WikiLeaks is gossip, not whistleblowing

[MB_722]

Exposing purposeful deceit is critical in a democracy. The legislature and the citizen must be able to make decisions based on reality, not a version manufactured by the executive.

Past exposures of cover-ups freed us from conspiracy, some of it criminal.

The Pentagon Papers was a leak of critical secret information that proved the Johnson administration had knowingly falsified information to engineer support in Congress for a ramped-up war in Vietnam. Daniel Ellsberg was prosecuted and unfairly targeted for his actions.

FBI agent Mark Felt revealed the Nixon administration’s systematic involvement in the Watergate break-ins and the resulting cover-up. He kept his identity secret, posing as the secret source Deep Throat and avoided the persecution Ellsberg faced.

In many cases, systems are set up to protect these whistleblowers in making their disclosures, and prevent Ellsberg-style recriminations. For instance, here is the system in the U.S. Defence Department.

And here is the “disclosure of wrongdoing” process in the Ontario government.

It is moral and just to release information that blows the whistle on wrongdoing that jeopardizes lives or subverts democracy.

However, the latest WikiLeaks release is not protecting the public interest. This is not proof that the government is conspiring to mislead Congress. It shows no evidence that this secrecy puts lives at risk.

In fact, the release may jeopardize lives and certainly undermines Western diplomatic intelligence-gathering, with no real gain in understanding of the world. In short, it fails to meet any of the basic tests of whistleblowing.

It is gossip-mongering of the kind seen on TMZ or Perez Hilton, except about government figures instead of celebrities. It is the equivalent of photographing a private wedding from a helicopter, and selling the results to People.

As David Weigel notes on Slate, “so far I am seeing lots of snigger-worthy diplomatic talk that the authors would not use in public, but nothing that reveals official lying or information that was concealed before last night.”

Instead, we learn that Prince Andrew has private opinions about certain law-enforcement agencies.

We learn that South Korea considers the Chinese reaction to hypothetical Korean unification.

We learn that Russian Prime Minister Vladamir Putin and Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi are both vain and power-hungry, and may be co-ordinating to form an “axis of jerks.”

In other words, not a lot of news. Just a lot of gossip.

The unguarded opinions of diplomats are interesting and occasionally hilarious, but the release is not whistleblowing.

It’s the opposite.

It is leaking for the sake of leaking. It is being done out of an ideological belief that all government secrets are always bad. And it demonstrates exactly the reason why we have secret documents.

Diplomats and other experts must be free to speak truth to power and give their true advice on the world.

If experts believe their opinion will be released and open to public airing, those opinions will be pinched, limited or even kept silent. We as citizens lose the expertise of people in a position to call it like they see it. Instead, we can fall victim to groupthink and rose-coloured glasses.

And that is a dangerous place that can lead to lost opportunity, declining influence and even war.

Obviously, there are the additional obvious risks to diplomatic sources.

I can imagine a lot of sources suddenly got amnesia this morning, especially those who are valuable because they actually know what is going on from a unique perspective.

The WikiLeaks argument of negotiating the terms of redaction are absurd: “Tell us who is especially vulnerable, because we have really demonstrated our trustworthiness so far.”

Ask yourself how you would feel if someone called and said, “I found your wallet and I’ll send it back if you give me your PIN number first.”

But those risks are relatively minor, compared to the impact on geo-politics.

Today, national leaders of other countries will provide less information to Americans and the West generally, fearing it will become public.

Take Saudi Arabian, United Arab Emirate and Egyptian opinion that Iran's President is "another Hitler." These leaders will face abrogation not only from Iran but from some within their own country over siding with Israel against another Muslim country.

If the criticism becomes strong enough within government and power structures, they could have to alter their positioning publicly and privately to compensate, making concessions to Iran to demonstrate solidarity.

And that is bad for the world.

It weakens the prestige and attraction of the very democratic institutions Mr. Assange claims to be supporting, at just the time when another model of state-operating is becoming fashionable.

The "Beijng Model" offers national leaders all the growth and economic vibrancy of the West, without that pesky democracy and human-rights stuff. Oh, and without the possibility of your diplomatic cables becoming public.

The truth can set you free. But not in the cases where discretion and secrecy actually keeps us safe and allows the experts to do their jobs well.

I applaud whistleblowers for the risks they take and the impact their actions have. Mr. Ellsberg and Mr. Felt – among the legion of others – should be heroes.

But WikiLeaks is not whistleblowing. It is the opposite.

Thanks to WikiLeaks, the diplomatic world is slightly less safe and considerably less frank. That impacts us all.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/second-reading/andrew-steele/wikileaks-is-gossip-not-whistleblowing/article1817502/

[MB_722]

got this from the rogan board.

Put your tin foil hats on real quick. Is Wikileaks a government front?

They release "sensitive" information that doesn't really tell us a whole lot and doesn't really endanger anyone, but claim it does as a propaganda tool to get support for being able to control what's posted on the Internet.

Total speculation, but plausible.

Does the US not have any bigger secrets than petty gossip about other world leaders??

Theory on wikileaks, adds to the inside job theory.
What if it's all a big set up to scare bloggers from going to far with free speach. Its how governments have chosen to play the technology against itself. Let a hit go viral. They set up a straw man as an illustration. Assange becomes a real clear example of what will happen if anyone wants to take on the establishment. The hit on this guy is convienantly trumped up and transparent. Probably for a good reason. The last load of information leaked were embarrassing but not so damaging.

[MB_722]

link from where I got those two quotes

Wikileaks.com domain is down for the count v. DDOS by US GOV

http://forums.joerogan.net/showthread.php?t=124559

[George Whorewell]

Nonsense. Exposing our allies behind the scene from both a military and diplomatic standpoint is not gossip or whistleblowing. It's a treasonus and cowardly act worthy of execution.

[Hedgehog]

I can tell you this much.

Wikileaks latest leak has exposed hard facts about weapon affairs between Sweden and Norway.

Exposed how Norway essentially tricked Sweden.

Also, it has exposed how political parties from both sides in Sweden have been reaching out to USA, even though Sweden is technically, supposedly, neutral.

I think this type of information leaking out to the public is extremely important.

It shows that the politicians, elected officials are NOT doing what they were elected to do.

You call this Gossip?

A few days ago you posted about how Wikileaks was some "Psyops".

You have very little credibility right now IMO.

[240 is Back]

in a world where the leading GOP challenger to Obama delivers daily reactive emotional outbursts limited to 140 character tweets...

Does anythng surprise anybody anymore?

[George Whorewell]

in a world where the leading GOP challenger to Obama delivers daily reactive emotional outbursts limited to 140 character tweets...

Does anythng surprise anybody anymore?

Are you suffering from a recently acquired mental illness or have you always been this retarded?

[240 is Back]

i agree with ya that assange should be pinkmisted. 

i'm just saying, as i wake up and watch the news.... I see the american media repeating secret info leaked from our govt.  I see Palin has moved up to #1 in some polls over romney.  I see obama still near 48 approval.

I'm no longer baffled by the insanity of it. 

[Fury]

i agree with ya that assange should be pinkmisted. 

i'm just saying, as i wake up and watch the news.... I see the american media repeating secret info leaked from our govt.  I see Palin has moved up to #1 in some polls over romney.  I see obama still near 48 approval.

I'm no longer baffled by the insanity of it. 

His approval was 43 last week, not 48. And your obsession with Palin is starting to look unhealthy. I don't think you talk about anything else at this point.

[240 is Back]

His approval was 43 last week, not 48. And your obsession with Palin is starting to look unhealthy. I don't think you talk about anything else at this point.

He was 47 just two days ago.  Down to 45 today.  he got the WIKI bump.

And your obsession with Palin is starting to look unhealthy. I don't think you talk about anything else at this point.

I'm a registered repub and dole, W, W voter. 

Palin will mean a thune (now #3 by intrade!!) won't be able to beat obama.

And she's in the news 24/7 now.  She's the opposing force to obama. She is.

[Soul Crusher]

Poor 240.

[dario73]

Wikileaks is about to die:

LONDON –  Wikileaks struggled to stay online Friday as corporations and governments moved to cut its access to the Internet, a potentially crippling blow for an organization dedicated to releasing secret information via the web.

The American company that directed traffic to the website wikileaks.org stopped late Thursday after cyber attacks threatened the rest of its network. WikiLeaks responded by moving to a Swiss domain name, wikileaks.ch -- and calling on activists for support. Two companies host the Swiss domain name, one of which is in France. The other is in Sweden.

On Friday, France moved to ban WikiLeaks from French servers. The French government has been one of numerous administrations embarrassed by the frank assessments of U.S. diplomats and their sources in a flood of cables released by Wikileaks in cooperation with major newspapers in several countries.

Industry Minister Eric Besson says it's "unacceptable" for French servers to host the site, which "violates the secret of diplomatic relations and puts people protected by diplomatic secret in danger."

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is also under pressure as Sweden seeks his extradition in an investigation of sex-crimes allegations against him.



I don't mind whistleblowers. But, this is not whistleblowing. Not when it's done to destroy foreign relations and puts our soldiers in danger as it did with their earlier 'leaks".

[240 is Back]

I don't mind whistleblowers. But, this is not whistleblowing. Not when it's done to destroy foreign relations and puts our soldiers in danger as it did with their earlier 'leaks".

Good call.  If they put a single witness or agent name out there, they desrve to be shut down or worse.