On January 29 — just six days after the public launch of the Defend the Press campaign — the U.S. military agreed to drop two charges that carried a maximum of two years in prison against Army 1st Lt. Ehren Watada.
CONTACT: John Stauber, Center for Media and Democracy, 608-260-9713; Scott Goodstein, Defend the Press Coalition, 202-256-8320, http://www.DefendThePress.org
News Conference with Sarah Olson and Supporters
WHEN: 2pm, Thursday, February 1, 2007
WHERE: Zenger Room, National Press Club, Washington, DC
SPEAKING:
Utne Reader online notes "the case of freelance journalist Sarah Olson has been largely overlooked by mainstream outlets, but her recent victory is one worthy of big-type headlines. Prosecutors representing the US Army had tried to force Olson to testify in a court martial against 1st Lt.
Submitted by John Stauber on
Matt Rothschild, editor of the Progressive, notes "Sarah Olson no longer has to choose between her liberty and her integrity. The freelance journalist, whom I profiled on January 17, will not be forced to testify at the court martial of Lt. Ehren Watada, who refuses to report for duty in Iraq. On January 29, Watada stipulated to the truth of the statements he gave Olson and another reporter. In exchange, the Army dropped two 'conduct unbecoming' charges against him."
In a statement on its website, the National Press Club said:
Members of The National Press Club join their colleagues around the nation in celebrating the news that two journalists will not be subpoenaed to testify in the court martial of an Army officer, who has conceded that his quotes disparaging the administration's conduct of the war in Iraq were accurate.
The Daily Kos has a diary discussing the Sarah Olson case, with lots of good debate in the comments section (including a couple of comments by me).
Submitted by John Stauber on
Helen Zia, author and board member of the Women’s Media Center, writes about Sarah Olson's victory: "Subpoenas against journalists may be intended to put a damper on their reporting, but in Olson’s case, the overwhelming response has been an outpouring of support for her stand on free speech—for both journalists and for voices of dissent.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
Democracy Now! has an interview with journalist Sarah Olson, following the announcement that the U.S. military has dropped its effort to subpoena her testimony in the court-martial of war resister Lt. Ehren Watada.
Submitted by John Stauber on
"Although the military has dismissed the subpoenas of journalists, Veterans for Peace Seattle Chapter organizers Tom Brookhart and Gerri Haynes, and Olympia-based anti-war organizer Phan Nguyen remain under order to testify against Lt. Watada. Tom Brookhart and Gerri Haynes came to the attention of Army prosecutors for their role in organizing the VFP National Convention in August. Phan Nguyen, a member of the Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace, was the moderator of a number of press conferences and rallies this summer regarding Lt.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact:
Scott Goodstein, Defend The Press, 202-256-8320, email: sgcatalyst AT aol.com
John Stauber, Center for Media and Democracy, 608-260-9713
email: john AT prwatch.org
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