© 2025 Michigan State University Board of Trustees
Public Media from Michigan State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Investigative Journalist Probes CIA Secrets

Investigative journalist Jane Mayer discusses a secret CIA counterterrorism program designed to assassinate senior al-Qaida terrorists.

The program was never fully put into action, but word of its parameters was withheld from Congress — reportedly on direct orders from then-Vice President Dick Cheney.

A staff writer for The New Yorker, Mayer wrote about new CIA chief Leon Panetta last month in "The Secret History: Can Leon Panetta move the CIA forward without confronting its past?"

Mayer is also the author of the book The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War on American Ideals.

Copyright 2023 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.

Local journalism matters—and it’s at risk.


WKAR brings you trusted news, without barriers—no paywalls, no corporate spin. But now, federal funding that helps make it all possible is on the chopping block. Your support is more important than ever. Stand up for independent journalism in mid-Michigan—make your gift today.