Journalistic Ethics & Wikileaks: Unethical
WikiLeaks is a non-profit, journalistic organization that publishes secret information, important news, and classified information by leaking information to journalists anonymously. WikiLeaks publish original source materials along with news stories, so that readers can see what is true. (Wikileaks). Julian Assange is an Australian computer programmer, publisher, and journalist. He is most well-known for his organization WikiLeaks which he founded in 2006. As the editor-in-chief of this organization he promotes classified leaks and supports these actions through anonymity.
Diplomatic cables are text messages that are confidential in which they are often exchanged between diplomatic mission, embassies, and consulates. The diplomatic cables got leaked out to the public by WikiLeaks where they began releasing diplomatic and classified cables that were previously sent to the U.S. State Department. WikiLeaks posted 220 cables in which some were redacted in order to protect the diplomatic sources of these cables.The cables contained confidential bargaining, assessments of threats, and views of foreign leaders. They also contained name of individuals in the reports. The diplomatic cables reveal secret documents. The leaked cables revealed that the diplomats of the US and Britain eavesdropped on Secretary General Kofi Annan in the weeks before the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, in apparent violation of international treaties prohibiting spying at the UN. Some of the cables revealed the Obama administration’s exchanges over crises and conflicts. (Mackey, 2010).
Wikileaks and the Cables:
Wikileaks is a website made to leak material that is classified anonymously.
These documents are controversial because they pose a threat to lives of the innocent and diplomatic relationships between the U.S. and other countries. This puts informant and military lives at risk throughout different regions that the U.S. has military action (Shane and Lauren, 2010). This also risks the relationships that have been built over the years with countries who ally the U.S. as well as those who pose a threat to national security. The documents release information that covers conversations between diplomats that are not meant to be seen by anyone who was not already a part of the conversation causing tension between the parties.
The Role of the New York Times:
It is controversial because they are posting information that is classified by the United States government. The government never released the information for use by the New York Times and it contains information that could be harmful to the civilians and the war effort in itself (Lander and Goodman, 2010). The reasoning the New York Times has given for reporting on these leaked cables are , “that transparency is not an absolute good. Freedom of the press includes freedom not to publish, and that is a freedom we exercise with some regularity (Schmitt 2010). That is why [the New York Times] have withheld from publication a good deal of information in these cables that, on our own and in consultation with government officials, we believed could put lives at risk or could harm the national interest,” and decided either “to ignore the secret documents, knowing they would be widely read anyway, picked over, possibly published without removal of dangerous information, probably used to advance various agendas; or, to study them, put them in context, and publish articles based on them, along with a carefully redacted selection of actual documents. [They] chose the latter course.”The New York Times carefully scaled the costs of their publication choices. After much review and speculation they chose to publish the stories they analyzed and in the context that they had best seen fit for the safety, understanding, and legality of all parties involved.
Why Leaking is Unethical:
Under executive order I3526, it is unethical to leak classified government data. Although the idea of giving public access to all material and information documented by the government has reason, the consequences of disclosing classified information outweigh the benefits. The executive order states that keeping data classified promotes protection of citizens and democratic institutions, security of the homeland, as well as maintains alliances and interceptions between foreign governments. Standards and procedures under this executive order establish many levels of authority, categories, and the durations of classification in order to maintain security and international affairs. Without these standards relations between countries would be strained, lives could be at risk, and the exposure of high stake international affairsIt is unethical for this data to be released because of the risk that they pose. This world requires secrets in order to function properly and to keep key relationships when it comes to treaties and peace. Leaking these documents allows locations of military actions and the potential informants to be compromised and put at risk. Not only does it bring stress on the politics of foreign diplomacy but it also puts stress on how our government. There also is a difference between transparency and accountability. Wikileaks releases these documents but has no idea what is going on behind the scenes. The video posted on YouTube called Collateral Murder which shows footage of a helicopter shooting at what seems to be civilians, this video just like most news catches the public's eye because of the graphic content. What isn't stated or shown anywhere on the video is that it was already under investigation by the military which means that there is a question about the reasoning for the shots being fired. This causes the public to question military tactics and reasoning when it is under question for not being justified. The documents turn civilians who do not know how or want to educate themselves on the subject against their government and protective forces. Brian Manning, now Chelsea Manning was convicted of espionage and is spending the next 35 years in U.S. disciplinary barracks in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Lander, Mark. Goodman, David. 2010. “Clinton says U.S. Diplomacy will survive attack.” Retrieved January 16, 2016 (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/30/world/30reax.html)
Wikileaks. 2011. “What is Wikileaks.” Retrieved January 16, 2016.
(https://wikileaks.org/About.html)
Shane, Scott. Lehren, Andrew. 2010. “Leaked Cables Offer Raw Look at U.S. Diplomacy.” Retrieved January 16, 2016 (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/world/29cables.html?_r=0)
New York Times. 2010. “Answers to Readers’ Questions About State’s Secrets.” Retrieved January 16, 2016 (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/world/29askthetimes.html)
Mackey, Robert. 2010. “WikiLeaks Reports Attack on Its Web Site.” Retrieved January 16, 2016 (http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/28/wikileaks-reports-attack-on-its-web-site/#more-89253)
Schmitt, Eric. 2010. “In Disclosing Secret Documents, WikiLeaks Seeks Transparency.” Retrieved January 16, 2016 (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/world/26wiki.html)
