This week on CounterSpin: The White House has been under scrutiny for a variety of civil liberties- and human rights-related policies. In mid-December, George Bush reluctantly agreed to support Senator John McCain's so-called anti-torture legislation. Also in December, the New York Times revealed that the White House was directing domestic spying, while NBC News revealed that the Pentagon was doing its own domestic spying on activist groups. We'll talk to Michael Ratner of the Center for Constitutional Rights about these stories.

Also this week: They say the biggest sacred cow for the press is the press itself, and that's still largely true. But lately it seems that a number of factors are combining to open up a little space for self-reflection and self-criticism among journalists. In a recent article for the New York Review of Books, Michael Massing surveys some of the problems internal to the media business that lead to journalism that is inadequate to the public need for independent information. Massing will join CounterSpin to share his thoughts.

LINKS:

—Center for Constitutional Rights

—The Press: The Enemy Within by Michael Massing (New York Review of Books, 12/15/05)