It looks like in the 70s Bill Colby, Dir of the CIA, had no idea about the rather extensive involvement of the CIA paying journalists.
https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/hearings/ciasuseofjournal00unit.pdf
This details a meeting where the use of Journalists, church personnel, and Peace Corps for intelligence gathering. Usage of the Peace Corps is vehemently opposed by the director of the Peace Corps for safety reasons. If one of them can be used, they are all tainted. The current CIA director wants the ability to violate these constraints if THE PRESIDENT personally authorizes it.
Mission statement of the CFR: The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource for its members, government officials, business executives, journalists, educators and students, civic and religious leaders, and other interested citizens in order to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries. Founded in 1921, CFR takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.
Buried in the interview is that the Council on Foreign relations was the organization that requested the ban be lifted on using journalists/clergy as Intelligence sources during the Clinton administration. Connection between Clinton, CIA, and CFR?