MESSAGE
| DATE | 2021-12-25 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
|
| SUBJECT | Subject: [Hangout - NYLXS] The privacy privileged and the Press
|
Please see these articles and then read my commentary:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/24/business/media/new-york-times-project-veritas.html
https://www.projectveritas.com/news/hot-off-the-press-of-the-supreme-court-of-the-state-of-new-york-project/
I don't often read the NY Times any longer because I have found in the
last 5 years that the reporting has become subpar, and more importantly
it has become bigoted and infused with far leftist political discourse.
The paper has long moved from its position as an unbiased platform for
reporting facts to an investigative and political platform for the
extreme left. It is sad, and I feel deep remorse at this loss.
It is very unfortunate that future generations will never experience the
grandeur of the old New York Times. Although the modern Times had
always had a left leaning slant, it's commitment to fair and even handed
reporting was the lateen of the editorial board for the paper, and its
main mast was the broad publication of data, biographies, histories, and
first hand reporting of the facts. Upon this, the Times was able to
occasionally pursue investigative reporting on a bedrock of solid facts
and avoid muckraking, and most importantly, to disengage as a direct
participant of the political struggles of the day. They laid out events
using the third person voice and committed themselves to reporting
conflicts from multiple perspectives leaving the judgment of these
events to the reader. In a word, the NY Times had respect for its
readership, and this is no longer the case.
It is hard to find such a news source in today's 24/7 news cycle of
hysteria.
The Times has found itself embroiled in controversy this week as a
political participant of the previous presidential election in a way
which might be humorous if it was not for the serious long term
consequences. Ideally, the press should never be a direct participant
of an election, but it seems that axiom has long since fallen. They had
decided to take it upon themselves to privately investigate a small time
political organization which doubtfully anyone would really care about
called "Project Vertas". On the internet, nobody knows your a dog.
Project Vertas, in short, is a modern version of El ingenioso hidalgo
don Quixote de la Mancha played out by James O’Keefe who has taken as
his chivalric objective the taking down of the entire world press. And
in this crusade, he has garnered a number of like minded volunteer
"journalist" to help expose the truth, wherever that might eventually
lead. Over all, it is a rather interesting run of the mill expression
of modern Democracy in action, where every constituency can find its
voice and partake of political activity. But I'm a support of Free
Software and a Jew at that, so I am all for tilting at windmills. And
such projects can be not only satisfying to the participants, but at
times make practical contributions to a society at large. We gain
little in suppressing such minority voices and lose a great deal in not
just diversity of voices, but in terms of individual protection.
The NY Times, however, has found Project Vertas to be a political threat
to our freedom and has launched a vicious campaign to suppress their
activities and voice. And what is better is that Project Vertas has
decided to investigate the NY Times. And the entire thing has now
landed in court with an important and unexpected result. Project Vertas
has hired lawyers tasked with protecting and advising the organization
on legal matters. Generally, this kind of activity is protected under
client-lawyer confidentiality under the assumption that lawyers can't
possibly do their jobs of defending clients if the communications
between the client and the lawyer is not protected. Unlike the job of
the Free Press, the job of a lawyer is advocacy of the client. This
client-lawyer privileged has taken a beating since the Trump election
starting with the FBI investigations of Trumps lawyers, and even from
before this.
The court, however, for some reason, has decided, enough is enough, and
on Friday the State Supreme Court in Westchester County issued this
ruling when the Times acquired confidential client attorney
communications and threatened to public it.
QUOTE:
“Undoubtedly, every media outlet believes that anything that it
publishes is a matter of public concern,” the judge wrote. He added:
“Our smartphones beep and buzz all day long with news flashes that
supposedly reflect our browsing and clicking interests, and we can tune
in or read the news outlet that gives us the stories and topics that we
want to see. But some things are not fodder for public consideration and
consumption.”
“The Times is perfectly free to investigate, uncover, research,
interview, photograph, record, report, publish, opine, expose or ignore
whatever aspects of Project Veritas its editors in their sole discretion
deem newsworthy, without utilizing Project Veritas’s attorney-client
privileged memoranda,” the judge wrote.
ENDQUOTE
I would venture to say that if we do not have a protected private space,
and not just in this matter, we are completely disenfranchised and
slaves to the state, and to other instruments of society. I would also
like to remind the NY Times, that it is absolutely equally important for
a group like Project Veritas to be free to participate in our Democracy
and have a voice as it is for the NY Times. It has been the case
previously that the NY Times legal memos and communications had become a
bone of contention with the Government and others and that you also
deserve the same protections that Project Veritas does. The Times would
answer that they are not the government. I would firmly respond that in
this case, that is irrelevant.
Reuvain Safir
--
So many immigrant groups have swept through our town
that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological
proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998
http://www.mrbrklyn.com
DRM is THEFT - We are the STAKEHOLDERS - RI Safir 2002
http://www.nylxs.com - Leadership Development in Free Software
http://www.brooklyn-living.com
Being so tracked is for FARM ANIMALS and extermination camps,
but incompatible with living as a free human being. -RI Safir 2013
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