Justice Dept. and Julian Assange reach plea deal in case that threatens press freedom
AP Photo/Cliff Owen
The Espionage Act is an unconstitutional law used to prosecute whistleblowers and news publishers.
The Espionage Act is a broad secrecy law that outlaws the sharing of defense information with anyone, for any reason.
In recent years, the law has been wielded to stifle dissent and journalism. Whistleblowers have been imprisoned under the law. It’s also been used against journalists and news outlets that publish government secrets.
We must reform the Espionage Act to distinguish between spying and the exposing of wrongdoing.
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Highlights from John Cusack's Reddit 'Ask Me Anything'
Our board member John Cusack held an expansive Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) yesterday and took a variety of questions on freedom of the press, the Obama administration, acting, directing, and activism. Here are some of the highlights that touched on issues he is involved with at Freedom of the …
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Guilty Plea In Fox News Leak Case Shows Why Espionage Act Prosecutions Are Inherently Unfair to Sources
Former State Department official Stephen Kim announced today he will plead guilty to leaking classified information to Fox News journalist James Rosen and will serve 13 months in jail. The case sparked controversy last year when it was revealed the Justice Department named Rosen a “co-conspirator” in court documents for …
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Freedom of the Press Foundation's Response to Obama's NSA Speech
President Obama addressed NSA reform in a forty minute speech this morning in which he proposed a few welcome reforms and many which could normalize some of the NSA's most dangerous practices. The ACLU, Electronic Frontier Foundation, and journalist Glenn Greenwald have already issued responses well worth reading. …
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Sen. Schumer is Wrong; Snowden Would Be Barred From Arguing His Case At Trial
It seems every week a new member of Congress goes on a Sunday talk show and incorrectly states that if Edward Snowden came back to the United States to stand trial, he would be able to tell his side of the story to a jury and argue he is a …
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If Snowden Returned to US For Trial, All Whistleblower Evidence Would Likely Be Inadmissible
There seems to be a new talking point from government officials since a federal judge ruled NSA surveillance is likely unconstitutional last week: if Edward Snowden thinks he's a whistleblower, he should come back and stand trial. National Security Advisor Susan Rice said on 60 Minutes Sunday, “We believe …
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Freedom of the Press Foundation Condemns the Egregious Sentence of Bradley Manning
Bradley Manning, the army intelligence analyst who brought hundreds of thousands of documents to the public through the whistleblower website WikiLeaks, was sentenced today to 35 years in prison. (You can read the full transcript of the judge's sentence here.) This harsh overreaction is intended to send a message …
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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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New York Times Dangerously Ignores Its Own Words In Calling For Extradition of Edward Snowden
In a move that should be worrying for all whistleblowers, the New York Times editorial board has essentially called for NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden to be extradited from Russia, saying that he had no rightful claim to asylum.
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Bradley Manning Espionage Act Conviction a Blow to Both Whistleblowers and Journalists
In the most important trial affecting whistleblower rights in years, Bradley Manning—the admitted source to the WikiLeaks disclosures—has been convicted on nineteen counts, including multiple Espionage Act and Computer Fraud and Abuse Act charges. He faces over 100 years in jail. While the most pernicious charge, “aiding the …
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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 …
