OPINION:
“The Goldberg breach and erosion of digital communications ethics” by Gerald Leval (Web, March 31) is a welcome critique of Atlantic editor Jeffery Goldberg and the legacy media at large. However, a seemingly important perspective is ignored by all the coverage I’ve read, seen or heard on the issue of the misdirected Defense Department chat: If Goldberg did indeed publish classified military secrets, as he and the media claim, he should be brought up on charges of treason.
The revelation of classified government information, especially military secrets, is the definition of treason. Numerous spies and traitors have been tried and punished for treason; in some cases, they’ve even been executed for the crime. As Leval notes, Goldberg should have destroyed his copy of the text and notified the sender of his mistake. The fact that he believed he was privy to classified military information which he then published is tantamount to a confession of treason, which the Justice Department should prosecute.
BOB ZELNIO
Scottsdale, Arizona
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