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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Why Edward Snowden Cannot Receive a Fair Trial in the United States
There are a multitude of errors in the one paragraph Thomas Friedman dedicated to Edward Snowden in his New York Times column yesterday (Snowden’s leak was the opposite of a “data dump;” he didn’t “flee” to Russia, the U.S. trapped him there; “authentic” whistleblowers are punished all the time), …
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Bradley Manning Did Not Hurt the United States
In his sentencing hearing yesterday, Bradley Manning took the stand and apologized for the "hurt" he inflicted on the United States. While the legal strategy of Manning’s attorney at this point—as it would be for any attorney—is to convince the judge to reduce Manning's sentence as much as possible, …
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Congress' Dangerous Attempts to Define “Journalist” in Shield Law Threaten to Exclude Bloggers
This has been cross-posted from the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Lawmakers in Washington are again weighing in on who should and should not qualify as a journalist—and the outcome looks pretty grim for bloggers, freelancers, and other non-salaried journalists. On July 12, the Justice Department released its new guidelines on …
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How Today's Ruling in the Bradley Manning Case Could Adversely Affect Journalists and Whistleblowers
A version of this post originally appeared on the ACLU Free Future blog in 2012. It has been updated and cross-posted with permission from the author. Today, the military judge overseeing the court martial of Pfc. Bradley Manning, who has admitted to giving government documents to WikiLeaks, is expected to …
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Media Continues to Focus on Snowden Rather Than the Information He's Revealed
The above words, from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, are revealing: They tell us about a man completely aware of the gravity of his choices, and of the implications of the information he leaked. They tell us that Snowden—fully aware of the media circus that surrounded the personalities, rather than the …
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A Review of the Justice Dept’s New Guidelines For Leak Investigations Involving the Press
In response to widespread outrage over the Justice Department’s sprawling leak investigations that engulfed reporters from the Associated Press and Fox News two months ago, Attorney General Eric Holder released long-awaited updates to its guidelines for investigations involving news media. (Ironically, they were leaked to the media before being officially …
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Transcript: Yochai Benkler Testifies at Bradley Manning Trial
This portion of transcript for the afternoon session of United States v. Pfc. Bradley Manning was taken at Fort Meade, Maryland on July 10, 2013 by journalist Alexa O'Brien. While the utmost care was taken, it is an unofficial transcript, and may contain errors. Judge Col. Denise Lind Please …
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Who is Leaking More: Edward Snowden or the Government Officials Condemning Him?
In the month since the Guardian first started reporting on the surveillance documents provided by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, the government has taken to the media to condemn his leaks and insist he is flagrantly violating the law. To prove this, the government has been incessantly leaking information itself. Huffington …
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The Snowden Principle
At the heart of Edward Snowden's decision to expose the NSA's massive phone and Internet spying programs was a fundamental belief in the people's right-to-know. "My sole motive is to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them," he …
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The NSA Leaks Are Forcing More Transparency on Both Companies and The Government
UPDATE: CNET is reporting that the NSA has admitted it can listen to domestic US phone calls without a court order in a classified briefing on Thursday. Though it's unclear if Nadler's statement was misinterpreted. Thanks to the leaks from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, we have learned an incredible amount …
