The White House is apparently asking 'Newsweek' magazine to do more after it retracted a story about U.S. interrogators desecrating a copy of the Koran by flushing it down a toilet as a way to encourage prisoners to talk at the prison in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

At least 16 people died in violence that broke out in Afghanistan and Pakistan when Muslims protested against the incident described in the article.

Now, the Bush administration wants the respected weekly news magazine to act as an organ of U.S. policy. 'We appreciate the step that Newsweek took yesterday,' White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. 'It was a good first step. And what we would like to see now is for Newsweek to work to help repair the damage that has been done, particularly in the region, and Newsweek certainly has the ability to help undo what damage can be undone.'

McClellan was vague as to how the magazine could 'remedy' the situation but urged 'Newsweek' to explain 'what happened and why they got it wrong, particularly to people in the region. They can also talk about policies and practices of the United States military. Our United States military goes out of its way to treat the holy Koran with great care and respect.'

The request made by McClellan is not a reasonable one. It would severely compromise the editorial independence of 'Newsweek' and make them beholden to the U.S. government. That would damage the free press that we Americans value so much and that sets us apart from other nations that do not have the freedom we have.

The other thing McClellan neglected to mention is that the retraction by 'Newsweek' does not mean the toilet-flushing incident never took place. It simply means that 'Newsweek' cannot verify that it did take place through the source it used when it published the story.

If the Bush administration is truly concerned with how the press reports the ongoing wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and the 'war on terror,' it would be better served by examining its own policies on secrecy.

If the administration would stop withholding so much information from the American public about what is really happening in Iraq, Afghanistan and in prisons like Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib, there would be less problems with the Muslim world and with the media in general.

By denying detainees in American custody the protections of the Geneva Conventions--and holding many detainees without even charging them with a crime or giving them a right to speak to an attorney--the Bush administration has done more to damage America's standing in the Muslim world than any one sentence in 'Newsweek' could ever do.

The fact that prisoners in Guantanamo Bay and at Abu Ghraib have been abused and even tortured is the real issue here, not one questionable story that cannot be confirmed at this time. The fact that no high-ranking official in the Bush administration or at the Pentagon has been found responsible for these policies has caused even more resentment throughout the world.

In order to maintain freedom and independence of the press, the editors of 'Newsweek' should not bow down to the pressure presently being exerted by the Bush administration. The retraction by 'Newsweek' was more than enough. The rest of the problem lies with our government's polices and actions.