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From WNYC in New York, this is NPR's On the Media.

I'm Brooke Gladstone.

And I'm Bob Garfield.

Last week, the British tabloid, The Daily Mirror, published a story suggesting that President Bush had in the spring of 2004 considered bombing the offices of Al Jazeera in Doha Gutter,

and that Tony Blair had to talk the president out of it. It is a huge accusation that the

American press really didn't know what to do with. The mirror story was based on a purported

top secret government document, what some are referring to as a five-page memo. Two men were

brought to court this week on charges under Britain's Official Secrets Act having to do with leaking that memo. Those proceedings will

pick up again in January. Both the White House via spokesman Scott McClellan and

Prime Minister Blair have denied and dismissed the charges. A member of Parliament has

warned to the British press not to publish the memo should they get their pause on it.

Joel Campania is the Committee to Protect Journalists Senior Program Coordinator for the Middle East.

Joel, welcome to OTM.

Thank you very much.

What's CPJ's position on this incident?

Well, it's clearly a news item that has caused great alarm among media professionals across the globe.

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