Amid WikiLeaks storm, U.S. government promotes Daniel Ellsberg film!

[Better Believe It]

Amid WikiLeaks storm, gov't promotes Ellsberg film
By MATTHEW LEE
Associated Press
January 15, 2011

Even as prosecutors build a case against the Army private suspected of passing hundreds of thousands of diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks, the State Department is promoting a documentary film that celebrates Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg.

Amid its struggle to contain damage from the WikiLeaks revelations, the State Department announced Saturday that "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers" has been selected as one of 18 films that will tour the world this year as part of its "American Documentary Showcase" program.

Ellsberg, whom the film portrays as a whistleblower of conscience, has been a champion of Pfc. Bradley E. Manning, the alleged leaker of the documents who is currently jailed. He has also spoken in defense of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who may also face charges for publishing classified information.

Ellsberg spent months copying the top secret Pentagon Papers on a Xerox machine and when the documentary was released in 2009 before WikiLeaks' earned notoriety, he recalled that it took The New York Times three months to review the study and decide to publish it. "If that had happened today," he told The Associated Press, "I would have posted it directly on the Internet."



Read the full article at:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_US_WIKILEAKS_STATE_DEPARTMENT?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

[amyrose2712]

1. Interesting. nt

[Catherina]

2. This is quite strange. How accurate is this film? n/t

[EFerrari]

4. I thought it was very well done.

Looks to me like the Pentagon is trying to look "reasonable". That's Gates' shtick even though he is a career Bush fixer.

[Catherina]

6. Thanks.

:hi:

[NuclearDem]

3. "Celebrates" or "character assassinates"?

[Better Believe It]

5. It's pro-Ellsberg.