The American Jewish Congress today sent a protest to the State Department against the barring of Milton Friedman, the Washington JTA correspondent, from a press briefing on the Arab refugee question by the Near Eastern Division of the State Department.
Deploring the effort “to manage news by picking and choosing among Washington reporters,” and pointing out that the action of the Near Eastern Division” is incompatible with the whole notion of free press,” Will Maslow, executive director of the American Jewish Congress, said in the letter of protest:
“We will not undertake to recite all of Mr. Friedman’s qualifications as a responsible newspaperman. His coverage of the Washington scene, while occasionally differing from the official positions of the various incumbent Administrations, has consistently offered an honest and legitimate interpretation of events. The barring of Mr. Friedman reflects more upon the pettiness of certain State Department officials than on Mr. Friedman’s standing as a reputable and courageous Journalist.”
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