The catch-22 here is that revealing specific details might both "aid the enemy" and aid ordinary people to protect their privacy. Because the government only cares about the former, any appeal to the merits of the latter will fall on deaf ears. The Guardian & NYT know this and the pertinent individuals don't want to end up in court getting the Manning treatment.

The government wanted to use its treatment of Manning to deter leaking of future information, and it has already succeeded in doing so here. It's rule by intimidation, making our government little more than a well organized mafia.