Government struggles to protect its secrets; the media struggle to expose government excess. It’s a delicate dance, and an essential one in a democracy, says the New York Times’ public editor.
While the administration has an obligation to protect the national security, the public has a right and need to know about prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib and justification for drone killings, among other things, she says. So the chilling effect of the Obama administration’s crackdown on leaks and whistle-blowers comes at a high cost to the public.