is the deciding factor in whether you can release classified information. It is still harmful to the country.
And we all know that many journalists simply tell there sources "Hey, if if you come across any info and it happens to show up in my mailbox, nobody will be able to say otherwise".
Leaking classified info has two sides - the source and the publisher, but they both have equal roles in releasing info that harms the country. They are both equally involved.
I know this will irritate the Pentagon Paper hippies, but it's true. It appears to me that these leaks are acceptable to people based on whether their political ox is getting gored or not.
Either way, the country loses every time it happens.