Funding sought to pay for transcript of Bradley Manning’s trial
The Freedom of the Press Foundation is currently raising funds to hire a certified court reporter to create a complete transcript of the trial of Private first class Bradley Manning, who stands accused of leaking classified government documents to the organization WikiLeaks.
Manning has already admitted to distributing classified material and faces up to 20 years in prison. However, he still faces charges under the Espionage Act. Manning's trial is scheduled to start on June 3, 2013.
The foundation is looking to raise a total of between $40,000 and $50,000 to cover the cost of keeping a court reporter on-site for the duration of the trial. The organization is also providing grants totaling $8,500 to support the work of two independent journalists who have been covering the case.
In a press release explaining the importance of the project, documentary filmmaker and Freedom of the Press Foundation board member Laura Poitras cited the "Kafkaesque obstacles" that journalists attempting to report on the case have encountered.
"By funding a court stenographer, we hope to help journalists in their effort to report on the trial," Poitras said.
Glenn Greenwald, a journalist and member of the foundation's board, added that he believes it is extremely important for reporters to give members of the public "a virtual seat in the courtroom" by creating complete transcripts of all the trial's parts.
"That's some of the most powerful work a journalist can do," Greenwald said, adding that both he and his colleagues at the Freedom of the Press Foundation are "glad to help support that work."
