General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Snowden has been vindicated and he is a hero [View all]lovemydog
(11,833 posts)it will also move quickly in vindicating Edward Snowden. I think the compelling public interest in the public learning about the origins of the Vietnam War via the Pentagon Papers (Ellsberg) is pretty similar to the compelling public interest in the public learning about the massive surveillance practiced by the government of Great Britain and the USA on their own citizens since 9/11 (Snowden).
The government's claim in both cases was that the leaks endangered national security. I think the Pentagon Papers Supreme Court opinion (ruling the government could not practice prior restraint to prevent their publication in the New York Times) provides some illumination on that matter. I think some of those same arguments are similar in the Snowden case, i.e., that there was no imminent harm to national security and that the public interest in learning of the information outweighs the risks claimed by the government. Obviously there are differences between the two, but as Ellsberg has said repeatedly, there are also some meaningful similarities.