A top adviser to President Bush said Wednesday that poor judgment, not liberal bias, caused the New York Times to reveal anti-terrorism programs, for which the paper should be ashamed.
“It’s not a matter of liberal bias – it’s a matter of judgment,” Michael Gerson told The Examiner in his West Wing office. “Everyone in our society, including the press, has a responsibility to the public good, to the public interest.
“And I know that there are many reporters in this town, and many news organizations, that would be very hesitant about running this story,” he added.
Gerson, best known as the author of Bush’s most memorable speeches, was referring to last week’s disclosure of a program to track international financial transfers by suspected terrorists. The Times first published the story, prompting the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times to follow suit.
Earlier this year, the Times also published a story exposing a Bush administration program to track the international phone calls of terrorism suspects. Administration officials say such disclosures have undermined the war against terror.
“Even in the elite media, even in what people regard as the liberal media, there is a sense of restraint on issues like this, in many places,” Gerson said on his last day on the job. “That should maybe shame the people who don’t share it.”
Earlier this week, Times Executive Editor Bill Keller said his paper had no “animus” toward the Bush administration.
In a letter to readers, Keller complained about the “angry words of conservative bloggers and TV or radio pundits who say that drawing attention to the government’s anti-terror measures is unpatriotic and dangerous.” He questioned “why they are drawing so much attention to the story themselves by yelling about it on the airwaves and the Internet.”
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Read Thursday’s Examiner for Bill Sammon’s full interview with Michael Gerson on his last day at the White House.
