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Aaron Sorkin on Sony hack: 'Something doesn't have to be illegal to be wrong'

Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin believes the media should refrain from publishing details from the hacked emails from Sony Pictures, telling TODAY's Savannah Guthrie that it should not matter whether or not the hack was illegal."I have no idea if it's illegal or not, but something doesn't have to be illegal to be wrong, and this is plainly wrong and we all know it,'' Sorkin said on TODAY Tuesday.In an o

Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin believes the media should refrain from publishing details from the hacked emails from Sony Pictures, telling TODAY's Savannah Guthrie that it should not matter whether or not the hack was illegal.

"I have no idea if it's illegal or not, but something doesn't have to be illegal to be wrong, and this is plainly wrong and we all know it,'' Sorkin said on TODAY Tuesday.

In an op-ed published Sunday in the New York Times, the Oscar winner criticized the press for publishing the hacked emails. Company executives are seeking to reassure employees that the studio will recover from the cyberattack, which exposed internal emails and sensitive employee data. 

More from Sorkin: 

  • Comparing the Sony incident to one in September in which nude photos of celebrities surfaced online: "I thought we all did a really good job of preemptively telling the press that if you publish these things, you're being sleazy (in September). This is the exact same situation, only worse by magnitudes." 

  • On the substance of the hacked information: "Is there anything in these emails at all that's in the public interest, that points to wrongdoing at the company, that helps anyone in any way?'' Sorkin said. "There isn't. There's just gossip there."

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