Not publishing newsworthy leaks isn’t journalistic integrity, it’s timidity
AP Photo/Jon Elswick
Reporting on leaked information informs the public, while claims of harm are often overblown.
Journalists routinely rely on leaked information to inform the public. Without leaks, we’d be left in the dark about vital information involving the government, corporations, and powerful individuals, who often act in secret.
When government information is leaked, the U.S. routinely claims, without proof, that the leak damages national security. We should be skeptical of claims that leaks cause harm, and of broad leak investigations that can lead to the surveillance of journalists and sources and the chilling of reporting.
Featured Items
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As lawmakers debate drone tragedy, a key whistleblower remains behind bars
A brave whistleblower served as a source to stories that shaped the public understanding of the otherwise secret U.S. drone program. He's serving a prison sentence as lawmakers reckon with the very information he revealed.
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Fifty years ago today, Senator Mike Gravel read the Pentagon Papers into the official record. More lawmakers should follow his lead.
While the New York Times and the Washington Post were tied up in the Supreme Court over whether they could report on the leaked Pentagon Papers, Senator Mike Gravel took matters into his own hands.
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In a major press freedom victory, Brazil Supreme Court judge rules to protect Glenn Greenwald and The Intercept Brasil
The ruling protects all journalists in Brazil from retaliation for their reporting.
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San Francisco's criminal investigation of a journalist for 'conspiracy' is a shocking attack on press freedom
San Francisco's investigation into a freelance reporter for 'conspiracy' is a brazen attack on the rights of all journalists.
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The Trump admin is on pace to shatter the record for the most prosecutions of journalistic sources
The latest arrest and indictment of an alleged whistleblower should concern all journalists.
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Civil liberties groups condemn the Trump admin’s indictment of Julian Assange
Here’s what numerous civil liberties and digital rights groups had to say about the implications of Assange’s charge and arrest.
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The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker in 2018: Year two of documenting attacks on the press in the Trump era
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker documented numerous attacks on journalists and press freedom rights across the country in 2018, from arrests to physical attacks and prosecutions of sources.
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Prosecuting WikiLeaks for publishing activities poses a profound threat to press freedom
Any Espionage Act prosecution also threatens journalists at the New York Times and Washington Post.
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FBI whistleblower Terry Albury sentenced to four years in prison for sharing information with journalists
FBI whistleblower Terry Albury has been sentenced to four years in prison for leaking information of huge public interest value to the press.
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Trump administration continues its crackdown on journalistic sources, charges fifth person in less than two years
Freedom of the Press Foundation statement on the Justice Department's arrest and charges against Treasury Department employee Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards for allegedly sharing information with the press
