CERL Executive Board member Shawn Turner, a former Head of Communications for the Director of National Intelligence, joined WTOP News to discuss the Pentagon document leak. According to Prof. Turner,

I see another instance in which the overclassification of documents and the degree to which we have large numbers of people who have access to classified documents has once again created a situation in which our ability to track where documents are and who has access to the documents and how documents are being moved around has one again led to a situation in which someone has not only been able to leak classified documents but to do it in a way that caused the Pentagon to not recognize for quite some time that these documents had been leaked. What I see here is another example of why we need to take a hard look at the classification process, and we really do need to tighten up the ship with regard to who has access to classified information.

Shawn Turner is a Professor of Strategic Communication at Michigan State University, and a National Security Communication Analyst for CNN. He is an established expert in communication leadership, strategy, and crisis management. As an experienced practitioner, Turner’s teaching focuses on the intersection of communication theory, and the execution of effective communication practices. Turner’s research interests include examining the role of disinformation in decision making related to civic engagement, and the use of persuasive communication strategies in extremist ideology. Turner is also a retired Marine Corps officer and has served in communication leadership roles with governmental, private sector, and non-profit organizations. Read his bio here.