4 February 2016 00:00
Barrett Brown is a controversial journalist who made international headlines when he was sentenced, as The Guardian put it, "linking to hacked materiel." He’s not a computer hacker, a whistle-blower or a "leaker".
He’s an independent journalist who some would argue went to prison for the crime of journalism.
Barrett Brown has been misrepresented in the media as a spokesperson for the hacktivist collective “Anonymous.” After some of the worst charges were dropped, Barrett entered a guilty plea to 3 counts for which he was sentenced to 63 months in prison on January 22nd, 2015.
Besides the usual poking fun at the federal government which you’re used to from this radio show, on this episode “Pursuit of Happiness Radio” spoke with Barrett on the telephone in his federal prison located just outside of San Antonio, Texas. He talked about his trial, life in prison and the current state of free speech laws in America.