Yes, WikiLeaks has jumped from the top of the Everest right into the deep ocean´s surface and brought a trove of the United States diplomatic cables (Cablegate). And, it has created a tsunami raising serious questions in the world of journalism and in international diplomacy: 1) Will Cablegate change American diplomatic relations with the rest of the world? 2) Is WikiJournalism a new model of journalism?
Although the tsunami shock´s consequences will keep on coming in the years to come – starting from now – two things are certain: One, America has suffered serious political damage and the world will no longer be frank to US diplomats like before at least for a long time. Two, WikiJournalism has left the journalism world divided.
Nikki Usher at the Harvard´s Nieman Journalism Lab asserts that the recent WikiLeaks action has made everyone a winner – traditional media and non-traditional journalism and, most importantly, the public. "It shows the power of one person to change the conversation in a way never before possible. WikiLeaks reinforces the importance of establishing a trove of documents so anyone can make their own interpretations."
As WikiLeaks "responsibly" chose to collaborate with the selected mainstream media organizations like The New York Times (US), The Guardian (UK), Der Spiegel (German), it certainly shows the power of collaboration between mainstream news and non-legacy forms of news content, production, and distribution.
But, an Economist blogger M S has accused WLeaks of "degenerating into gossip". M S defends the diplomatic cable as part of the nature of human communication that one doesn´t always say the same thing to every audience. "There´s nothing wrong with this. It´s inevitable. Making cables public is not a socially worthy activity. At this point, what WikiLeaks is doing seems like tattling: telling Sally what Billy said to Jane. It´s sometimes possible that Sally really ought to know what Billy said to Jane, if Billy were engaged in some morally culpable deception. But in general, we frown on gossips."
Another blogger B G accuses WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange that he has taken advantage of the protections of liberal democracies, but refuses to submit himself to them. The blogger also challenges if Assange wants to use the libel protections guaranteed by New York State, then he should live in New York, and commit himself to all of the safety and consequences of America´s constitution. Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger has called them enemies of the American people.
The Guardian’s Simon Jenkins noted that “the job of the media is not to protect power from embarrassment.” Slate’s Jack Shafer praised them for puncturing “the prerogative of secrecy,” and another Economist blogger made a similar argument.
WikiLeaks has shared the entire secret cables with several American and European publications. The CNN and the Wall Street Journal both declined to see the documents in advance. However, The NYT – responding to the Obama Administration and readers´ objection quite eloquently – decides to publish (not all) the secrets "balancing the value of the material to public understanding against potential dangers to the national interest." The NYT writes in its note that "to ignore this material would be to deny its own readers the careful reporting and thoughtful analysis they expect when this kind of information becomes public."
"As daunting as it is to publish such material over official objections, it would be presumptuous to conclude that Americans have no right to know what is being done in their name."
The Cablegate episode will just remain a history for journalism and a big lesson for political world until WikiLeaks prevails over the existing world of laws and rules and establishes itself as devoted to professional journalism.
I believe, SO FAR, the ´opened secrets´ has just embarrassed America for ´gossiping´ and it´s trying to retain its relations with other powerful countries. Actually Iran knows what Saudi King and the international community wish for its nuclear project before its launch. Putin and Medvedev know what the political world knows: Who´s Medvedev for Putin. And, China knew that the Americans would definitely link China for Google hack. Yet it´s fascinating reading the Cablegate.
And on the other side, the journalism world has been divided with hails and hates over WikiJournalism. A New York University journalism professor Jay Rosen hashed out by saying "watchdog press has died, and what we have today is a stateless news organization WikiLeaks instead." Evidently, WikiLeaks does not exist by laws and practical culture of any country. It is of internet. It does not obey laws of any nation. And, at the moment, it has punctured the hold of power by holding secrets.
After BP´s oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the ´gossip´ spill has put America in a serious situation once again. The digital age´s practice and principle says once anything or anyone gets digitized, it´s vulnerable to be exposed in the world. This is what happened currently to the US diplomatic cable and Paris Hilton (private sex tape scandal) in the past and the Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Shaktikhor video tape controversy). All got leaked and made them embarrassed and worried as it damaged their images. Yet, all have to live with it. We can´t put chicks back into the egg cells.
WikiJournalism has given the political world a big lesson for sure. It has pushed both the political and journalism world into a serious discourse. Yet, the Cablegate episode will just remain a history for journalism and a big lesson for political world until WikiLeaks prevails over the existing world of laws and rules and establishes itself as devoted to professional journalism.
Even after learning that the entire cable trove has already been leaked, mounting pressures on WikiLeaks.org might become a counterproductive move for the US Administration for two reasons. Simply: 1) It´ll constrain free press and, 2) Since it´s already out in the open, the American people do have the right to know what is being done in their name.
Since the WikiLeaks founder Assange has been living a fugitive life, the existing world (of laws and rules) is yet to debate and conclude whether WikiJournalism has really shifted power of secrecy to transparency.
rajeshkc@gmail.com
Related story
Taking investigative journalism to new heights
