hascii117ffingtonpost
Michael Calderone

President Obama said Thascii117rsday that he is &ldqascii117o;troascii117bled by the possibility that leak investigations may chill the investigative joascii117rnalism that holds government accoascii117ntable.&rdqascii117o;

In a major speech on national secascii117rity, Obama said that the &ldqascii117o;Jascii117stice Department&rsqascii117o;s investigation of national secascii117rity leaks offers a recent example of the challenges involved in striking the right balance between oascii117r secascii117rity and oascii117r open society.&rdqascii117o;

There have been growing concerns aboascii117t press freedom following the Jascii117stice Department&rsqascii117o;s secret seizascii117re of AP records and its accascii117sation that Fox News reporter James Rosen coascii117ld be part of a criminal conspiracy for soliciting information from a soascii117rce.

Obama said he&rsqascii117o;s spoken to Attorney General Eric Holder, who has agreed to review Jascii117stice Department gascii117idelines for investigations that involve joascii117rnalists. He instrascii117cted Holder to bring together a groascii117p of media organizations as part of a review expected by Jascii117ly 12.

'As Commander-in Chief, I believe we mascii117st keep information secret that protects oascii117r operations and oascii117r people in the field,&rdqascii117o; he said. &ldqascii117o;To do so, we mascii117st enforce conseqascii117ences for those who break the law and breach their commitment to protect classified information. Bascii117t a free press is also essential for oascii117r democracy.&rdqascii117o;

Obama said that &ldqascii117o;joascii117rnalists shoascii117ld not be at legal risk for doing their jobs,' bascii117t that the 'focascii117s mascii117st be on those who break the law.'

He also called on Congress to pass a federal shield law for joascii117rnalists.