Remember back in 2010 when Pfc. Bradley Manning leaked tens of thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents to WikiLeaks? It's a fascinating and bizarre story of international intrigue and diplomacy. The whole affair brought WikiLeaks and it's founder, Julian Assange, on to the world stage in ways any media outlet could only dream of. Sure it resulted in Assange being hunted worldwide by the US Government which used such crazy tactics as trying to get him extradited to Sweden to face questioning in relation to a sexual assault investigation where they could in turn have him extradite him to the US! But aside from that... it put WikiLeaks and Assange on the world media map!
Well, the court-martial is finally getting under way for the guy who started the whole affair, Pfc. Manning. The stakes could not be higher as the government is pushing for a verdict that would include violating the Espionage Act and aiding the enemy which could result in a life sentence for Manning.
The case brings up many ethical questions about journalism and reporting in the digital age as well as international boundaries and jurisdictions.
Take some time and read through a few of these links, it's an story that Hollywood could only wish to invent!
