WikiLeaks Saves Journalism, But Who Will Save WikiLeaks?
If you don't know what WikiLeaks is, it is time you learned.
The Sunshine Press (WikiLeaks) is an non-profit organization funded by human rights campaigners, investigative journalists, technologists and the general public. Or, as Technorati put it 'WikiLeaks acts as the internet's Fort Knox for the whistleblowers of the world. The site hosts and safeguards secret documents from a variety of sources'
In short, it is a truly free media organization, one that does not exist for the purpose of creating advertising revenues. It receives its funds from the public, not from politicians, lobbyists and soap manufacturers. In the past, WikiLeaks has been responsible for exposing corrupt policies in connection human rights violations in China, political corruption in Kenya and US detainee policies. It has won awards including the 2008 Index on Censorship-Economist Freedom of Expression Award as well as the 2009 Amnesty International New Media Award and those who run the site are currently in trouble of the potentially dead and detained kind after allegedly decrypting a US Military video that shows journalists and other innocents being killed.
In the last 24 hours, their Twitter feed has contained some worrying content.
- WikiLeaks to reveal Pentagon murder-coverup at US National Press Club, Apr 5, 9am; contact press-club@sunshinepress.org
- WikiLeaks is currently under an aggressive US and Icelandic surveillance operation. Following/photographing/filming/detaining
- If anything happens to us, you know why: it is our Apr 5 film. And you know who is responsible.
- Two under State Dep diplomatic cover followed our editor from Iceland to http://skup.no on Thursday.
- One related person was detained for 22 hours. Computer’s seized.That’s http://www.skup.no
- We know our possession of the decrypted airstrike video is now being discussed at the highest levels of US command.
- We have been shown secret photos of our production meetings and been asked specific questions during detention related to the airstrike.
We have airline records of the State Dep/CIA tails. Don’t think you can get away with it. You cannot. This is WikiLeaks.
Wikileaks has come under criticism in its short life as being an enemy of several states (the truth often is the enemy of a state) and also because in the past, WikiLeaks operated by posting documents and then, in true Wikistyle, adding corroborating material and analysis after the fact. WikiLeaks is now changing its approach to receiving secret documents, employing investigative journalists to investigate and posting stories if they emerge.
WikiLeaks is what many of the founding fathers and mothers of the information age wished for. If you're tired of santized, spun news designed to do nothing but wind you up into a frenzy of fear and confusion and to link your political affiliation to your purchasing power, converting you from a free human being into a drooling economic unit, then WikiLeaks is an effort you might want to consider supporting. Freedom of information is out there, but it comes at a cost.
