My question: how can the same country/people/nation award a journalist the
Pulitzer Prize for exposing a story, and at the same time file charges
against the CIA operative who exposed it? Aren't we on the same side here?

No, we are NOT. The answer to your question is in your subject line:

"The press vs. the Gubmint." "Versus" is the key word.

In our democracy, the press is SUPPOSED to have an adversarial
relationship with the gubmint. This is often expressed as "the press
is the watchdog of government." That's one of the main reasons for the
First Amendment.

The press's primary function is not to tell us ball scores or who
married whom; it is to protect us from the abuse of power by those
with power.

The sad thing is that it does such a lousy job. To paraphrase one
press critic, the press is often a watchdog that merely snaps at the
government's heels, yipping and yapping, but rarely taking a solid
bite.

vince