Re:ElonJet Is Now Suspended
by PraetorianGourd on Wednesday December 14, 2022 @04:33PM
(#33990913)
As someone else said, Snowden pawned off the responsibility to redact and protect to a group of journalist with no subject matter expertise. It was a reckless and irresponsible choice. If anyone in the chain of custody knew what to redact to protect those in the field, it was Snowden. But he chose to abdicate that responsibility to journalists.
That was the sensible decision, as he was too close to the material. He would bear more responsibility than he already did, yes, but it would also look partial and one-sided. Investigative journalists know how to handle this kind of material and have training and experience. Snowden very much did not.
That was very much not the conventional wisdom at the time. This choice by Wikileaks was hugely controversial and in stark contrast with Snowden’s leaks, which were published by journalists after having been analysed, filtered and redacted. Citing Snowden and Wikileaks as if they operated in the same way is simply wrong.
And yes, just dumping stuff without at least checking them is morally and practically wrong. If only because it makes you very likely to take part voluntarily or not in disinformation campaigns if you’re fed false documents.