{"id":363,"date":"2010-12-03T13:11:04","date_gmt":"2010-12-03T20:11:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?p=363"},"modified":"2010-12-05T12:39:03","modified_gmt":"2010-12-05T19:39:03","slug":"wikileaks-are-they-doing-anything-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?p=363","title":{"rendered":"Wikileaks: Are they doing anything wrong?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t

I will keep Wikileaks separate from Julian Assange, since I’m more \u00a0interested in the concept of Wikileaks than the person representing it. \u00a0I will also keep the specific content of the cables largely out of the discussion, since that is not central to my question either (btw, I didn’t find anything that damaging in what was released. \u00a0Secretary of Defense Robert Gates<\/a> mirrors my sentiments).<\/p>\n\t

Is it OK to publish secret\/private information, even if it is potentially damaging? <\/strong><\/p>\n\t

Yes. \u00a0In fact, isn’t that what freedom of the press is all about? \u00a0I know that is what the founding fathers had in mind when they drafted the 1st amendment (not the 2nd or 3rd, the 1st): To allow We the People to hold those in power accountable for their actions.<\/p>\n\t

I understand that leaking the information may have been criminal (Bradley Manning is being indicted), but obviously publishing previously leaked information is not. \u00a0In fact, Joe Lieberman\u00a0is trying to make up a law to make it illegal<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t

I suppose politicians want freedom, openness, and transparency….as long as they themselves don’t have to abide by the same principles.<\/p>\n\t

Since 9\/11 and the PATRIOT act, the ability for the government to eavesdrop on our comings and goings has been greatly broadened<\/a> (not that it wasn’t sufficient before I am sure). \u00a0I hear the argument all the time from politicians that if you have done nothing wrong you have nothing to worry about.<\/em><\/p>\n\t

Touch\u00e9 Wikileaks<\/strong><\/p>\n\t

If the government has done nothing wrong, then why are they worried about leaking their internal memos?<\/p>\n\t

The government argues that a) “diplomacy” is messy and requires secrecy, and b) that leaks of this kind may cause harm to those named in the documents.<\/p>\n\t

A) Ok. \u00a0Diplomacy is messy. \u00a0I agree. \u00a0I also agree that parties may desire secrecy. \u00a0But in a country with free press that does not mean that they will GET<\/em> secrecy; it just means they want it. \u00a0I see it as an operational failure….you couldn’t keep your information secret.<\/strong> Don’t shoot the messenger who has not broken any laws.<\/p>\n\t

B) Leaks of this kind may cause harm to those named in the documents. \u00a0Hmm….they might. \u00a0However, there is not one documented case of this ever happening due to a Wikileak. \u00a0Not one. \u00a0To shut something down and put people in jail because it MIGHT cause harm…that is as bull headed as the idea of pre-emptive war (another puzzling policy). \u00a0You can’t attack someone because they might one day have the capability to attack you….that is a recipe for eternal war. To censor information that might be harmful is a recipe for blanket censorship.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t

Additionally, suppose there were some unfortunate harm caused by the publication of the cables? That is a thorny issue; however, not one that, in a blanket, fashion says publishing the material was bad. \u00a0If we’d had a Wikileak that proved the\u00a0intelligence\u00a0used to justify the invasion of Iraq was faulty, then that would’ve caused harm to those concocting the scheme, but it would have saved harm to many others. \u00a0Remember, no one has accused Wikileaks of publishing FALSE information, just inconvenient information. \u00a0The truth may occasionally cause harm; however, history teaches us that the truth serves the average person far better than government power and secrecy. <\/strong> It is hard to argue with that.<\/p>\n\t

Finally, except in scale, how is this much different than other instances of investigative journalism with potentially harmful impact….like say Watergate?<\/p>\n\t

Didn’t the Washington Post publish harmful information about the politics of our nation? \u00a0A president got impeached and Bob Woodward got a Pulitzer Prize. \u00a0Fast forward 27 years: no one is impeached or harmed and they want to shut down Wikileaks and put Julian Assange in jail (can you get a Pulitzer Prize from jail?). \u00a0My how times have changed.<\/em><\/p>\n\t

I think the media is at least a little bit mad that they aren’t doing journalism anymore and some no name computer hacker from Australia is doing it for them.<\/p>\n\t

—- Again, if the government is not doing anything wrong, then why do they care if their internal correspondence is made public? \u00a0It would simply be boring drivel (which it largely is this time, though that might not always be the case).<\/p>\n\t

—- If they are <\/em>doing something wrong, then Wikileaks is performing a journalistic service.<\/p>\n\t

Thoughts?\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I will keep Wikileaks separate from Julian Assange, since I’m more \u00a0interested in the concept of Wikileaks than the person representing it. \u00a0I will also keep the specific content of the cables largely out of the discussion, since that is not central to my question either (btw, I didn’t find anything that damaging in what […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0},"categories":[9],"tags":[71,59],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3IMYj-5R","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":313,"url":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?p=313","url_meta":{"origin":363,"position":0},"title":"Is Racism Ok? 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