The New York Times has offered solid support to The Guardian over the paper's publication of leaks by the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.

In a trenchant editorial, the NY Times contrasts the freedom of American newspapers to publish the material about mass surveillance with the difficulties faced by British newspapers.

It accuses the David Cameron's government of challenging Britain's "long tradition of a free, inquisitive press." The NY Times says:

Unlike the United States, Britain has no constitutional guarantee of press freedom. Parliamentary committees and the police are now exploiting that lack of protection to harass, intimidate and possibly prosecute The Guardian newspaper for its publication of information based on National Security Agency documents that were leaked by Edward Snowden. The New York Times has published similar material, believing that the public has a clear interest in learning about and debating the NSA’s out-of-control spying on private communications. That interest is shared by the British public as well. In the United States, some members of Congress have begun pushing for stronger privacy protections against unwarranted snooping. British parliamentarians have largely ducked their duty to ask tough questions of British intelligence agencies, which closely collaborate with the NSA, and have gone after The Guardian instead.

The editorial points out that The Guardian's editor, Alan Rusbridger, has been summoned to appear before a parliamentary committee. It continues:

Members of parliament have also demanded information on the newspaper’s decision to make some of the leaked information available to other journalists, including those at The NYTimes. That should be none of parliament’s business. Meanwhile, Scotland Yard detectives are pursuing a criminal investigation into The Guardian’s actions surrounding the Snowden leaks. These alarming developments threaten the ability of British journalists to do their jobs effectively. Britain’s press has long lacked the freedoms enjoyed by American newspapers. Now it appears they are less free from government interference than journalists in Germany, where Der Spiegel has published material from the Snowden leaks without incurring government bullying.

The editorial concludes: