At least the decades-long civil rights campaigns that MLK Jr., X and others were part of led to actual demonstrations, wide-scale public unrest and finally, major legislative changes.
Compared to that, the Wikileaks, Snowden leaks and Panama Papers revelations have resulted in tumbleweeds.
As it turns out, fleeing the country and hiding in your nations nominal rival is no way to start a grassroots campaign to thwart civil injustice.
Snark aside, King wanted to lead a movement and take all the associated risks with it. In the end, history showed us that he would become a martyr before seeing his goals met.
I can’t fault Snowden, for wanting only to blow the whistle then immediately seek personal safety.
King was fighting against non technical, publicly understood, explicit interpretations of laws carried out by local/state police.
Snowden was/is fighting against secret interpretations of laws dealing with highly technical subject matter carried out by secret police seeking national security on a global scale.
Moreover, remember that as soon as King spoke out against the national security state in his Beyond Vietnam speech, a great many of his supporters abandoned him and the secret police drastically ramped up their campaign to neutralize him; he was assassinated exactly 1 year later.
Compared to that, the Wikileaks, Snowden leaks and Panama Papers revelations have resulted in tumbleweeds.