Saturday, September 11, 2010

Pentagon eases rules for reporters covering Guantanamo trial

McClatchy
September 10, 2010

The Pentagon has revised its ground rules for reporters and photographers covering military trials at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, earning praise from news organizations that had protested the policies as unduly restrictive.

The Defense Department issued new guidelines Friday, including not barring reporters who print information they've gathered independently of the detention camp, even if officials have deemed the information "protected."

News organizations in May had protested the Pentagon's decision to bar four reporters from Guantanamo for identifying an interrogator by name in stories written from Guantanamo. Though he was described in court only as "Interrogator No. 1," the interrogator's name had been known for years after he gave newspaper interviews.

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