Articles by Greg Guma

In June, a blue-ribbon US congressional commission on terrorism released some recommendations that made civil libertarians cringe. To prevent possible terrorist attacks, the panel, including a former CIA director and the Army general who investigated a 1996 attack on US troops in Saudi Arabia, suggested the loosening of restrictions on FBI wiretapping and increased surveillance of foreign students. Even the conservative Lincoln Legal Foundation feels that this cure "is worse than the disease," arguing that the current threat doesn’t warrant the suspension of constitutional rights. read more

Introduction:  Watchdogs and Lapdogs

In the late 1960s, shortly after I started work as a reporter for a Vermont daily newspaper, an angry reader complained about my bias in a letter to the editor. "I strongly doubt that he could cover the proceedings of a dog show without incorporating a message," wrote the critic.

I took it as a compliment at the time. And I still do.

Perhaps that’s why I was so pleased to join about 1000 other progressive media-makers in New York City for a Media and Democracy Congress in October 1998. For three days, journalists and activists from across the country gathered to examine the problems — concentration of ownership, the relentless slide into info-tainment, an avalanche of gossip and "news" people really can’t use — and also debate some potential solutions. It was certainly inspiring to be among colleagues and friends who aren’t afraid of the A-word — advocacy. read more

The US press has finally admitted what many suspected: it’s lost its grip on reality and ethics. On the surface, the obvious example is CNN’s retraction last week of a story alleging US military use of nerve gas on defectors during the Vietnam War. This followed closely the Cincinnati Enquirer’s front page apology to Chiquita Brands for the use of stolen voice mail in a story questioning the company’s business practices,