As Sony Continues Threatening Reporters, NY Times Reporter Wins Pulitzer For Reporting On Sony's Emails

We've been discussing Sony's ridiculous threat letters to members of the press (including us) with claims about how they should not read, share or report on the leaked Sony emails, hinting at how this violates all sorts of laws. As we've explained, that's a bunch of hogwash. While the original hacking almost certainly broke the law, reporting on what's in there after it's been leaked remains entirely legal. And, if you want even more support for why it's important, with the latest Pulitzer Prizes being awarded, it's notable that one of the winners for investigative journalism went to Eric Lipton of the NY Times for a series of stories that he's done exposing the influence of lobbyists -- and that includes Lipton's excellent reporting (with Nick Wingfield) using the leaked Sony emails to detail how the MPAA was trying to bring back SOPA via influencing various State Attorneys General.

That reporting has been tremendously important in exposing how the MPAA has sought to undermine the will of the public that was so outspoken concerning SOPA, but which had no way to speak out about what was happening behind closed doors because of those very doors. The fact that these emails have shone a bright light on questionable moves by the MPAA has also highlighted why we need more transparency on the policy making front and an end to backroom negotiations. That doesn't mean whoever released Sony's emails was necessarily right to do so, but those reporting on them absolutely have done incredibly valuable and important work. And, yes, it's legal to do so, contrary to Sony's silly threats.

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