In a shocking interview with The Guardian’s Glenn Greenwald on this morning’s Meet the Press, David Gregory asked Gleenwald, “[W]hy shouldn’t you … be charged with a crime?” This question arose in the context of Gregory suggesting that Gleenwald “aided and abetted” Snowden by publishing the NSA leaks. The interview can be viewed below (reload the page if the video does not appear). Via Crooks and Liars:
In light of recent revelations about the administration phone tapping the AP and tracking Fox News’ James Rosen, it’s chilling to see David Gregory take the administration’s side in “criminalizing journalism” — to use Greenwald’s words. As Editor in Chief Jay Caruso stated in a previous feature, “trying to obtain [leaks and classified information] is what reporters do every day.”
Journalists take on the role of exposing the very information the government doesn’t want you to know about. Without government leaks, the Watergate Scandal would have never come to light — and that’s just one memorable example of how journalism exposed government wrongdoing.
The mere suggestion that Greenwald should possibly be charged for publishing the information Snowden brought to him is a redefinition of the role of the press in the United States.
As one can see in the above video, Greenwald did not mince his words in his response to David Gregory.