lucena-Martinez have been charged with violating several articles of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Those Marines have served as drill instructors in the past and currently work on Parris Island, Pena said, but they are not currently supervising recruits.

None of the allegations are linked to the specific investigation of former recruit Raheel Siddiqui’s death, according to the Corps.

Siddiqui, a 20-year-old Muslim American of Pakistani descent from Taylor, Mich. assigned to 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, died March 18 after falling nearly 40 feet from the third deck of his barracks. He was reportedly called a “terrorist” during his 11-day stint on Parris Island, and was allegedly slapped in the face moments before his death. The Corps deemed his death was a suicide, but his family disputes that. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service continues to look into the matter.

In the wake of his death, three Corps investigations — one into his death, a “red dot” inquiry prompted by the White House and an older investigation that began in 2015 — were linked and uncovered widespread recruit abuse, hazing and leadership failings.

In September, the Corps announced that up to 20 drill instructors and leadership personnel could face charges. The first of those charges were detailed in Tuesday’s announcement.

Bacchus and Gress have both deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, according to the Corps. They served as drill instructors in 3rd Battalion, Company K, Platoon 3009 in January, according to a Parris Island graduation announcement. Bacchus also served as a drill instructor in 3rd Battalion platoons in 2014 and 2015.

Lucena-Martinez was the drill instructor for Company K, Platoon 3012 in January. In 2010 he deployed to Haiti as part of Operation Unified Response after an earthquake rocked that country.

The unnamed staff sergeant’s current billet and past service history are not being released at this time, according to Pena.

The Article 32 hearing will provide Lukeman with recommendations on how to proceed with that individual’s case. Recommendations could include:

▪ dismissal, alteration or addition of charges

▪ handling the case with a lower-level administrative action

▪ referring the case to a lower-level court-martial

▪ sending the case to a general court-martial — the highest-level court

Still, Lukeman has the final say on whether the case goes before a general court-martial.

“The convening authority (Lukeman) has the final decision,” Pena said. “He can choose to accept or reject the recommendations.”

The “legal process is working well,” Pena said, adding that the Corps is “following the guidelines closely.”

Wade Livingston: 843-706-8153, @WadeGLivingston


MARINES CHARGED IN HAZING AND ABUSE SCANDAL
Staff Sgt. Matthew T. Bacchus, Sgt. Riley R. Gress and Staff Sgt. Jose Lucena-Martinez have been charged with violating several articles of the Uniform Code of Military Justice:

Bacchus: Violation of a lawful general order; maltreatment; false official statement

Gress: Failure to obey a lawful general order; cruelty and maltreatment; false official statement

Lucena-Martinez: Failure to obey a lawful general order; false official statement



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/four-marines-charged-in-boot-camp-abuse-scandal-more-expected/

Four Marines charged in boot camp abuse scandal; more cases expected
By DAVID MARTIN CBS NEWS
December 13, 2016, 7:24 PM

Photograph -- Commanding Gen. Austin Renforth CBS NEWS, martin-parris-island-nfa-copy.jpg
Photograph -- Marine recruits on Parris Island CBS NEWS, martin-parris-island-nfa2.jpg
Photograph -- Raheel Siddiqui, martin-parris-island-nfa3.jpg


PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. -- The training of Marine recruits at Parris Island is supposed to be tough. But investigations have found it to be downright cruel. Drill instructors abusing, humiliating and hazing recruits -- none of it permitted, according to Commanding Gen. Austin Renforth.

“You put your hands on a young man or woman you have crossed the line and we are not going to tolerate it,” Renforth said.

But investigations show that behavior was tolerated until last spring, when the abuses came to light.

An e-mail sent to the White House titled “Concerned Loved Ones of Innocent Recruits” described incidents of drill instructors withholding food, drinking on the job, calling recruits “terrorists” and “faggots,” and warning them that “snitches get stitches.”

The most notorious case, involving a Muslim recruit named Raheel Siddiqui who allegedly jumped to his death after being slapped and choked by a drill instructor, is still under investigation.

In an earlier incident that same drill instructor allegedly ordered another Muslim recruit into a clothes dryer.

Renforth was supposed to fix all that when he assumed command last June. He said that choking, slapping and name-calling are not acceptable.

“Any allegation of recruit abuses comes directly to me. That is something I implemented when I took over,” he said.

But since then, one recruit has been found dead in his bunk, the cause still unknown.

Another is in critical condition after jumping from a second floor landing.

Both cases are still under investigation.

The Marines have brought charges ranging from lying to cruelty and maltreatment against four Marine sergeants involved in the abuse scandal; All four are slated for courts martial. None of those charges involve Siddiqui’s death.

More charges ranging from assault to dereliction of duty are expected to be filed against both officers and drill instructors.

But Renforth says the training at Parris Island will remain as tough, though not as cruel, as ever.


It isn’t made clear in either article above whether these three Marines mentioned are accused in the story above, or in yet another situation. I do hope that isn’t the case. This story was originally published in September, so the exact reason for it to emerge again now isn’t clear, unless the White House email is a new development.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/massive-wave-atlantic-ocean-smashes-records-buoy/

Massive wave in Atlantic Ocean smashes previous record
By SHANIKA GUNARATNA CBS NEWS
December 14, 2016, 1:34 PM


A wave measuring at over 62 feet high in the North Atlantic has broken the record for the tallest wave ever measured by a buoy, the World Meteorological Organization said Tuesday.

The 62.3-foot wave was recorded by a buoy back on Feb. 4, 2013, but has just been publicly reported for the first time. It occurred in the North Atlantic Ocean between Iceland and the United Kingdom after a particularly strong cold front brought intense 50-mph winds into the area.

“It is a remarkable record,” WMO Assistant Secretary-General Wenjian Zhang said in a statement. “It highlights the importance of meteorological and ocean observations and forecasts to ensure the safety of the global maritime industry and to protect the lives of crew and passengers on busy shipping lanes.”

Previously, the record was held by wave measuring 59.96 feet tall, which was detected on Dec. 8, 2007, also in the North Atlantic. The highest waves typically happen in those waters, where wind movement and atmospheric pressure tend to create intense storms.

Titans of Mavericks surfing competition

Low-tech buoys are still used to monitor the oceans in addition to ship-based measurements and satellite observations that point to potential hazards on the high seas.

“Oceans cover some 70 percent of the world’s surface. Ocean observations are therefore critical to understanding and forecasting our weather and climate,” Randall Cerveny, who works on the WMO’s team measuring climate and weather records, said in a statement.

The WMO, a collaboration between scientists from the U.S., U.K., Canada and Spain, measures climate extremes such as high and low temperatures, rainfall, heaviest hailstone, longest dry periods, and more.


This 62 foot wave was higher than the 5 story daily tide at the Bay of Fundy. See the Youtube videos below of spectacular tides in the North Atlantic.


http://bayoffundytourism.com/

World’s Highest Tides
The Bay of Fundy’s unique shape amplifies the tides to as much as 16 m (56 feet), the height of a 5-storey building. Fundy has the highest tides on earth.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWumonz87rA -- Tidal Bore, Nova Scotia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OObk9ZPcGfo – Bay of Fundy




http://www.cbsnews.com/news/jonbenet-ramsey-case-new-dna-testing-planned/

JonBenet Ramsey case: New DNA testing planned
By CRIMESIDER STAFF AP
December 14, 2016, 2:45 PM

18 photos -- JonBenet Ramsey AP PHOTO, FILE


BOULDER, Colo. — Boulder police and prosecutors are looking at new DNA testing technology that they hope will further the investigation of the unsolved 1996 murder of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey.

The move comes after an investigation by the Boulder Daily Camera and KUSA-TV in Denver that the news organizations say uncovered flaws in the interpretation of previous DNA testing.

Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett and Boulder police Chief Greg Testa confirmed Tuesday that they have discussed the issue with Colorado Bureau of Investigation administrators, who are about to unveil more sophisticated DNA tests.

The tests also would tap into an FBI database that includes genetic profiles from more than 15.1 million known offenders and arrestees.

JonBenet was found dead in the basement of the Ramsey home the day after Christmas in 1996.


I hope this new DNA technology does do some good in the matter, because the Ramsay stories have been thin, unconvincing to me, and highly uninformative. It reminds me of the “blue wall of silence,” when officers are accused without a video or some other incontrovertible proof of guilt.




OUR TRUTH OR THEIR TRUTH AT VOA?

I do fear structural changes, especially when combined with the philosophical. Of course, our political figures have been presenting completed AND IDEALIZED videos of a “news report and interview” to broadcasters for several years, which were meant to be used UNEDITED. Bush was president the first time I remember hearing of that. Members of the press did push back against it then, resulting in the story in the first place. Cynical as I am, I am certain that in one sneaky way or another that has been done since there were printing presses and professional news reporting. Still, I don’t like the sound of this story, especially since Public Broadcasting has been one of our most trusted news sources until now, and they are linked below with VOA. Both, of course, are funded by the legislature, and so may at any time become corrupted before the mainstream media even get wind of it. Also, “conservative” legislators have numerous times in the last 20 years or so threatened to cut the funds to PBS because of things like the story about an “art” exhibit that even I, a free thinker, thought was over the line of decency and “good taste.” When is ART not art? When too many people in a society say it isn’t, of course. If government control has gone on for years, how could this be so much worse? Because the “firewall” does give some protection of reporters and guarantee that we are not total thralls. I am unhappy that Obama is in agreement with this. Democrats just “ain’t what they used to be.”



http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/12/14/505482691/an-obama-backed-change-at-voice-of-america-has-trump-critics-worried

An Obama-Backed Change At Voice Of America Has Trump Critics Worried
DAVID FOLKENFLIK
December 14, 20166:00 AM ET

Photograph -- Voice Of America Afghan Service broadcaster Daoud Sediqi listens to a caller in 2009 in a studio in Washington. The federally funded outlet and its affiliates broadcast news around the world in multiple languages.
Listen· 4:43 -- Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images, Voice Of America's Role In Internet Age
From The Archives: Voice of America Prompt Accusations Of Political Interference June 17, 2005


A new law is raising concern that the journalistic independence of Voice of America and other federal broadcasters could be compromised by a future White House eager to market itself abroad.

The federally funded Voice of America — and its affiliated broadcasters such as Radio Martí, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia — is intended to provide reliable news reports in multiple languages to countries that lack a viable independent media and to promote democratic values abroad.

The new law strips away the presidentially appointed bipartisan Broadcasting Board of Governors. The broadcasters instead would answer to a chief executive nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

The Obama administration embraced the change, promoted by congressional Republicans before the November elections. It was passed earlier this month by the Republican-controlled House and Senate as part of a much larger and essentially unrelated bill, which awaits Obama's signature or veto.

The board was intended to insulate the broadcasters' journalists from political interference, but management by part-time, nonresident board members proved unwieldy; last year the board appointed a former Scripps executive, John Lansing, as CEO with day-to-day responsibilities.

The new law's formalization of the structural shift, to an advisory board with a CEO directly appointed by the president, was seen as a way to ensure the broadcasters could function more smoothly.

But the election of Donald Trump, whose attitude toward the press veers wildly depending on the favorability of the treatment he receives, has left some supporters of the venerable broadcaster worried. Critics, such as Democratic board member Michael Kempner, charge that the Obama administration and Congress are handing Trump new propaganda tools with a vast international reach.

For decades, the international U.S. broadcasters were not allowed to present their programs to the United States, but that ban was lifted in 2013, accentuating the concerns of what a Trump administration might bring.

"Congress unwittingly just gave President-elect Trump unchecked control of all U.S. media outlets," Kempner told Politico. "No president, either Democrat or Republican, should have that kind of control. It's a public jewel. Its independence is what makes it so credible."

The Washington Post's editorial board, suggesting Trump could appoint the head of Breitbart News as the broadcasting CEO, wrote, "If Congress's intention was for U.S. broadcasting to rival the Kremlin's, it may well get its wish."

In the past, the promise of journalistic independence could be found in a firewall preventing meddling by political figures. The U.S. secretary of state sits on the nine-member Broadcasting Board of Governors or assigns someone to do so by dint of his or her position.

A spokeswoman for the board said in a statement to NPR that the legislation makes no change to the statutory protections afforded the federal broadcasters.

"The CEO now is legally required to abide by and oversee the firewall," the spokeswoman said. "It is the job of the news directors, editors and broadcasters, under the strict journalistic standards spelled out in the U.S. International Broadcasting Act of 1994, to determine the stories that get covered."

Amanda Bennett, director of the nearly 75-year-old Voice of America, says journalists in her newsroom take great pride in that promise.

"I really value this as a neutral, credible, objective, nonpolitical news organization, and I want to make sure we do everything possible to keep it that way," Bennett tells NPR. "I also presume that everybody else does, too. I am comfortable that this country values what we do."



http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4707444

Changes at Voice of America
DAVID FOLKENFLIK
June 17, 2005 12:00 AM ET


Kenneth Tomlinson, Board Chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, is being accused of politicizing Voice of America and other federal-funded broadcast entities. Some VOA staff charge that Tomlinson is attempting to influence news coverage there.

RENEE MONTAGNE, host:

CPB Chair Kenneth Tomlinson is much in the news lately, mostly to do with his monitoring of PBS and NPR News programs and his outspoken opinion that the programs lack balance. Tomlinson's critics charge that his actions constitute political interference with independent journalism. He rejects that claim. Now similar charges have surfaced in another context. Kenneth Tomlinson also serves as the chairman of the Broadcast Board of Governors, another presidentially appointed board that oversees the Voice of America. Some current and former VOA staffers say that political pressure has surfaced there as well. NPR's David Folkenflik has the story.

(Soundbite of radio broadcast)

Unidentified Man: This is a voice speaking from America.

DAVID FOLKENFLIK reporting:

These were the first words transmitted by the Voice of America to Nazi-occupied Europe. They were broadcast in 1942 at the outset of America's involvement in the Second World War.

(Soundbite of radio broadcast)

Unidentified Man: Daily at this time we shall speak to you about America and the war. The news may be good or bad. We shall tell you the truth.

FOLKENFLIK: Funded by the US government, VOA broadcasts news and cultural programming to more than 100 million people worldwide, though never within the US. Its mission is to provide accurate information as well as the example of how a free press can work in a democracy. But some journalists with links to VOA say its independence has been compromised and there's a push to make coverage more favorable to the Bush administration.

Since 2002, Ken Tomlinson has overseen the VOA as the chairman of the Broadcast Board of Governors. Tomlinson says to some extent, pressures have emerged under both Democratic and Republican administrations.

Mr. KENNETH TOMLINSON (Chairman, Broadcast Board of Governors): It's just a natural tension between policy-makers and journalists.

FOLKENFLIK: But Tomlinson says he and the rest of the Broadcast Board have fought to make sure the VOA does remain independent. And he says the Bush administration has remained hands-off.

Mr. TOMLINSON: It's our job simply to make sure the influence is not undue.

FOLKENFLIK: Nonetheless, NPR has interviewed some current and former journalists at VOA who say its news coverage has come under pressures from Tomlinson and the executives who report to him.

Ms. MYRNA WHITWORTH: Ken Tomlinson's mark is very much on what is now going on at the Voice of America.

FOLKENFLIK: That's Myrna Whitworth. She was a longtime VOA program director who served as acting VOA director three different times.

Ms. WHITWORTH: The board is really directing how the Voice of America is run today.

FOLKENFLIK: The current VOA employees interviewed for this story would not be quoted on the record. They said they feared job retaliation. But Tim Shamble says morale is low among many journalists at VOA. He's head of the local chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees that represents hundreds of VOA staffers. And he says this is what he's been told by some journalists there.

Mr. TIM SHAMBLE (American Federation of Government Employees): The news would be focused on good news coming out of Iraq. The would not deal with, you know, any bad news about the war. They felt pressured to produce news that was positive.

FOLKENFLIK: Much of the pressure, according to staffers interviewed for this story, comes from the VOA's director, David Jackson. Jackson worked for Time magazine as a correspondent for more than 20 years before retiring in early 2001. He then worked on a Pentagon Web site after the 9/11 attacks. Jackson was appointed by Tomlinson and the board to lead VOA in 2003. Jackson says his role at the Defense Department allowed him to serve his country. Jackson says he's returned to his journalistic roots at VOA, functioning as an editor, not a bureaucrat.

NPR obtained e-mail sent by Jackson to journalists in early 2004. In at least three separate cases, the VOA director urged coverage of stories, positive news stories about Iraq. On January 12th, Jackson wrote, quote, "Postal Service back on its feet and a new stamp without SH"--meaning Saddam Hussein. "Sounds like good radio and good TV pieces for us." Jackson added, "Please send me copies of the stories when done." The VOA director attached his message to an e-mailed news release from the Office of Global Communications at the White House. Here's how the story sounded a few days later.

Unidentified Woman: There has been some rare upbeat news over the past week. New currency notes are now in full circulation in hopes of building confidence in the economy. And Iraq's postal system is slowly getting back up and running.

FOLKENFLIK: On January 15th, the introduction of cell phone service in Iraq caught Jackson's eye. In February 2004, it was the graduation of 11,000 Iraqi secondary school teachers. And, as the e-mails show, both were inspired by press releases put out by the Coalition Provisional Authority, the US military-led group running Iraq at the time. Asked about the e-mail directives, here's what Jackson says.

Mr. DAVID JACKSON (Director, Voice of America): Many other journalists use those story ideas, too. You know, a good journalist is going to take story ideas from wherever they come from.

FOLKENFLIK: The Associated Press did write an article about the return of mail service in Iraq. A database search found no such coverage in The New York Times or The Washington Post. Some current and former VOA staffers say Jackson has told journalists to soft-pedal news of car bombings in Iraq. Jackson says car bombings there have become routine and that the VOA can pick up those stories from the wire services.

But some directives applied to stories far from Iraq, like the tsunami relief efforts of other countries. Ted Iliff is the VOA's director of central news under Jackson. He sent an e-mail to news correspondents chiding them for stories that, as he put it, `failed to report the US position.' Iliff continued, `Whatever the case, be sure that for any story you produce, it includes a reference to US policy or reaction as necessary for the story.'

Sanford Ungar says that approach gives a heavy-handed prominence to official policy.

Mr. SANFORD UNGAR (President, Goucher College): That's not journalism. That's not the way it's done. And however innocuous you try to make it sound, it comes across as propaganda.

FOLKENFLIK: Ungar's currently president of Goucher College in Baltimore, but he was director of the Voice of America for more than two years starting in 1999. And he says the directives from Jackson and Iliff violate the spirit of the VOA's charter.

Mr. UNGAR: They are asking the journalists at the Voice of America to act like press agents of the administration. And that's not the purpose of the Voice of America.

FOLKENFLIK: Ungar made similar criticisms this summer in Foreign Affairs magazine. He drew a sharp response from Jackson and Tomlinson. Jackson says not every single story needs to refer to US policy, but Jackson says he's been trying to overcome a hostility among some VOA journalists to presenting the American side of the news.

Mr. JACKSON: Some of the managers in the newsroom had an attitude that, by presenting US policy, they were somehow compromising their independence.

FOLKENFLIK: Jackson says he's just following the same kind of journalistic principles that served him well at Time magazine.

Mr. JACKSON: Our mission has always been to be a reliable, objective, comprehensive source of news and information. We are independent journalists here, even though the employees here are government employees.

FOLKENFLIK: Ken Tomlinson as well defends the journalistic integrity of the agency he oversees.

Mr. TOMLINSON: Newton Minow, great Kennedy administration head of SEC, said something I have on my wall over there. `There's no inconsistency in reporting the news accurately while also advocating America's values.'

FOLKENFLIK: His critics, however, claim Tomlinson and his pick as VOA's director, David Jackson, have failed to strike that balance appropriately.

David Folkenflik, NPR News, Washington.

MONTAGNE: This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News.