Speech story - David Sanger

David Sanger, Chief Washington correspondent for the New York Times, spoke of the need of newspapers to publish stories even when asked not to and on the White House during times of war at the Wattis Business Building to an audience of fifty teachers and students, Friday.

“Twenty-five years in the news business has convinced me that this is no ordinary job that we’re engaged in. We’re in the odd position of being a private, occasionally profit-making operation that serves also an essential public role.” Sanger said. He spoke of the role and responsibilities of the press during wartime. “We make mistakes. We make lots of them. But that is why it is important that we have more than one news source,” said Sanger.

Sanger also discussed how the New York Times decides to publish stories. “We wrote quite a bit about what could go wrong, but we didn’t go far enough,” said Sanger about the stories the Times published before the war. When confronted with a decision to run a story about the warrantless wiretapping program at the White House or not, the paper chose to run the story, even though Bush administration officials had asked them not to. “I think it was a truly a proud moment for the paper. But I also think that it was a truly proud moment for the United States,” said Sanger.

Sanger addressed varying topics from White House policy to the “second nuclear age”. He talked about White House policy has changed regarding the war. According to Sanger, the second nuclear age is when nearly every country has nuclear capabilities. Sanger said that the second nuclear age is scarier “because countries that have problems making a light bulb, now can try to create nuclear capabilities.” Sanger also spoke about issues of nuclear capabilities with North Korea and other countries. “North Korea never developed a weapon they haven’t sold because they’re broke.”

Attendees had questions on how long it takes to complete an investigation. An investigation may take months and is considered ready when “you are sick of the reporting,” said Sanger. The audience spent about fifteen minutes asking questions. Sanger tried to focus the majority of his answers to the students. He ended the meeting with some advice to the audience “Read things that challenge your world view.”