I'm in Indianaapolis, at a conference of "War, Liberty and the Free Press," put on by the Liberty Fund. As I'm discovering, these sesssions are preceded by a lot of reading, in this case from David Hume and John Stuart Mill to Ted Carpenter. The first few seesssions have been interesting and lively, covering questions like what kinds of controls are justifiable during wartime. Should reporters become cheerleaders or try to maintain some distance and objectivity? Beyond avoiding news about troop movements that could inform the enemy and put troops in danger, are other controls justifiable? Do controls enacted during wartime set precedents for or carry over into peacetime? How are things different in a conflict that is not a declared war with a forseeable end?
Good people heere, including some I have known only as voices on the phone and am pleased to get to know a little better: Ivan Eland, Charles Pena, John Fund, Ted Carpenter, Doug Bandow, Andrea Millen Rich, John Hulsman, Lawrence Kaplan. Peter Mentzel of Utah State University is doing a good job as discussion leader.
Naturally, I'm maintaining the position that in wartime, when things really are a matter of life and death, it is all the more important for the press to be free.
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