"Secret's Act" Hearing Cancelled

The Sept. 5 hearing was cancelled at the last minute when the Bush Administration said it could not support the legislation in its current form.

The measure had come under strong opposition from newspaper groups including the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE) and The Newspaper Association of America (NAA).

Plans are for a dialogue to take place this fall about the scope of the legislation, said Kevin Wilcox, communications director for ASNE.

The measure, a proposed amendment by Shelby to the Intelligence Authorization Act, would greatly broaden who could be prosecuted for leaking information.

It would make it a felony for an active or retired government employee to willfully disclose classified information to someone not authorized to have that information.

ASNE called the proposed legislation unnecessary and a danger to First Amendment freedoms. Wilcox said ASNE wants to be included in discussions of the amendment.

NAA also opposed the amendment, saying it would severely undermine the public’s right to know what its government is doing and it would discourage legitimate whistleblowers.

A bill with similar provisions passed last year, but was vetoed by President Clinton.