MPs seek to censor the media

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mps-seek-to-censor-the-media-1006607.html


The Intelligence and Security Committee, the parliamentary watchdog of the intelligence and security agencies which has a cross-party membership from both Houses, wants to press ministers to introduce legislation that would prevent news outlets from reporting stories deemed by the Government to be against the interests of national security and give unprecedented and legally binding powers to Britain's security agencies and police t ban the media from reporting matters of national security.

However, this has it's pros and cons too. And it could be seen by past issues:

In 2007, an Islamist plot to kidnap and murder a British serviceman, during which reporters were tipped off about the imminent arrest of suspects in Birmingham, a security operation known as "Gamble". The media exposure given, jeopardised the operations the police were on. The strategy of the police for interrogating those arrested was blown out of water.

There is this other issue of the PhD student in Nottingham who was banged up for six days without charge because he downloaded something from the internet for his thesis. The only reason this came to light was because of the media attention to the case.


The writer is assuming that the only way to take care of the national security is by controlling the Mass Media, giving authority to the national authorities. It is also assuming that the national authorities know exactly what they should publish and what they should not on the media.