April 18, 2017

    ABA webinar explores legal rules behind ‘Whistleblowers, Leaks and the Media’

    WASHINGTON, April 18, 2017 — The ABA Standing Committee on Law and National Security will host on April 25 an online panel presentation, “Whistleblowers, Leaks, and the Media: A Webinar on the Legal Rules,” which will explore issues related to national security and the First Amendment.

    In this news climate focused on the scope and degree of Russian hacking, release of materials to WikiLeaks and the hacking’s effect on the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, we are reminded that the legal line between whistleblowing and leaking is thin, as is the line between journalism and activism. The continued flood of leaks raises questions about the First Amendment, the role of the press, whistleblower protections and the power of the government to investigate illegal disclosures. The program will comprehensively examine national security laws and the tensions between the public’s right to know and the government’s right to protect its interests.

    What:  
    “Whistleblowers, Leaks, and the Media: A Webinar on the Legal Rules”
    Sponsored by the ABA Standing Committee on Law and National Security

    When:
    Noon-1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 25

    While the topic generates strong opinions, this webinar, which features a panel of journalists, lawyers and cybersecurity experts, will help ground the discussion in existing law and policy.

    The panel includes:

    • Moderator Harvey Rishikof, chair of the ABA Standing Committee on Law and National Security Advisory Committee
    •  Shane Harris, national security and intelligence senior writer at The Wall Street Journal
    • Paul Rosenzweig, founder of Red Branch Consulting and former deputy assistant secretary for policy at the Department of Homeland Security
    • Ellen Shearer, professor and co-director of  the National Security Journalism Initiative, Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University
    • Mark Zaid, managing partner, Law Office of Mark S. Zaid

    Registrants also will be able to order a free copy of the book, “Whistleblowers, Leaks and the Media: The First Amendment and National Security.” Discount code will be provided upon registration.

    This webinar is free for members of the press. For media credentialing and more information, please contact Jennifer Kildee at 202-662-1732 or Jennifer.Kildee@americanbar.org.

    With more than 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is one of the largest voluntary professional membership organizations in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law. View our privacy statement online. Follow the latest ABA news at www.ambar.org/news and on Twitter @ABANews.