When I saw the title, I thought he had died. It (the title) sounds oddly like an obituary. Or is the title meant to reflect the change of perception (from "traitor" to "whistle-blower")?
I interpreted it as the latter, and I actually really like it. Since this whole thing started, there's been a lot of debate about whether he's a patriot or a traitor. Without even reading the article, I think that headline is the clearest, boldest statement the NYT could make about where they fall on that question.