Tough times for whisleblowers

So what's new...

The session on whistleblowers at the National Freedom of Information Day Conference in Washington last Friday was hardly encouraging for those brave enough to contemplate taking a stand on wrong-doing, as summarised here by Nikki Troika of the First Amendment Center. Lucy Dalglish of the Reporters Committee on Freedom of the Press told the conference the post WikiLeaks situation seems to be there is no judgment call within government on the nature of information disclosed to the media or publicly in cases labeled as involving national-security issues. The government’s attitude, she said, has been to try to track and punish any such disclosures.

Outside the conference the talk here is that it is hard to see Assange being charged with anything unless conspiracy with the leaker or leakers can be shown-always a high hurdle.