3Qs: The evolution of whistleblowing

The leak of classified government documents last week revealed the existence of a massive National Security Administration program of bulk surveillance in which telecommunication and Internet companies are providing the government with broad access to private user information. We asked Stephen Burgard, chair of Northeastern’s School of Journalism in the College of Arts, Media, and Design, to examine the leak by Edward Snowden, a tech specialist who was contracted by the NSA, and the practice’s place in the journalism landscape.