Publishing Not-So-Secret Secrets

When Do We Publish a Secret?
By DEAN BAQUET, editor, The Los Angeles Times
and BILL KELLER, executive editor, The New York Times
Published: July 1, 2006
SINCE Sept. 11, 2001, newspaper editors have faced excruciating choices in covering the government's efforts to protect the country from terrorist agents. Each of us has, on a number of occasions, withheld information because we were convinced that publishing it could put lives at risk. On other occasions, each of us has decided to publish classified information over strong objections from our government.