A 2016 poll by the Economic Innovation Group found that 72 percent of millennials had low confidence in the federal government. Manning and Snowden have had as big an impact as any other individuals I can think of in our cohort. A cynical observer might say they were after fame, but the consequences they have risked and endured make that hard to believe. There’s no number of Twitter followers worth jail or exile, and none of the leakers is accused of being stupid. If some Americans — young ones in particular — celebrate leakers, that’s understandable. It takes courage to pull off what they’ve done, and selfless courage on the public’s behalf is admirable.

By: Malcolm Harris, The Washington Post

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