reporter’s privilege

How The Government Gained The Upper Hand Against Leakers

Daniel Ellsberg, the whistleblower responsible for releasing the Pentagon Papers, speaks during a rally in support of Army Pfc. Chelsea Manning, outside the gates of Fort Meade, Md, Aug. 21, 2013. (AP/Patrick Semansky)
In October 1969, a national security official named Daniel Ellsberg began secretly photocopying 7,000 classified Vietnam War documents. He had become increasingly frustrated with the systematic deception of top U.S. leaders who sought to publicly escalate a war that, privately, they knew was unwinnable.