Pentagon papers a close parallel. Supreme Court Justice Douglas's dissent.

[Gregorian]

I found this statement to be particularly similar to just what is going on with the Snowden revelations today. And our state of affairs in the press, etc. Once again, we're seeing vigilance. And it's the same things happening again.

"The story of the Pentagon Papers is a chronicle of suppression of vital decisions to protect the reputations and political hides of men who worked an amazingly successful scheme of deception on the American people. They were successful not because they were astute, but because the press had become a frightened, regimented, submissive instrument, fattening on favors from those in power and forgetting the great tradition of reporting."

http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0408_0606_ZD1.html

edit- Also, from the link, the assertion that the Beacon Press was protected under the 1st Amendment when publishing the Pentagon Papers is revealing. I feel there may be merit to the argument that Snowden is also covered by the Amendment.

[G_j]

1. the description of the press is right on

It's hard to imagine that it is actually far worse today than it was then, but it is.

[Gregorian]

3. Oops, my reply down there was meant to be to you.

[Gregorian]

2. I'm trying to imagine FOX junk news refusing to obey a Supreme Court decision like the NYT did.

Haha. That would be the day hell froze over. And I see the FCC has approved yet several more huge conglomerations. We're so messed up.

[former9thward]

6. Except the NYT didn't refuse.

The federal government sought an injunction in federal district court and it was granted. The NYT complied with the injunction and stopped publishing. The NYT appealed to the Supreme Court which ruled in favor of the NYT.

[Gregorian]

7. Was it Beacon who ignored and published?

I know I'm probably missing the obvious. One of them published anyways.

I was just a bit too young to be paying attention at the time.

[former9thward]

8. I don't know.

All I know is the NYT and then the Washington Post got wrapped up in the court proceedings and they did not publish until the SC gave them the OK (which was very quickly considering how slow most cases go).

[Gregorian]

4. 4th of July bump

[Art_from_Ark]

5. Holy bat guano, Batman!

If the press in 1971 "had become a frightened, regimented, submissive instrument, fattening on favors from those in power and forgetting the great tradition of reporting," I wonder what Justice Douglas would think of today's pitiful joke of a press?