Journalism Behind Leaked Information

The impact on not only government and journalism due to the Panama Papers leaking last year caused major change in the field of journalism. The papers outlining shell companies and tax shelters used by the worlds wealthy and powerful have caused issue for governments and politics. The change in journalism can also be attributed to the size of the leak—which also caused governments to react as swiftly as they did.

The main issue with the leak is that of the protection of the leakers or of the journalists involved. Secrecy is prone to abuse and the though not all secrecy is justified, it can be argued that leakers are deserving of protection under the circumstances that they expose information that is in the public interest. The CIA, the National Security Agency, Securities and Exchange Commission and the Justice Department have all gone after unauthorized information disclosures. When the information revealing Edward Snowden was behind the leaks of the details of Internet and phone surveillance by American intelligence was released he was charged in the United States with theft of government property, unauthorized communication of national defense information and willful communication of classified communications intelligence. In the case of Snowden he stated that he released the information to protect privacy and liberty, because his identity was revealed he immediately faced scrutiny for sharing the plans of the NSA to track cell phone conversations, monitor email, and internet traffic of U.S. citizens. He did so with the intention of just wanting the American public to know what the government was doing.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-23123964

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/11/business/media/panama-papers-leak-signals-a-shift-in-mainstream-journalism.html?_r=0

http://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/apr/08/mossack-fonseca-law-firm-hide-money-panama-papers