Why the government would wish these documents to remain secret is obvious. But why would The New York Times and the Washington Post, which also assisted the Pentagon in its hunt for Teixeira?

It’s not because the papers are squeamish about publishing illegally obtained documents. The Times does this all the time. So does The Washington Post, which received a Pulitzer Prize in 2014 for its reporting on the National Security Agency’s illegal mass surveillance program, like the Times did in 1972 for the Pentagon Papers reporting.

So why are these same papers now hunting leakers? …

The real answer comes down to incentives and gatekeeping. The government and media get to decide what leaks are appropriate, what gets published, and what gets prosecuted. It’s a symbiotic relationship that serves them both.

[Hey, only the media can leak stuff! Who do these people think they are? That’s the purview of the Protection Racket Media, and woe betide anyone who doesn’t get approval from one of its button men first. — Ed]