Is WikiLeaks a serious journalistic enterprise or a wrecking party? The organisation had given the impression that it had been trying to be more responsible in the past month, after having been accused of endangering the lives of US troops and their helpers by releasing the Afghanistan war logs. But yesterday’s publication of a list of facilities deemed vital to US national security is a step back in the wrong direction. There is a dangerous nihilism in the refusal to distinguish between information that embarasses the powerful, and information that potentially puts lives at risk.
Home › T19 Categories › * Culture-Watch › (London) Times Editorial: WikiLeaks’ latest revelation is an invitation to kill
(London) Times Editorial: WikiLeaks’ latest revelation is an invitation to kill
Posted in * Culture-Watch, * Economics, Politics, * International News & Commentary, America/U.S.A., Blogging & the Internet, Defense, National Security, Military, Economy, Foreign Relations, Globalization, Office of the President, Politics in General, President Barack Obama, Science & Technology, Terrorism, The U.S. Government
4 comments on “(London) Times Editorial: WikiLeaks’ latest revelation is an invitation to kill”
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I checked out the list: most are commercial or communications sites, but they form part of the sensitive infrastructure of a number of countries. Some of the sensitive security sites do not feature. Nevertheless, it is irresponsible and probably damaging to the West to have released this, and in my view handing terrorists a shopping list. It is hard to see how releasing this is anything less than aiding the enemy, and very possibly putting civilian lives at risk.
We have to understand that the people releasing this information doesn’t care about the lives that are in danger, because the people in danger aren’t ‘their kind of people.’ Their attitude is, if people are hurt in the course of ‘humbling the US’ or getting out the ‘truth’ then so be it.
I’m curious why WikiLeaks continues to be so broadly titled a “whistle-blowing site?” It seems akin to calling Entertainment Tonight a whistle-blowing TV show. Perhaps occasionally it does expose misconduct, but it seems more an accident as it broadcasts other’s private business.
Don’t forget that Wikileaks only has the U.S. info because PFC Bradley Manning broke the law and violated his military security clearance. That doesn’t excuse the publication of some of this material, but the real culprit is Manning, now under military arrest.