When a person or agency backed by the power and resources of the government tells a lie, it sometimes causes harm that only the government can inflict.
A memorial procession for Sgt. James Johnston, who was killed in Afghanistan in June, passes through Trumansburg, N.Y., Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019.
AP/David Goldman
Gordon Adams, American University School of International Service
US officials have consistently lied over decades about progress in the Afghanistan war. The lies are no surprise, writes a foreign affairs scholar – but they have profound consequences.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange leaves Southwark Crown Court in London, May 1, 2019.
REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
Julian Assange's indictment under the Espionage Act, a sweeping law with heavy penalties for unauthorized receiving or disclosing of classified information, poses a threat to press freedom.
Julian Assange goes back to court in London on May 2.
Reuters/Hannah Mckay
The US indicted WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange for conspiring to hack into a government computer. But the prosecution of Assange may also pose a risk to the rights of journalists in the US.
What are the ethics of anonymous resistance?
Vincent Diamante
An expert argues why the anonymous op-ed in The New York Times can hardly be considered an act of civil disobedience and why it might make things even worse in the Trump administration.