Open Letter to Managing Editor of Newsweek on Harman International Acquisition: Fein Says Jane Harman Influence Could Damage Freedom of the Press

TORRANCE, Calif., July 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is an open letter from Mattie Fein to Jon Meacham, managing editor of Newsweek on the Harman International acquisition:

Jon Meacham, Managing Editor, Newsweek Magazine

Mr. Meacham,      

Newsweek has a storied history of fiercely independent investigative reporting, including the exposure of government crimes, abuses, mismanagement, or other wrongdoing.  

The news magazine played a sterling role in Watergate, including the publication of excerpts from Woodward and Bernstein's The Final Days.  Newsweek has unswervingly honored the First Amendment's expectation that freedom of the press would be employed to provide "organized scrutiny of government," to paraphrase Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart.  

Recently, Newsweek's cutting edge reporting on Iran following its convulsed 2009 presidential elections occasioned the arrest and detention of its reporter on the scene, Maziar Bahari.  

If Harman International acquires Newsweek, Congresswoman Jane Harman would be in the catbird's seat controlling the news magazine's reporting or editorializing because she owns millions of dollars of its stock.  That would bode ill for your reporters and editors. Harman is an ardent foe of freedom of the press.

When New York Times reporters Eric Lichtblau and James Risen learned of the government's  warrantless Surveillance Program targeting American citizens on American soil, Congresswoman Harman attempted to kill the story to cover-up.  Times spokesperson Catherine Mathis explained what happened:

"Congresswoman Harman spoke to Washington Bureau Chief Phil Taubman in late October or early November, 2004, apparently at the request of General Hayden. She urged that The Times not publish the story… Phil [later] met with a group of congressional leaders familiar with the eavesdropping program, including Ms. Harman. They all argued that The Times should not publish."

Harman's scorn for transparency and the rule of law was further underscored in passages from Lichtblau's 2008 book.  She hypocritically urged stronger civil liberties safeguards in the reauthorization of the USA Patriot Act at a Committee hearing.  Lichtblau approached Harman and said, "I'm trying to square what I heard in there with what we know about that  [illegal Surveillance] program." He notes: "Harman's golden California tan turned a brighter shade of red…[She] grabbed me by the arm and drew me a few feet away to a more remote section of the Capitol corridor. 'You should not be talking about that here,' she scolded me in a whisper. Harman sermonized: 'The Times did the right thing by not publishing that story [in 2004]….'"        

Furious that the New York Times eventually published and disobeyed her dictation, Harman stomped to ABC news and clamored for prosecuting the newspaper under the Espionage Act for its courageous reporting.  Harman fails to understand that in a Republic the people censure government, government does not censure the people.  

In sum, Harman would be likely to exert her ownership leverage to divert Newsweek's investigative reporting away from government wrongdoing that could be politically embarrassing to her.  

Ms. Harman is my opponent to represent the 36th congressional district in California; and, last week, I urged her divestiture of Harman International shares because its wholly owned company, AKG, does business with Iran.

Would Newsweek under Harman's ownership investigate that apparent conflict of interest with Congresswoman Harman's responsibilities on the House Subcommittee on Homeland Security Committee?  I don't recall Newsweek's reporting on the Harman divestment issue I flagged.

As managing editor of a preeminent news magazine, you are saddled with a special responsibility to keep Newsweek from a hijacking to advance Congresswoman Harman's personal and political agenda.  Due diligence behooves you to examine her commitment to a free press.

Sincerely,

Mattie Fein

Candidate for Congress, CD-36

Paid for and Authorized by Mattie Fein for Congress.

Contact: Mattie Fein for Congress Headquarters, +1-310-892-5936

SOURCE Mattie Fein for Congress