By indirectly asking the American media not to publish Osama Bin Laden s televised statements, the administration is intervening in the running of news. This is against the words and the spirit of the first amendment. If these statements include coded messages to Bin Laden s terrorists around the world, then it is up to the CIA and FBI to read them and take the right measures accordingly. Bin Laden can move his messages across the world via the Internet and radio waves. In the age of fast communication, television stations are fighting for news.
Competition is measured in seconds and the battle is won by the station that presents news first.
If the media in the States is restricted, then Washington would not look much better than Kabul, where foreign journalists were expelled, and access to information was denied. People have the right to know, and should have all sources available to them. Restricting that right by any government would result in distorting views about the war. There is a real fear the state of war may force emergency legislations through. In countries like Pakistan, Indonesia, and Nigeria, many people have been killed in demonstrations against the war.