The Ethics of Leaking

In today's society, we are always hearing new stories about companies that are doing things wrong or government doing things illegally. How does the public find out about this information? The answer is leaks. In reading about recent insider leaks, I came accross this article:
http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/ethicalperspectives/leaks.html

I found it very interesting that this author questions the ethics of the person who is leaking the information. The question he poses is: Is it ever ethical to leak information and is it sometimes an obligation?

This is a great question and the answer is, like many topics on business ethics, it depends. The leaking of information of the government agents who breached the passports of Obama and Rice a few months back was not ethical. For example, here is an excerpt:

"All three stories generated huge quantities of news coverage and babble on talk radio. Lost in the heat was an examination of the ethics of leaks and leakers. Was the leaker of Foley's e-mail exchange guilty of serious ethical breaches, especially because the messages dealt with sexuality? Did the leak of part of the NIE enlighten all of us or only the terrorists? Did George Keyworth, a longtime member of HP's board violate confidences and his fiduciary duty by talking to reporters about company business?"

I feel that leaking information has become part of America's DNA. It goes back to the question of whether the person leaking the information understands the basic human principles of what is right versus wrong. It is a tough question to answer holistically and would love to discuss this in class because it is a hot issue in American business right now and a major producer of all relevant scandals. Let's discuss in class if we have time.