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U.S. Editors defend reports on terror money probe

Cheney calls publication `very damaging to national security'

NEW YORK: Top editors from the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times, responding to criticism over publishing stories about a Government programme that tracked millions of financial records in search of terrorists, defended their decisions to publish Government secrets.

``We weigh the merits of publishing against the risks of publishing,'' wrote Dean Baquet, Los Angeles Times Editor, and Bill Keller, New York Times Executive Editor, in an op-ed piece that ran in both newspapers on Saturday.

``There is no magic formula, no neat metric for either the public's interest or the dangers of publishing sensitive information,'' the piece continued. ``We make our best judgment.''

The Editors wrote that judging whether to report sensitive information is a deliberate and intensive process, but they have an obligation to inform. ``Our job, especially in times like these, is to bring our readers information that will enable them to judge how well their elected leaders are fighting on their behalf, and at what price.''

Examples cited

The Editors cited examples in which both of their newspapers had made decisions to not publish certain stories or details out of security concerns, noting that The New York Times story about the financial records tracking focused on its sweep and legal basis rather than how the programme operated.

President George W. Bush, Vice-President Dick Cheney and some Congressional leaders were most critical of The New York Times, which last year also reported on an electronic eavesdropping programme.

In New York on Friday, Mr. Cheney called the leaks and their publication ``very damaging to our national security. Putting this information on the front page makes it more difficult for us to prevent future attacks.''

A House of Representatives resolution that declared the reports had ``placed the lives of Americans in danger'' was approved 227-183 this past week, supported by most Republicans and opposed by most Democrats.

The op-ed piece appeared one day after the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal, whose news pages also reported about the financial tracking programme, distanced itself from the Times. — AP

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