> Rogue government officials who break the law and abuse their power to target private citizens should not be able to remain anonymous and free from consequences simply because they launder their unlawful conduct through a reporter.

Following this logic, whistleblowers are only protected if their whistleblowing follows the law (I sure hope national security law or employment contracts would never provide cover to make any disclosure illegal), and/or no "private citizen" is affected by the leaks.

In other words, they are not protected, ever, and you can always be forced to disclose your sources.