The committee heard testimony on the restrictions placed upon the media in the Persian Gulf by the U.S. military. The restrictions, which require that all media personnel be escorted to select locations in the Middle East by military representatives, have come under fire from the media for infringing upon the reporter’s right to access, the reporter’s freedom of speech, and the public’s right to know. The military supports its stance by stating that military positions and information affecting the security of the troops may be given to the enemy by unsupervised reporters. Mr. Williams, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, testified that the media restrictions were justified in protecting the lives of troops, but also admitted the military had sometimes needlessly interfered with the reporting of the media.

Includes bibliographical references (page 882).

Map -- Preface -- Statements by members of the Committee -- Witnesses -- Alphabetical list of witnesses -- Prepared statements of witnesses in order of appearance -- Prepared statements and materials submitted by members of Congress -- Appendix: part one. United States government policies and rules governing media access to the Persian Gulf War: Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm -- Hearing questions and responses -- Department of Defense public affairs authority, and command structure for Operations Desert Shield and Storm -- Department of Defense, U.S. Central Command, and Joint Chiefs of Staff: media ground rules, regulations, and underlying public affairs policy documents -- Department of Defense public affairs guidance -- U.S. Central Command public affairs guidance -- Public affairs guidance issued by other U.S. commands -- Communications between Department of Defense and the media -- Correspondence between the Department of Defense and the Embassy of Saudi Arabia -- Historical review of documents reflecting U.S. military policies and regulations governing wartime media activity -- Appendix: part two. Additional materials submitted for the hearing record -- Letters and statements from the public to the Committee and to Senator Herb Kohl -- Professional articles and reports -- Newspaper and magazine articles and broadcast reports -- Newspaper and magazine op-eds -- Newspaper features -- Appendix: part three. Court documents relating to three lawsuits [challenging] U.S. government policies governing media access to the Persian Gulf War -- U.S. policy documents -- Case documents.