#1: WikiLeaks

The following is a response to http://parklaw.blogspot.com/ 's post "WikiLeaks"

Julian Assange 

(Founder & Editor-in-Chief of WikiLeaks)

Julian Assange, founder and editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks, has recently received much attention for the actions of his organization.  Global attitudes differ as to the acceptance of his behaviour. While, those who are “pro-WikiLeaks” believe in the public’s “rights to freedom of information expression and truth”, others maintain strongly opposed to his “unlawful” approach to obtaining and releasing information which could possibly be more harm than good.

The extraordinary new facet of media production and dissemination facilitated by founder and Editor-in-Chief, of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, has received much international attention; forms of both acceptance and rejection have occurred.  This non-profit organization has received both support and disapproval for its methods of accessing government documents which are said to be of both anonymous and credible background, and for publishing these sources as a new practice news media for the entirety of the world’s population to access. Global attitudes differ as to the organizations actions. While there are those who are “pro-WikiLeaks” who believe in the public’s “rights to freedom of information, expression and truth”, others maintain strongly opposed to his “unlawful” approach to obtaining and releasing information of a previously confidential nature, as this information could possibly do more harm than good.

After hearing the ideas presented by both pro and anti WikiLeaks perspectives at http://www.thedohadebates.com/debates/player.asp?d=90, in addition to further research, I have briefly compiled the information pertaining to both arguments.

There are numerous reasons as to why individuals have decided to support Assange and his organization. Some of the advantages of his organization are as follows:

·         Anti-war movement; those who have been following his news have taken a strong and unrelenting attitude against war

·         Empowering citizens to think, act and make decisions for themselves, instead of immediately lending their support to their leaders

·         Increased accountability for leaders

·         Ability for citizens to avoid the information provided by the mainstream media as misinformation frequently tends to occur within its broadcasts as it is strongly influenced by the government  

·         Fear of the government causes citizens to broaden their perspective of the “news” and seek comfort in the reports of anonymous journalists and news reporters refuting mainstream media

There are also a variety of reasons as to why individuals disapprove of Assange and his organization. Some of the disadvantages of his organization are as follows:

·         Some of the information released may only represent one perspective or may be incomplete in additional to potentially false information held by the government

·         Some of the information could jeopardize the security of individuals on an international scale

·         Could cause governments to be overthrown and chaos to occur

With that said, my stance on WikiLeaks is undecided. I currently suggest that although there are many advantages to this organizations attempt to provide citizens with an alternative form of media which distributes information which they have the right to access, there are a number of detriments which could arise as a result of this and they must be considered. I am afraid that the flaws of this organization may outweigh the advantages, and although I am completely in support of offering alternatives of mainstream media, there must be some precautions taken in order to ensure that the safety and privacy of humans are not overlooked.