The Pentagon should not send misleading information to news organisations, either at home or abroad, the American Society of Newspaper Editors said Friday in a letter to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.
The nation's largest group of editors said disinformation under the guise of
press releases would be the wrong course for a country that seeks to "maintain
moral high ground."
"Journalists in this country and around the globe rely upon and trust Pentagon
spokespersons," wrote the society's president, Tim J. McGuire. "At this time in
our history maintaining that trust is hugely important."
McGuire is executive editor of the Star Tribune in Minneapolis.
The letter came two days after Rumsfeld said a Pentagon campaign to influence
global opinion would not include lies to the public but might employ "tactical"
deception to confuse an enemy.
Bureau Report
