Adeus liberdade de imprensa: Sentence in Franklin case sends chill through free-speech community (via FAS):
In a startling pronouncement that can only heighten tensions between the press and the government, a federal judge said last week that the laws governing classified information apply to anyone who is in receipt of such information, including reporters who are the recipients of "leaks."
"Persons who have unauthorized possession, who come into unauthorized possession of classified information, must abide by the law," said Judge T.S. Ellis III. "That applies to academics, lawyers, journalists, professors, whatever."
Judge Ellis's statement came at the conclusion of a sentencing hearing for Lawrence Franklin, the former Pentagon analyst who was charged along with two former officials of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) with felony violations of the Espionage Act.
The extraordinary claim that mere possession of classified information triggers legal obligations leads to absurd conclusions, particularly since anyone who reads the daily newspaper comes into "unauthorized possession of classified information."
More importantly, it serves to discourage investigative reporting of illegal government activities that happen to be classified.
[Dúvida concebível: quanto tempo vai passar até ocorrer uma decisão semelhante em Portugal?...]
