I think we have a test case for your hypothesis. The snowden disclosures started with a single court order and then the prism slide deck. Go look at the initia

I think we have a test case for your hypothesis. The snowden disclosures started with a single court order and then the prism slide deck. Go look at the initial redirections and denials about the first prism slides for a pretty good taste of where things would have stopped if that was all he put out: https://www.google.com/search?q=prism+slides+denial https://www.google.com/search?q=prism+slides+denial