Any prosecution of Wikileaks’ staff for receiving, possessing or publishing classified materials will set a dangerous precedent for reporters in any publication or medium, potentially chilling investigative journalism and other First Amendment-protected activity.It beats me how so many people can get so up in arms about Assange and his crew when what they are is the equivalent of a fence for stolen goods. You can go after the fence, but the burglars are going to find another one. The burglar is the one who deserves to have the book thrown at him.
WikiLeaks isn't what I'd call a journalistic enterprise: journalism implies a degree of editorial judgment, which WikiLeaks appears to lack. Nevertheless, the spill has occurred, the damage has been done, and prosecution of Assange will be seen as nothing more than spitefulness by a mean-spirited, insecure U.S. government.
Then again, we're a mean-spirited, insecure nation these days, aren't we?
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