Information & the record
leak
Unauthorized disclosure of government information to the press. Publishing one is generally protected; being the source of one can be a crime.
In full
The asymmetry is the point. The Pentagon Papers case blocked prior restraint on publication, while the Espionage Act reaches those who disclose national defense information without authorization. Authorized disclosures that serve an administration are routine and are not called leaks, which is a distinction of politics rather than of law.
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Browse every term in the glossary, or see the vocabulary in motion in the How government works walkthroughs.
A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.