Report: Obama Brings Chilling Effect On Journalism

WASHINGTON (AP) — A report finds the U.S. government's aggressive prosecution of leaks and efforts to control information are having a chilling effect on journalists and government whistle-blowers.

The Committee to Protect Journalists released its first examination of U.S. press freedoms Thursday, focusing on changes under the Obama administration.

Leonard Downie Jr., a former executive editor of The Washington Post, wrote the 30-page analysis entitled "The Obama Administration and the Press." Downie interviewed reporters and editors who described a chilling effect in which "government officials are increasingly afraid to talk to the press."

Those suspected of discussing classified information are subject to investigation, lie-detector tests and scrutiny of telephone and email records.

In the report, White House officials objected to findings that the administration has limited transparency.

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