The watchdog that bit democracy
Dr. Haim Shine
The attorney-general's
decision to try Haaretz reporter Uri Blau for the unauthorized
possession of confidential material was good, and brave. In a country
where the media dictates the national agenda on many issues, courage is
required to stop the reckless behavior of journalists who, under the
protection of freedom of expression, put Israel in real danger. It is
not the attorney-general's job to dictate codes of behavior — that job
is reserved for the legislative and judiciary branches of government.
The attorney-general's job is to ensure that well-founded indictments
are heard by the court. The attorney-general is supposed to treat
everyone equally: rich and poor, elected official and common citizen,
journalist and any other professional.
The message
communicated by the attorney-general's decision to indict Blau is
important: Freedom of speech is not freedom to commit national suicide
or freedom to abandon judgment. Journalists can be expected to display a
fair amount of responsibility and regard for the security of the state
and its values. Anat Kamm and Uri Blau are not heroes. Efforts by the
radical left-wing media to portray them as such are absurd: They portray
an enemy as an ally, liberation as occupation and cowardice as civilian
courage.
Freedom of expression
is a fundamental concept in any liberal democracy. However, every
intelligent person realizes that freedom of expression is not unlimited.
The greatest advocates of natural rights, individual rights and
democracy have rightfully believed that there is no such thing as an
absolute right. Even human rights must be exercised in moderation, and
take into consideration other people's rights.
As early as the 1960s,
Israel's Supreme Court recognized democracy's right to defend itself. A
journalist does not have immunity, and certainly does not have the right
to undermine state security. The media's right to criticize the
government, expose failures and spark public debates is protected by the
law. But a watchdog that claims to protect democracy cannot turn around
and attack that same democracy by illicitly possessing thousands of
classified documents without proper authorization.
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