January marks the 10th anniversary of the Gulf War. By ordinary military standards it was hardly a war. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis were killed while the American total was 150, and most of those were from friendly fire. The U.S. carefully managed and controlled the news in the Gulf War. The so-called free press was literally led by the nose from one Pentagon briefing to another. Few voices challenged the most restrictive rules ever imposed on the media.

Erwin Knoll
Erwin Knoll, a vigorous opponent of censorship and a champion of the First Amendment, was one of this country's most distinguished journalists. He was a reporter and editor at the Washington Post and served as White House correspondent for the Newhouse Newspapers. In 1973 he became the editor of The Progressive magazine and held that position until his death in 1994.