The US' war against terrorism has led its government and news outlets into uncertain terrain, raising questions about how both sides will proceed as press freedom and national security concerns clash.
Central to the conflict is the exchange of information about the military and the government's diplomatic pursuit of a clandestine terrorist network.
"This will be a war like none other our nation has faced," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The White House has aggressively protected details of its anti-terror campaign, warning reporters and lawmakers that leaks could endanger more lives. US President George W. Bush even scolded Congress for having leaked classified information.
News outlets, meanwhile, are pushing for everything from better access to the front lines of this war to details of the investigation.
The sides have stumbled upon some middle ground in recent days. Americans highly supportive of Bush and the military campaign are likely to be patient, polls suggest.
"The public is giving the administration the benefit of the doubt," said Clark Hoyt, Washington editor of Knight-Ridder.
Some news outlets are too. Five major news networks agreed this week to limit broadcasts of Osama bin Laden after the White House said the head of the al-Qaeda terrorist network may have used the TV footage to send a coded call to action to his supporters.
And The Washington Post last weekend withheld information from a classified briefing received by members of Congress from a story quoting anonymous officials as saying new terrorist strikes were "100 percent" certain if the US were to attack Afghanistan.
At the request of the Pentagon, Knight-Ridder delayed publication of a story that reported special-operations units had secretly entered Afghanistan, Hoyt said.
But the restraint doesn't mean news outlets are willing to be spoon-fed hand-picked details about a war that will cost billions of taxpayer dollars and put American troops at risk.
"It's our job to press for information and use good judgment about the information that we receive," Hoyt said. "It's never our role to just sit back and accept what's handed to us."
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