Media Bound by Secrets Law, Reagan Says

President Reagan said Tuesday that his Administration is obligated by law to prosecute anyone, including news reporters, who make public information that could harm national security.

A day earlier, Reagan had presided over a Cabinet-level meeting that ran more than an hour, discussing the problem of news leaks and how to stop them. Presidential spokesman Edward Djerejian said no decisions were made.

Reagan, posing for pictures Tuesday before a meeting with Republican congressional leaders, was asked whether he agreed with CIA Director William J. Casey that members of the news media should be prosecuted for leaks.

“It isn’t a case of what we may think about it,” he replied.