Response (Week 10)

I enjoyed learning more about WikiLeaks this week. It has always been a site that I have heard about in the news and in my media law classes. It always seemed like some shadowy organization that puts on the face of a group of freedom fighters. They mysteriously would come up with classified documents from anonymous sources and post them for the world to see with little fear of the consequences. They had done some great things and some very bad things depending on how people felt about each issue. As we mentioned in class, I think the thing that bothered me most about WikiLeaks is the fact that a site that touts the banner of transparency is also a site that acts very secretive about its sources and the way it works as a whole.

It was interesting to discuss such a polarizing organization more in-depth and learn more about what the people behind it do. I liked to see the face of the WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, on the TED talk video and hear his description of the work that his group performs. Although he still came off as a slightly creepy troublemaker, it was good to put a human face on the WikiLeaks organization and hear what he had to say.

I am in favor of the idea of transparency and believe that our government does not share nearly enough with us that I believe we have the right to know. However, I was pleasantly surprised a while back when Wikileaks released the Afghanistan War Logs. I read that most of the major details of the war logs had actually been shared with the public. The things that had been kept secret were not exactly earth-shattering but they still were important, such as the fact that the insurgents had access to more powerful anti-aircraft weapons.

Although the American government has a ways to go in terms of transparency, I think that Wikileaks has, and will continue to have, a larger rule with transparency in other countries such as when they leaked information about the corruption by the family of the former Kenyan leader.

As much as I sometimes disagree with the information that WikiLeaks posts online, I have to admit that it was refreshing to hear Assange talk more about the process that his people go through to make sure that the documents that they receive are legitimate and come from a reliable source. Even when they have a good feeling about a story, but are not absolutely sure, they make sure to add a disclaimer. It is this attention to the process that I have to respect and it makes WikiLeaks seem less like a rumor-mill and more like a legitimate news source that can be (mostly) trusted. Though their methods may be questionable, they are leading the cahrge to a new era in which transparency is more widespread and “the people are watching Big Brother.”

Tags: Julian Assange, wikileaks