Leak

A leak is a piece of information that is released to the press by an internal source without official institutional authority. Usually, it refers to something that comes from a government source. While technically illegal, leaks are a foundational pilar of the Fourth Estate.

It is a fine line between leakers - people in government who divulge to the media and public government Executive Branch secrets, and whistleblowers, people in government who expose government corruption.

Leakers are ususlly cited in media reports as anonymous sources, or "people with knowledge" and other such language. Leaking, as opposed to whistleblowing, is generally done to criticize policy decisions and influence Congressional action or public opinion, rather than expose outright corruption.

As noted, while leaking is illegal, cabinet secretaries, agency heads, White House and National Security Council staff, even presidents personally have been known to leak secret information, often piecemeal, as a way to shape public opinion about controversial actions of the Executive Branch. These types of leaks are often cited as "Senior officials."