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From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.This week, a row has erupted between the Daily Mail and The Guardian over whether the latter should have published leaked documents obtained from America’s National Security Agency by the whistleblower Edward Snowden. The new head of MI5, Andrew Parker, said in a speech that the leaks imperilled British security.
There is much that we do not know about this story, such as what information The Guardian redacted, what advice it received from the Government, and what terrorists might do with the information that was put into the public domain. But our readers should know that The Independent has also contributed to the debate.
In August, we too were given information from the Snowden files. It pertained to the operation of the security services, was highly detailed, and had the capacity to compromise Britain’s security. The result was a front-page story: “UK’s secret Mid-East internet-surveillance base.”
The story pointed out that we declined to publish much of the most sensational information – an editorial decision that was informed by the Defence Advisory Notice system, a voluntary code which is run by the Government. We did this in the interest of national security.
“My first concern,” wrote George Orwell, “is to get a hearing.” All journalists want to be heard, of course. But the best journalists must know when to shut up, too.
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