New York Times says UK tried to get it to hand over Snowden documents

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Ed Pilkington in New York
theguardian.com, Sunday 13 October 2013 17.17 BST

The editor of the New York Times, Jill Abramson, has confirmed that senior British officials attempted to persuade her to hand over secret documents leaked by the former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.

Giving the newspaper's first official comments on the incident, Abramson said that she was approached by the UK embassy in Washington after it was announced that the New York Times was collaborating with the Guardian to explore some of the files disclosed by Snowden. Among the files are several relating to the activities of GCHQ, the agency responsible for signals interception in the UK.

"They were hopeful that we would relinquish any material that we might be reporting on, relating to Edward Snowden. Needless to say I considered what they told me, and said no," Abramson told the Guardian.

The incident shows the lengths to which the UK government has gone to try to discourage press coverage of the Snowden leaks. In July, the government threatened to take legal action against the Guardian that could have prevented publication, culminating in the destruction of computer hard drives containing some of Snowden's files.

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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/13/new-york-times-snowden-nsa-files

[jberryhill]

1. "the lengths to which the UK government has gone"

OMG, they ASKED?!?!? Horrors.

[Warren Stupidity]

2. In the case of the Guardian they didn't ask they demanded.

I'm sure the "ask" on the NYT came with implied consequences. Government interference in press freedom is not a fucking joke.

[jberryhill]

4. So you are saying the NYT is lying?

The OP is about the NYT. They say they were asked, and said no.

[Warren Stupidity]

5. I'm suggesting that it is not a joke.

[Fearless]

3. Well they can't very well raid

The NYT headquarters and destroy their property. That would be against several US laws.

[dipsydoodle]

6. These were the ones mailed Fedex stored in flash drives.

[jakeXT]

7. Why not a floppy disk ?

An earlier version of this article indicated that the number of files the Guardian FedExed to America was tens of thousands; the Guardian has since indicated that it numbered less than 100.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2456843/MI5-concerns-The-Guardian-sending-secret-files--Fedex-Newspaper-used-public-courier-firm-post-data-country.html

[dipsydoodle]

8. I just assumed flash drives

due to their minmal size. Easier to declare as banjo tailpieces too.

[jakeXT]

9. I always thaught you would use something like a micro SD. Only less than 100 files ?

I'm surprised they only send so few.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secure_Digital

[dipsydoodle]

10. That's cos you're more sophicated than me.