The Biggest Secret: James Risen on Life as a NY Times Reporter in the Shadow of the War on Terror

democracynow.org - We spend the hour with former New York Times reporter James Risen, who left the paper in August to join The Intercept as senior national security correspondent. This week, he published a 15,000-word story headlined “The Biggest Secret: My Life as a New York Times Reporter in the Shadow of the War on Terror.” The explosive piece describes his struggles to publish major national security stories in the post-9/11 period and how both the government and his own editors at The New York Times suppressed his reporting, including reports on the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping program, for which he would later win the Pulitzer Prize. Risen describes meetings between key Times editors and top officials at the CIA and the White House. His refusal to name a source would take him to the Supreme Court, and he almost wound up in jail, until the Obama administration blinked.
Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs weekdays on nearly 1,400 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream 8-9AM ET: democracynow.org
Please consider supporting independent media by making a donation to Democracy Now! today: democracynow.org/donate
FOLLOW DEMOCRACY NOW! ONLINE:
Facebook: / democracynow
Twitter: / democracynow
KZbin: / democracynow
SoundCloud: / democracynow
Daily Email: democracynow.org/subscribe
Google+: plus.google.com/+DemocracyNow
Instagram: / democracynow
Tumblr: / democracynow
Pinterest: / democracynow
iTunes: itunes.apple.com/podcast/demo...
TuneIn: tunein.com/radio/Democracy-Now...
Stitcher Radio: www.stitcher.com/podcast/democ...

[@splash2272]

When a journalist cannot protect the identity of their sources we have no more free press.

[@macturner45]

WAKE UP DUMMY YOU NEVER HAD FREE PRESS YOU HAVE DEMOCRATIC PARTY'S MSM FREE PRESS YOUR BRAINWASHED AND YOU DON'T NOW IT. GET OF THE MSM TRAIN AND DO SOME RESEARCH FOR YOUR SELF FROM MULTIPLE PLACES NOT MSM THEN AFTER YOU DO SOME REAL RESEARCH COME BACK AND WATCH MSM AND THEN YOU WILL SEE HOW STUPID THEY MADE YOU .OPEN YOUR EYES

[@focusedeye]

@@macturner45 Your caps lock seems to be stuck.

[@Max_Mustermann]

@@macturner45 ALL CAPS: check Grammatical errors: check Parroting FOX News: check

[@macturner45]

@@Max_Mustermann goofball go check out (defendusa.com)

[@Max_Mustermann]

@@macturner45 Devin Nunes? No thanks.

[@sandrabates6919]

Thank God for good men! Hat tipped to you sir, bravo James Risen!

[@kualarompin589]

Congratulation to the Intercept for getting and hiring James Risen. Honestly I know next to nothing about him, since I don't read New York Times, Washington Post and other pro establishment media outlets. I just found out about him when I read his article on the Intercept, few hours ago. Cannot wait to read more articles published and written by him on the Intercept, soon.

[@oboogie2]

Read his books on the War on Terror and our intelligence establishments. They are excellent!

[@maryhalverson5713]

@@Jake-fw5te Establishment sources are an exhorbitant waste of time.

[@zekethetank]

Thank you Democracy Now and Mr. Risen. You don't get good out of caca.

[@jgonzalez372]

Mr. Risen thank you for your Courage.

[@MeltedPearls]

Or "How Journalism Was Kept Broken." Excellent work, Mr. Risen and #DemocracyNow. #WhyILeftTheField

[@celmser]

i am very happy that mr. risen was hired by the intercept. jeremy scahill and glenn greenwald are also on the site. they do amazing journalism.

[@worldnewsfoodandbooks8218]

Daniel Celmer Thanks for the info

[@maryhalverson5713]

The NY Times just ain't what it used to be many fine years ago.

[@westsidegranny6100]

Mary, I too am disappointed in it. It was so easy to read. No big words or run on sentences. I miss it too.

[@maryhalverson5713]

@@cejannuzi There was a lot that wasn't known back then so the paper wasn't perfect but at least it wasn't blatant propaganda like it is now.

[@user-ch7wn5fk8d]

your dreaming ,NYT have always been controled by CIA

[@Amidat]

Operation Mockingbird was fully in effect at the NY Times.

[@jamesstone3033]

Fill the government with Scholars and scientists and March all of the politicians from both parties out of those buildings in handcuffs! No more Offshore Banking ,gerrymandering or lobbyists, and get rid of the antique voting system for a start!

[@kathleensmitholdwhitewoman7200]

James Stone I agree. Get out the pitchforks.

[@jamesstone3033]

Kathleen Smith old white woman if we could get apple to develop the I fork, we might get the Millennials to move, old white man!

[@sandrabates6919]

Love it, only idea that makes any sense anymore. I think it's important to get support from your family members in the armed services. Success can be achieved, everyday, people in America are waking up.

[@maryhalverson5713]

@@jamesstone3033 Every young person I know voted and have remained active but exit polls say otherwise. The primaries were hacked AGAIN.

[@jaykay415]

@@jamesstone3033 Haha, love you old white people!

[@mirmalchik]

I like to imagine that a journalist could make a pretty significant impact responding to editors killing his story for political purposes with, "Cool. Then it's going on my blog, instead." But then I remember this country's power structure and I just get sad despairing for a stronger labor movement.

[@RM-xf9gi]

Twitter and KZbin, helping us keep our Democracy.

[@mirmalchik]

@@RM-xf9gi (by accident, for now)

[@magi6156]

@@RM-xf9gi depressing

[@antennawilde]

That is exactly what Greenwald did when the Intercept killed his Hunter Biden laptop story and instead ran with Risen's CIA propaganda piece saying the laptop was a Russian fake.

[@zockerbit1030]

The big story to me is that the "free press" had negotitions with the US government about whether to publish an awkward story or not. Not the story itself.

[@Cryin_Lion]

🎯 My thoughts exactly. I was unaware that there were negotiations like that.

[@lewstherintelamon1377]

Given the number of sources Whom Risen, in his Tenure at "the Intercept," has burned to the FBI, I'm not really surprised.

[@satanking35]

god bless u sir

[@beverlykirby2646]

Thank u ..James risen......

[@beverlykirby2646]

Thank u D..N...

[@patriciavyce1993]

Truth ! I love it,Truth ! The best stories are true stories ! Thank you for sharing.👍

[@vertigo1933]

I just cancelled my subscription to New York Times , donating to intercept.

[@jasonbrennan6240]

Good idea. Nyt is fishwrap

[@magi6156]

eew, careful, you're bait'n switching better get your news from many different sources

[@suziegreer7975]

I appologise to the American public i hope you can forgive me for ever doubting James Risen's story speaking as a UK citizen i hope you can forgive me

[@The_Tiffster]

It's difficult to identify truth amongst so much propaganda....

[@Brett_S_420]

Don't worry. GCHQ is doing the same.

[@neoliberalvirus3585]

Two party system reporting to the same boss.

[@jaanuskiipli4647]

amazing story, good stuff!

[@janeguarnera7700]

Always amazing me how what happens in my country...our govt, institutions, society as a whole is a macrocosm of a family...secrets are rarely a healthy thing; there are situations I could indeed point out where it is indeed a necessity, but by and large it is not!

[@ThomasBrennanthombre55]

Thank you James, you are courageous and a true patriot of America. You have established prescidence for the right to protect your source. How did they ever work under false pretense and be true to their oath to the constitution? Each leader of the nsa should be questioned on character defect of being true to their oath and hold that as the gold standard and never to betray that commitment.

[@Syncopator]

It's pretty clear that a free press is completely incompatible with ownership by, or dependence on, large conglomerate corporations. Kudo's to Risen for recognizing that fact and choosing integrity instead of greed.

[@samsudinudin1563]

You areTHE MAN Mr James. USA needs more people with balls like you.

[@monesoukaloun8024]

Amy , your hair look very good today; I like the way you shared daily news with us. Thanks

[@thomzydervelt253]

Jill Abramson needs to write a piece called many excuses for coward ex’s the journey to fascism.

[@diankreczmer6595]

Mr risen is a hero and all journalists who speak the truth are

[@Orf]

30:00 nyt executive editor says regrets not publishing Risen’s work on stellar wind sooner

[@GrimLocke161]

9/12 was our Reichstag Fire.

[@Brett_S_420]

That was the dam cracking. It is going to burst in November.

[@thomasjackson2223]

Phone company routes your call through a foreign exchange and presto! Your domestic calls are now subject to warrantless surveillance. Same with your internet traffic.

[@Frederique41]

Luv luv luv Amy you are the best 💜

[@colinshaw3776]

He's to scared to tell too much, and for good reason, he wants to remain alive!

[@lewstherintelamon1377]

Risen is a collaborator.

[@vodupriest7941]

The Patriot Act just passed again recently and no news hardly about it. Let that sink in.

[@magi6156]

the dems and the 'progressives' voted all for it

[@andre8860]

NEVER EVER FORGET SO CALLED PATRIOT ACT THIS WAS THE END OF US DEMOCRACY THANK YOU BUSH& CRONIES

[@DrSanity7777777]

"Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us." - Jane Austen

[@angelou2812]

So sad to witness the American situation going from bad to worst with all the corruption going on everywhere.....

[@celieboo]

This was riveting.

[@richardgreen1491]

This is a TOUGH subject! We all have a right to face our accuser (one reason why I hate getting tickets from traffic cameras...my accuser is a machine...but I digress). So by concealing sources, one denies the accused the ability to face their accuser. But I GET it...the fear of reprisal is a REAL threat that could be used to mask the truth! What to do?

[@jarrellestes1793]

Great

[@Sherirose1]

These are the books we should be buying

[@NellieKAdaba]

Wow

[@lau_dhondt]

good man

[@AWildBard]

randomly youtube sends me here even though I watched Democracy Now almost everyday and read plus listen to intercept podcast... you tube algorithm certainly has major room for improvement

[@Brett_S_420]

Seems like a good suggest to me.

[@AWildBard]

@@Brett_S_420 Yes, maybe I shouldn't complain about trivial things... But, it's not news. I remember the story from when it came out. I heard it on multiple channels from multiple perspectives.

[@vibefrequencyable]

Just ask chris hedges.

[@tmk41304]

Stellar Wind. Don't forget that name.

[@SilviaDelariva1419]

My veterans back to life!!!..

[@dennissalisbury496]

If you have any doubts that 911WTC was not an in side job, watch this movie, it's on Netflix: "A Good American" tells the story of the best code-breaker the USA ever had and how he and a small team within NSA created a surveillance tool that could pick up any electronic signal on earth, filter it for targets and render results in real-time while keeping the privacy as demanded by the US constitution. The tool was perfect - except for one thing: it was way too cheap. Therefor NSA leadership, who had fallen into the hands of industry, dumped it - three weeks prior to 9/11. In a secret test-run of the program against the pre-9/11-NSA database in early 2002 the program immediately found the terrorists. This is the story of former Technical director of NSA, Bill Binney, and a program called ThinThread. -Anonymous www.washingtonpost.com/.../4-big-things-to.../... www.apsanlaw.com/law-246.List-of-Sanctuary-cities... www.oregonlive.com/.../oregon_standoff_fbi_agents...

[@thamechanic3324]

I noticed that sometimes the guest will be holding back or just beating around the bush not revealing all the facts but that's when Amy Goodman make them get to the point and tell as it is.

[@Sherirose1]

Please make a movie of this.

[@suziegreer7975]

I realise this isnt a proper appology without making a text appology to you James Risen so i appologise hope you understand

[@The_Tiffster]

It takes courage to admit a mistake💪

[@johnhenninger1980]

bill binney´ś the dawg and he CAN talk, Jm

[@johnhenninger1980]

honorable mention?

[@TheCjbowman]

By FAR not the biggest secret in the government. Sadly.

[@dnyledenial3780]

That woman looked scary!!!

[@musclesmouse]

Wow stellar wind creates northern lights.👀

[@chinhau8702]

Chris Hedges before And now....

[@Orf]

18:55 bush admin considered send in court order to censor nyt over stellar wind story

[@rhumbatron2912]

Yeah changed the landscape and it stayed that way, now everyone just accepts being surveilled as a cost of using the internet, ____-THIS🇺🇸

[@magi6156]

never heard of the 'tipping-off' but that the iranian contact discovered the flaws anyway

[@MrDXRamirez]

All the News that It sees Fit to Print is the NYTimes.

[@realtijuana5998]

All the news that fits they print. It might be useful to explore the NYT's descent from the newspaper of record into the Establishment's claque. Its journalism has been disgraceful for many decades now, giving all New Yorkers a bad reputation.

[@littleclay5875]

fear, fear, fear

[@robertvaughan1051]

Witness here the epitome of real journalism. Notice it has nothing to do with the entertainment industry formerly known as “News” (CNN, MSNBC, FOX, etc.)

[@westsidegranny6100]

We are in such STUPID shape as a country. We j.g aventis had a constitution fir decades but denial, thet river in Egypt is si very constant.

[@lynncohen2897]

He should’ve just went to Wikileaks with it.

[@daneswanson7404]

We live in a Republic not a demon acracy

[@dietmarbitterlich3500]

Russia under Putin is enjoying more freedom's as America ever enjoyed. The time will come and America will destroy itself from the inside.

[@RM-xf9gi]

The NYT was late reporting/warning about the Great Recession and the collapse of the housing market also. The NYT is amazing but lately they are not getting the important stuff to the people. Why can't the owners and editors be stronger ppl. Where are the Thomas Pained?

[@ffflyer2266]

Fukushima burning three stars bright

[@Brett_S_420]

Whatever happened to the CIA NOT being allowed to operate inside this country?

[@IMSiegfried]

Risen said Bush overturned that.

[@Blank-kg4ri]

Whitewashhouse is guarded by cia.

[@deedeewinfrey3181]

Snowden already told us.

[@philippecolas4646]

~30:36 (note to self: worth sampling)

[@2CHACHOUU]

SO WHY DIDN,T YOU LEAK THAT STORY TO ANOTHER JOURNALIST?SO THEY COULD PUBLISH IT.

[@007nadineL]

Why isn't Risen in jail with Assange? /sarcasm

[@dannedifyoudo]

dude is a baller

[@Johnconno]

Wow! So who was your source, Donald Sutherland?

[@johnhenninger1980]

thank god this guy can write

[@johnhenninger1980]

and that the dog cant talk

[@johnhenninger1980]

and how could anyone anger this guy?

[@herlequinstar]

Where are our rights?

[@lauramcconney9367]

Journalists need more responsibility to the people. U know a lie when you hear it.

[@The_Tiffster]

If everyone knew a lie when they heard it we wouldn't be in this mess!

[@januaryblack2021]

:(

[@joeysunshine1709]

apres moi le deluge

[@worldnewsfoodandbooks8218]

JOEY SUNSHINE Bashar al Assad said that and kadaffi

[@gulabgidwani7149]

Snowden is a hero. He should be pardoned and allowed to come back to the U.S. if he wants to. Free and pardon Julian Assange for practicing his legal right to freedom of the press.

[@gallowsradio]

"Enemy of State."

[@carlosamonimus8106]

This guy apology for NYTimes but even mention Assange or Wikileak suppress the whole history and glorified himself

[@eddieperez9565]

Hmm does this revelation let Snowden off the hook a little ?!?!?!

[@TiempoNuevo-ew7ty]

I wonder which Bush he is referring to . Papa or jr.

[@SilviaDelariva1419]

Thank you. I've for ever been thankful to Edward Snowden for coming out with the story. Schizophrenia does not exist. Homelessness is about done. Thousands of lives are saved! Congress has a load of work to work on. Poor or reach the minds are now liberated. Democracy Now, like I've done since I first found you, I greatly appreciate it.

[@grammamouse3999]

I think the greatest secret is alien 👾 disclosures.

[@elpompo5166]

If you want to know what is real American fascism, go to Cuba, they will explain you everything about it 😆

[@Logiconfire]

Good to see what Amy looks like. On the radio she sounds perpetually miserable.

[@lallen4999]

BS---he could have gotten in published somewhere else

[@abadali440]

To late know

[@ypure3859]

Expected in Bush..well after the fact..BUT OBAMA!?? Very disappointed!!!!!!

[@Brett_S_420]

If you don't play ball with the Military-industrial complex you get the Kennedy treatment.

[@lewstherintelamon1377]

Let's not forget Risen's false reporting on Wen Ho Lee.

[@152gars]

This police killing was one of the most atrocious scene i have ever watched. It was a slow, deliberate and painful killing. Dustin, it is not a matter of republican or democrat. Yet you poopoohed the whole thing. Watch the whole video. Noone will forget this inhuman murder by police.

[@jaredniven3025]

What will change because of this reporting. Nothing.

[@progressivenews8506]

if risen cared so much why didnt he just publish on youtube facebook and other soical media??? or some other news outlet... sounds like he is more concerned about making money than the american people... the same problem most of the media has... maybe we should be more concerned about creating and disseminating investigative journalism for the community

[@IMSiegfried]

So, Risen isn't allowed to make an income for his work? To hell with his livelihood?

[@progressivenews8506]

@@IMSiegfried if you had the cure for covid-19 would you wait for permission by who know what scounderals to put it out there??? hes a coward... he could have done it annoymously if he was afraid ... but instead he kept it from people who got hurt because of it

[@progressivenews8506]

@@IMSiegfried no... not when it obviously conflicts with getting important info/news to the public... thats what jounalist and i am one have a responsiblity to do even if it means the end of their career or even putting their life in danger... and thats what a good journalist does like julien assange

[@jasonpatrick6266]

Let's complain about domestic spying then when a terror attack occurs, we can complain our government did nothing.

[@GreenOrchid9]

Interception of carona pandemic ⏰🤕😷🏛

[@carlb.4097]

If you feel scared of your nationhood being hurt then you must be in big fear on mass. Love each other and come home to all for joy soul reunion ❤️🌍✌🏻🚰

[@richardmayger2716]

Obviously the blame lies with Russia China Iran isis fedel Castro and king George 😂😂😂😂

[@johnhanks4260]

Zioniist and neocons conspired for hje consitutiion without consent about nayioalism so Zonisim nationalism Ameriican natiomalism authority. Authority caspitalism property owner constitution wiithout consent. More authority wars for domination and properrty s always. Every ism cult for special people requiring sacrfice human lives and nature. both unique so sterotypes (like ghost aren't real.) Similarities only.

[@pamjenkins9102]

This good interview could have been great... but, he's definitely a writer and not a motivational speaker.

[@jamesphillips9516]

Why does this guy sound like he is making up a story as he goes along. And makes inferences as facts that are entirely his opinion. I have met people like this, they self promote a lie and believe it themselves.