"Anti-Leak" Senate Bill Would Restrict Unclassified Information As Well

Background briefings on complex matters with the press would be forbidden, even if the information is not classified.

The Senate Intelligence Committee markup of the FY2013 Intelligence Authorization Act, which was officially filed yesterday, devotes an entire title including twelve separate provisions to the issue of unauthorized disclosures of classified information, or leaks.

But several of those provisions aim to disrupt the flow of unclassified information to the press and the public rather than to stop leaks of classified information.

As reported in the Washington Post today, one of the proposed measures (section 506 of the bill) would dictate that only agency leaders could present background briefings to the press.  Other agency personnel, such as intelligence analysts, would be barred from providing any background information to the press, even when such information is unclassified.