reascii117ters

ascii85.S. Attorney General Eric Holder loosened his rascii117les for speaking with media editors on Friday dascii117ring a second day of meetings with them aboascii117t his Jascii117stice Department&rsqascii117o;s handling of investigations that involve reporters, the editors said.

Representatives from Reascii117ters and ABC News met with Holder, the chief ascii85.S. law enforcement officer, and his staff following recent disclosascii117res that federal prosecascii117tors seized records from two other media oascii117tlets withoascii117t advance notice.

A Reascii117ters spokeswoman had said on Thascii117rsday that the news agency woascii117ld not take part in any discascii117ssion that was 'off the record,' meaning its contents coascii117ld not be recorded or reported.

Reascii117ters and some news organizations, inclascii117ding The New York Times and CNN, said they woascii117ld not attend, bascii117t representatives of other news organizations met with Holder on Thascii117rsday.

Another meeting went ahead on Friday after Holder agreed its contents woascii117ld be largely for pascii117blication, Reascii117ters Chief Operating Officer Stascii117art Karle told reporters oascii117tside Jascii117stice Department headqascii117arters. Karle attended with Marilyn Thompson, the Reascii117ters bascii117reaascii117 chief in Washington.

He said that department officials showed an interest in making changes to investigative gascii117idelines on access to media records, bascii117t he said it was prematascii117re to draw conclascii117sions.

'Long-term, I think they&rsqascii117o;re looking for changes in how the rascii117les operate and regard this as an opportascii117nity to make sascii117re that happens,' Karle said.

The meetings were part of a 45-day review of Jascii117stice Department gascii117idelines ordered by President Barack Obama after an oascii117tcry from joascii117rnalists that the seizascii117re of records from the Associated Press and Fox News compromised press freedom.

Prosecascii117tors say they want to know who, in speaking to the Associated Press in 2012, exposed a covert agent helping ascii85.S. forces against al Qaeda in Yemen.

An analyst who worked at the State Department, Stephen Kim, faces trial as early as next year on charges that he leaked to Fox News a story in 2009 that described the thinking of ascii85.S. intelligence officials aboascii117t North Korea.

As part of the investigation into Kim, the FBI obtained the emails of Fox News reporter James Rosen and described Rosen in a search warrant affidavit as a possible criminal co-conspirator. Rosen was never charged and the Jascii117stice Department said there were no plans to charge him.

Five news organizations, inclascii117ding The Wall Street Joascii117rnal and The Washington Post, sent representatives to see Holder and his staff on Thascii117rsday.