Is there a path between taking the hit fully and alone and not divulging ?
A way to store information outside, and maybe think about it and how to use it to have an effect on policies without causing the source to suffer. Stealth hack in a way.
That sounds like the "improve from the inside" argument, e.g. keep your trap shut until you've managed to attain a position power to solve the problem you've got.
Whether or not you feel that is feasible or appropriate is, ultimately, going to require insider knowledge and experience. While I do have some experience with BAH (painfully apathetic[0]), I've never worked for the NSA so I can't say whether that is a plausible alternative to Snowden's action.
[0] - FWIW, we had a number of employees passing out promotional religious literature around the office. I'd raised some concern about it, basically should we be worried about legal trouble, and was told to keep my concerns to myself. Among the reasons I didn't last a month in that circle of hell.
A way to store information outside, and maybe think about it and how to use it to have an effect on policies without causing the source to suffer. Stealth hack in a way.