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How The Pentagon Papers Redefined Free Speech And Government Accountability
Manage episode 523730717 series 3667008
We trace the 15-day showdown over the Pentagon Papers and how the Supreme Court drew a bright line against prior restraint. The story moves from Ellsberg’s leak to the Court’s ruling that the press serves the governed, not the governors.
• Vietnam-era context and collapsing public trust
• Ellsberg’s decision to copy and share the study
• The Times publishes and triggers an emergency court fight
• What prior restraint means and why courts disfavor it
• Near v. Minnesota as the legal foundation
• The Supreme Court’s 6–3 decision and key opinions
• How the ruling guides modern leak coverage
• The difference between embarrassment and immediate harm
• Why transparency is the default in a democracy
• The press as a watchdog serving the public
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Chapters
1. How The Pentagon Papers Redefined Free Speech And Government Accountability (00:00:00)
2. Setting The 1971 Stage (00:02:20)
3. Ellsberg And The Leaked Study (00:03:11)
4. The Government Seeks Prior Restraint (00:04:05)
5. Why Prior Restraint Is Disfavored (00:05:00)
6. Lessons From Near v. Minnesota (00:05:52)
7. The Fifteen-Day Legal Sprint (00:06:50)
8. The Supreme Court’s 6–3 Ruling (00:07:29)
9. Lasting Impacts On Press Freedom (00:08:33)
10. Closing And Listener Invitation (00:10:02)
119 episodes
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