So much easier said than done. What counts as “harm” or “public interest,” exactly? How could I discern their weight and compare them? Why should anyone trust the likes of me, or the Post, to make that choice? And once I decided that something was harmful, did it become my job, affirmatively, to protect the secret? I had secrets of my own: confidential sources, sensitive notes, future reporting targets. How could I keep them safe from sophisticated thieves? Whom was I even up against? Journalism used to feel a lot simpler.
