Snowden anniversary a reminder of the need to protect whistleblowers and journalists
AP Photo/George Brich
Whistleblowers are essential to a free and unfettered press.
Whistleblowers play a critical role in informing the public and holding the government to account.
Sources who act out of conscience to leak information to the press further our democracy. Whistleblowers like Daniel Ellsberg, Chelsea Manning, and Edward Snowden, have exposed some of our government’s gravest abuses.
Unfortunately, whistleblowers are often prosecuted and jailed. That’s wrong. Whistleblowers and the journalists they work with should be celebrated, not punished.
Featured Items
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This Week in Transparency: Whistleblowers remain mired in broken system
'When revealing secret documents, one law helps us like no other.' Good piece over at War Is Boring on how it used the FOIA for national security reporting, when it failed, and the need for legislative reform.LAWSUITS DoD fights lawsuit seeking unclassified report on nuclear needs of Israel and …
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Why everyone should care about journalist Barrett Brown's sentencing today
Journalist Barrett Brown is expected to be sentenced by a judge today in a highly controversial case brought by the Justice Department. The below excerpt is an adapted and updated version of the foreword to Barrett's most recent book, written by author Barry Eisler. If you don’t believe …
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Watch Barrett Brown explain why journalists should be covering intel contractors two years before Snowden
Today, a judge in Dallas will decide the fate of journalist Barrett Brown, who is being sentenced in a case that has been fraught with controversy and deplorable conduct by the Justice Department from its beginning in 2013. Brown, who author Barry Eisler profiled earlier today, was one …
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Will the government try to force James Risen to testify? Judge orders them to decide by next week
Now is not exactly the best time for Obama's Justice Department to be subpoenaing one of the nation's best journalists for reporting on a spectacularly botched CIA operation, but that's the decision Attorney General Eric Holder faces this week. A federal Judge in Virginia has given the government until next …
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Watch many of the nation's best reporters and technologists discuss post-Snowden journalism security
Along with Reporters Committee and OTI, we hosted a one-day conference on journalism and digital security last Friday in DC. The panels were full of many of the nation's best national security reporters, technologists and lawyers. The event was capped off by a surprise appearance via video by Edward Snowden, …
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Digital security conference on Nov. 7th will bring together many of the nation's best reporters and technologists
This Friday November 7th, Freedom of the Press Foundation—along with Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and Open Technology Institute—are co-hosting a conference on journalism and digital security in Washington DC that will focus on how news organizations and reporters can use technology and encryption to better protect …
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Laura Poitras' Snowden documentary 'Citizenfour' opens nationwide this weekend
Director Laura Poitras' new documentary about Edward Snowden and the NSA, entitled CITIZENFOUR, opens in theaters across the United States tomorrow. There are also sneak peek screenings in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Washington DC tonight. You can see where the film is playing near you this …
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Cognitive Dissonance about the FBI and NSA at 60 Minutes
60 Minutes, which has been harshly criticized for running puff pieces for the NSA and FBI recently, is at it again. Last night, they ran two unrelated yet completely conflicting segments—one focusing on FBI Director Jim Comey, and the other on New York Times reporter James Risen—and the cognitive …
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Here's why you should go see Laura Poitras' new Snowden documentary 'Citizenfour'
Director Laura Poitras’ highly anticipated new documentary on Edward Snowden and the NSA, entitled Citizenfour, debuted at the New York Film Festival over the weekend. The film is an extraordinary look inside the mind and motivations of whistleblowers, and enthrallingly captures how the NSA disclosures transformed the world’s view …
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Why the court decision to release the Guantanamo force-feeding videos is so important
Okay, this is huge: a federal judge has ordered the government to release videos of Guantanamo force-feedings. Expect the footage to be sickening to watch.Why is this so important? Because, as the saying goes, if the slaughterhouses of the world were made of glass, we'd all be vegetarians. …
