Much meaningful journalism arises out of information that is stolen, hacked, or illegally leaked. The New York Times obtained Donald Trump’s tax returns from a (presumably) unauthorized source, the Panama Papers contain private bank data, and WikiLeaks disclosed classified secrets. The Pentagon Papers — the subject of arguably the most important modern Supreme Court precedent on press freedom — were stolen by Daniel Ellsberg and passed to the Times, which went to elaborate lengths to copy and analyze them without alerting the government. O’Keefe contends that he is just as much a journalist as the reporters who broke those stories. And as agonizing as it may be for self-respecting journalists to admit, he may be right, at least from a legal perspective. In his fight with the Department of Justice and the FBI, O’Keefe has rallied some unusual allies, including the American Civil Liberties Union.
Shown: Ashley Biden and father. Top: James O'Keefe of Project Veritas. Credit: AP
