Casualty of War: The Bush Administration's Assault on a Free Press [Hardcover]

David Dadge (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2004

In its global campaign to fight terrorism is the Bush administration trying to muzzle freedom of speech? David Dadge, editor of the "International Press Institute", documents a number of disturbing incidents of attempted press censorship in this interesting perspective on the rising tensions between powerful government interests and independent journalists. Dadge concludes by arguing that rather than suppressing the media, political and military institutions would be better off in the end by actually increasing existing freedoms. This carefully researched and well-argued discussion of free expression under siege should be of great interest and concern to all who care about one of our most important liberties.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Not all of the post-9/11 threats to American democracy come from terrorism, argues International Press Institute editor Dadge, and some of the more profound dangers stem from what he says is the government's tendency to place security concerns before guarantees of liberty. Particularly, Dadge is concerned about the Bush administration's attempts to stifle press freedoms at home and abroad. In this well-documented accounting of what Dadge sees as the White House's knee-jerk response to a free and sometimes critical press, he weaves together some of the disparate statements and actions of the administration into an almost prosecutorial litany of the ways in which both the American and foreign press are less free as a result of what he contends are attempts by the White House to spin, control and influence the flow of information. With analyses of the State Department's strong-arming of the Voice of America after it aired an interview with former Taliban leader Mullah Omar, descriptions of U.S. efforts to tone down Qatar-based news broadcast station Al-Jazeera and looks at more domestic (and successful) efforts to weaken the Freedom of Information Act, the book makes a strong case that the Bush administration has displayed a notable lack of respect for a free press. While at times light on specifics and frustrating in its omission of some highly publicized Bush administration attacks on the press, the book provides a good starting point for a much-needed discussion.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Dadge, editor of the International Press Institute, offers extensive documentation of the erosion of press freedom and individual liberties in the wake of 9/11 and the Bush administration's campaign against terrorism. From increased pressures on the Voice of America to reflect American foreign policy in its broadcasts to pressure on domestic media and severe criticism of Middle East broadcaster Al-Jazeera, Dadge presents an astonishing and alarming report of the domestic and international trade-offs that are being made between press freedom and efforts to combat terrorism. Dadge also examines the restrictions on press and individual freedom mandated by the USA Patriot Act and the Orwellian implications of the policies and proposed changes aimed at reducing the threat of terrorism. In a broader scope, he explores the long-range implications of policies that trade support for U.S. antiterrorism efforts for the tacit overlooking of human rights violations by other nations, a move that is sure to foment even more anti-American sentiment. This is a very informative and disturbing look at the tension between freedom and antiterrorism. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 350 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books; First Edition edition (February 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591021472
• ISBN-13: 978-1591021476
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,300,928 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.