"WikiLeaks coined a new type of journalism: scientific journalism. We work with other media outlets to bring people the news, but also to prove it is true. Scientific journalism allows you to read a news story, then to click online to see the original document it is based on. That way you can judge for yourself: Is the story true? Did the journalist report it accurately?"
At the heart of all this are the positive effects of a media priority of factual observation over ideological propagation. The Australian state might be having a change of heart, as well, about citizen Assange, having come under pressure from its other citizens.
ReplyDeleteWikiLeaks' Julian Assange and his organization are beating the ideological propagators by coming out day after day, engaging the media, showing up on Time's Top 100 poll (and recently removed, which is also telling), producing video clips of interviews with reporters from all over the world's press and internets. They're on YouTube, Facebook.
The media blitz of their work, and the release of their original docs journalism, as I call it, is important. Until now, if there weren't Assange and these leak organizations on major news channels to refute those who call their work illegal or terrorist, the average person would have been left to trust official corporate government-backed sources that propagate ideology and secrecy as bulwarks of freedom. Death counts across nations have shown them, intuitively, how that information system's been working out.
The average person, alienated from their governments until now, can access more facts and events, question, analyze and take action to make their states moral actors. People intuitively support information that secures their right to truth and facts. Knowing helps secure their freedoms; Facebook's soaring statuses show that. To hear governments cry foul now reeks of dishonesty.
States can change, however. Along with Australia's shy support, Brazil is now officially hosting direct links to WikiLeaks' 'scientific journalism.' Switzerland provides a mountain bunker for WikiLeaks servers. France? We'll see. WikiLeaks will eventually be vindicated. Good for them. Good for us.