Tom Ridge Addresses Radio-Television News Directors

Department of Homeland Security

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge praised the Media Security and Reliability Council on Monday for playing "a critical and special role in free societies." The "industry's leadership has produced some very sound recommendations that will help secure [their] facilities and infrastructure and ensure the continuous flow of information to the public in times of crisis." Secretary Ridge also outlined the challenges in disseminating information: "How do we inform the public without alarming them? Can we make people aware of the terrorist threat and, at the same time, empower them to prepare for it? It is a challenge we face at the Department of Homeland Security every day. I suspect it's a challenge you face in your newsrooms as well."