The Debate Over Leaks of Classified Information
“A shameful act” or “a heroic moment?” Disloyalty or public service? Is the media’s aggressive reporting on the administration’s secret, and possibly illegal, anti-terrorism techniques truly damaging national security? Or are we witnessing a not-so-subtle rallying call for even greater governmental secrecy, perhaps an official secrets act, in the name of national security? The escalating debate flows from a series of stories – rendition of terrorist suspects to secret overseas prisons, the National Security Agency’s warrantless surveillance of domestic phone calls, the NSA’s gathering of international banking records of U.S. citizens – all made possible by leaks of sensitive information that the Bush Administration did not want leaked. The reporting prompted a House hearing, a resolution condemning the media, and a Justice Department investigation into the leaking. The Attorney General said he believes journalists could be prosecuted under the 1917 Espionage Act. The political saber-ratting has been matched by a vigorous media rebuttal. The headline above links to an American Journalism overview. Below, we’ve collected articles and commentaries from the debate and organized them for your background reading.