Glenn Greenwald is "Aiding and Abetting" Democracy

[xchrom]

http://www.thenation.com/blog/174946/glenn-greenwald-aiding-and-abetting-democracy#axzz2WlPuTg00

Imagine if the Sunday morning talk shows had existed in 1776.

Surely, they would have welcomed the most widely-read and provocative journalist of that historic year.

Perhaps the hosts would have asked Tom Paine if he felt that, by penning articles calling out the hypocrisy of colonial officials – and incendiary pamphlets such as “Common Sense” – he was “aiding and abetting” the revolutionaries that King George III imagined to be “traitors.”

An intimidating question, to be sure.



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[kentuck]

1. A minority opinion, it appears?

<snip>
Criminalizing investigative reporting may undermine and intimidate journalism, but it is even more devastating to democracy. Thomas Jefferson got it right when explained to John Jay that: "Our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press, nor that be limited without danger of losing it."

Jefferson’s friend and comrade, Tom Paine argued similarly that citizens must be informed in order to be free. “A nation under a well regulated government, should permit none to remain uninstructed,” he observed in The Rights of Man. “It is monarchical and aristocratical government only that requires ignorance for its support.”

[idwiyo]

2. K&R

[mtasselin]

3. Gregory

What the hell does Gregory know about journalism, if he was one then maybe he would have and idea what he was talking about. He would rather dance around on stage with rove.

[quinnox]

4. When you start going after journalists, then you know you are in

North Korea style and Cold War Era Soviet Union police state territory.