Stephen J. Adler, who recently retired as editor in chief of Reuters, is chairman of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, where Bruce D. Brown is the executive director.
Fifty years ago, the Pentagon Papers case presented a profound constitutional challenge to press freedom when the Nixon administration sued to prevent The New York Times and The Washington Post from publishing stories about a secret government-commissioned history of the Vietnam War.
Fortunately, in June 1971, that challenge was resolved quickly. Given the importance of First Amendment interests, the Supreme Court hastened to vindicate the public’s right to know. From start to finish, the case lasted a mere two weeks.
This sense of urgency stands in contrast to a current situation in Westchester County, New York, where a state trial judge has restrained the Times from reporting on a matter of public interest for 28 days and counting and shows no indication of moving forward with any speed.
