Editors: A Fifth Column?

The Bush Administration (specifically, the Treasury Department) has recently issued new rules forbidding American publishers from providing editorial services to works from Iran, Libya, Cuba, North Korea, and any other nations with which trade is severely restricted. Un-edited works can still be published, however.

The idea is that by providing editorial services, publishers would be trafficking with the enemy in contravention of trade embargoes. The government cannot, however, forbid the actual publishing and distribution of the works because of the Berman Amendment to our trade embargoes (from the article):

"Since 1988, it has prohibited the executive branch from interfering 'directly or indirectly' with such trade. That exception is known as the Berman Amendment, after its sponsor, Representative Howard L. Berman, a California Democrat."

How exactly this doesn't qualify as "indirect" inteference is a little confusing to me. For a little more perspective on what this means for the free exchange of ideas, see Teresa Nieslen-Hayden's (senior editor for Tor Books) blog post on the subject.

See the statute in question for more info. The Berman Amendment is sec. 15 (4).

Posted by Palabris at February 28, 2004 12:41 PM