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Why WikiLeaks Is Unlike the Pentagon Papers

daveschroeder writes "The recent release of classified State Department cables has often been compared to the Pentagon Papers. Daniel Ellsberg, the US military analyst who leaked the Pentagon Papers, has said he supports WikiLeaks, and sees the issues as similar. Floyd Abrams is the prominent First Amendment attorney and Constitutional law expert who represented the New York Times in the landmark New York Times Co. v. United States (403 U.S. 713 (1971)) Supreme Court case, which allowed the media to publish the Pentagon Papers without fear of government censure. Today, Abrams explains why WikiLeaks is unlike the Pentagon Papers, and how WikiLeaks is negatively impacting journalism protections: 'Mr. Ellsberg himself has recently denounced the "myth" of the "good" Pentagon Papers as opposed to the "bad" WikiLeaks. But the real myth is that the two disclosures are the same.'"

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  1. To summarize the article ... by khasim · · Score: 0, Troll

    It is different because The Pentagon Papers did not reveal all of their material immediately. Parts about ongoing diplomatic concerns were held back.

    But Wikileaks would have released ALL of the The Pentagon Papers at once. If they had them. Back then. Because that's the kind of person Julian is.

    *sigh*
    Not much worth reading there. And not factually correct, either.