IS WIKILEAKS PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF PRESS FREEDOM?

The year 2010 saw Wikileaks making headlines as it’s actions won it both praise and criticism. WikiLeaks is an international new media non-profit organization that publishes submissions of otherwise unavailable documents from anonymous news sources and news leaks. Its website, launched in 2006, is run by The Sunshine Press. But it was until 2o10 that it gained international recognition. First came the posting of a video from a 2007 incident in which Iraqi civilians and journalists were killed by U.S. forces, on a website called Collateral Murder in April 2010. In July of the same year, WikiLeaks released Afghan War Diary, a compilation of more than 76,900 documents about the War in Afghanistan not previously available for public review. In October 2010, the group released a package of almost 400,000 documents called the Iraq War Logs in coordination with major commercial media organizations. Perhaps in it’s most controversial and bold move yet, in November 2010, WikiLeaks began releasing U.S. State department diplomatic cables. The release of these new cables from the US State department has sparked outrage from the US and has seen Wikileaks now become the target and focus of many governments. WikiLeaks and its members have seen continuing harassment and surveillance by law enforcement and intelligence organizations, including extended detention, seizure of computers, veiled threats, “covert following and hidden photography” and this has gotten worse since the release of the US Diplomatic cables. Even private organizations and companies have also been cutting off Wikileaks. It’s director Julian Assange has felt the pressure the most and has an extradition request against him approved. The US diplomatic cables are classified documents of detailed correspondence between the U.S. State Department and its diplomatic missions around the world. The contents of the cables describe international affairs from 300 embassies dated from 1966–2010, containing diplomatic analysis of world leaders, an assessment of host countries, and a discussion about international and domestic issues. They take an unaltered look and describe in detail events and incidents surrounding international affairs from 274 embassies dating from 28 December 1966 to 28 February 2010. The diplomatic cables revealed numerous unguarded comments and revelations: critiques and praises about the host countries of various U.S. embassies, discussion and resolutions towards ending ongoing tension in the Middle East, efforts and resistance towards nuclear disarmament, actions in the War on Terror, assessments of other threats around the world, dealings between various countries, U.S. intelligence and counterintelligence efforts, U.S. support of dictatorship and other diplomatic actions. While the extent of the Damage done by the cable leaks is yet to be seen, reaction to the US cable leaks has been split along two lines. Western governments have led the criticism and a wide range of efforts to undermine Wiki leaks which is paying off while News outlets, Human right organizations and left leaning Nations have praised Wikileaks and it’s director Assange.
The support for Wikileaks and the lack of crticism by several influential media organizations has raised fears that Western governments which might now begin to curtail media freedom more than ever and that this could be done in the shadows. The Diplomatic cable leak has once again spurned the debate on Press freedom. Experts argue that these leaks which gives access to information that is suppose to be secret would force the US and other western governments to begin to take black actions in order to protect their secrets. This kind of leak would not be tolerated by Russia or China who would do anything to prevent such a leak. Since 9/11, press freedom in the West has come under attack as governments argue that national security is more important than transparency. The Diplomatic cable leaks by Wikileaks only gives more credibility to this claim. In countries that have enshrined the right to free speech in their constitutions, it has until now been taken for granted that disclosures of confidential government information must be measured by the yardstick of the law. The Wikileaks saga has seen talks about limiting Press freedom for National security reasons arise again in western nations. While Julian Assange claims to have done good in publishing the diplomatic cables by claiming that it will help keep the US government in line, these so-called "legitimate and newsworthy" government secrets which entail publications of secrets that may harm national security and have substantial "value as a step to truth", it’s effects and blowback has not been fully seen. Western Governments might be forced to refrain from taking action against organizations like Wikileaks in public because of their nations Ideals and Values but what is to stop them from doing so in secret.