Do government whistleblowers act in the public interest or endanger the public by exposing classified information? Even as government transparency has declined in recent years, there have been several instances of public reporting by national intelligence. Large-scale leaks such as those published by The Guardian and WikiLeaks have spurred debate on questions of government secrecy, as well as the balance between security and freedom. High-profile whistleblowers such as Bradley Manning, Julian Assange, and Edward Snowden have, at great personal risk, disclosed classified information to the public in the interest of transparency. Leaked media and documents range from embarrassing to potentially dangerous. High levels of secrecy and surveillance in the name of fighting terrorism have led to growing distrust of the American government both at home and abroad. Since 9/11, the number of classified government documents has increased from 8 million to 76 million per year (“We Steal Secrets”). Meanwhile, the United States intercepts 60,000 telephone and email communications every second (“We Steal Secrets”). The NSA revelations leaked by Edward Snowden in 2013 revealed levels of government surveillance previously unknown and implemented with little oversight. Government whistleblowers perform an important public service by exposing secrets and should be protected from prosecution. In this climate of deteriorating government transparency, whistleblowers expose corruption to the public that might otherwise never come to light. In recent history, whistleblowers have been instrumental in revealing government corruption. In one of the first large-scale leaks, "whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg leaked U.S. government files known as the Pentagon Papers, which...... middle of paper......r to expose government secrecy when necessary. Works cited. January 1, 2011. WikiLeaks has caused little lasting damage 2014.Mulrine, Anna. “Bradley Manning trial: leakers Julian Assange and Daniel Ellsberg intervene.” Christian Science Monitor 26 July 2013. OneFile general. 27 February 2014. “Understanding the prism leaks means understanding the 'rise of a new fascism'. Nuovo Statista 142.5163 (2013): 36. MasterFILE Premier. February 27, 2014. We Steal Secrets: The Wikileaks Story. “Leaks and the Law.” : Thomas Drake indictment highlights tension between government secrecy and public right to know" Smithsonian 2011: 90. Academic OneFile. Network. February 27. 2014.