In recent days, a website known as WikiLeaks has stirred up tremendous controversy regarding the release of thousands of government documents that were never meant for the public to see. As we prepare to discuss the right to privacy vs. the public's right to know in the days ahead, please familiarize yourself with the WikiLeaks debate and be prepared to discuss it in class.Katie Couric gives a brief explanation of the dilemma here. And a WikiLeaks spokesman presents the organzation's point of view in this interview with CNN.
Fair Use: www.wikileaks.org
This controversy is very touchy. If the documents are true and it is just facts, then it isn't libel, but there may be other laws from releasing government documents without their approval. It is hard to decide which side is correct.
ReplyDeleteI'm not really sure how many of those documents 'the public' really 'needs' to understand. I'm also suspicious of how he got the documents.
ReplyDeleteI can see both sides of this situation. I agree that the public needs to stay informed about what is happening in the world but I also believe that there are boundaries. I agree with Christina that it seems suspicious about how the documents were obtained.
ReplyDeleteI think that the public does have the right to know about these government documents. If there was nothing to hide, then they should not care if the documents are brought to the public's eyes. However, I do think there is a line that is crossed when the information could harm or put individuals in danger,
ReplyDeleteAlthough I think that Governments should make it a priority to share as much information as safe and possible with its citizens, there is of course a boundary that should not be crossed, as many above me have said. The trouble is, the line between to share and not to share is a tricky and blurry line. I am not even going to pretend to know the answer to that difficult question, but in my opinion, Wikileaks should have used more discretion when sharing this classified information.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that the public has a right to know their government's inner workings, but I also think it is the journalist's responsibility to make sure what they are leaking is not harmful to national security. They should use their discretion to know the difference between truly important news the public needs to hear, and the facts not everyone needs to know about.
ReplyDeleteWikiLeaks was wrong in sharing classified government documents with the rest of the world. First of all, the website obtained the information illegally. It is undisputed that the documents were obtained by high ranking government officials sharing the documents with WikiLeaksor or by someone hacking government files. Either way, both methods of obtaining classified documents violate the Espionage Act. Secondly, while the public does have a right to some of the information that was leaked, a majority of the information severely undermines American diplomatic efforts and have already caused tensions abroad. Some of the documents released are records of confidential meetings between US and foreign diplomats, information that certain countries were not supposed to know, and embarrassing statements by Hillary Clinton and other US diplomats. Their release has caused tensions on our trade with other countries as well as having placed a major strain on diplomatic efforts that may take years to repair. People all over the world do not have the right to a majority of the information in the documents. Because of this website, classified documents are now available to leaders of unfriendly nations.
ReplyDeleteThe whole unveiling of the government's secret documents seems a little far fetched and i have no respect for a person, if the accusations are true. Come on you are going to put this information you have found by hacking into government computers on a wiki site
ReplyDeleteI think WikiLeaks should not have released those documents. I understand that the public has the right to know certain information, but these documents are classified for a reason. It is a harm to peoples' lives and national security. What is there to accomplish in leaking these documents?
ReplyDeleteThe public does have a right to understand how its government and government officials function. However, the public's right to know has to be balanced with public safety and the right to privacy. Specific information must be treated extremely carefully and perhaps is not appropriate for public consumption if its release will jeopardize public safety or even important negotiations that affect our country. It is a difficult judgement call. Many in the Nixon administration did not believe information related to Watergate should have been released. However, that gave the country an opportunity to review the activity of its public officials and perhaps positively changed the way that business is conducted at the highest level of our government.
ReplyDeleteI think it is ridiculous that people would release such important and dangerous documents to the public like this. First of all, his main point was that Americans had a right to know what their government was doing. Well,the man who started this is not even American, he's Australian. Second of all, there is a reason that we have leaders in the government, because if the whole country was running the government, it would be terrible. It would be an anarchy. Lastly, these documents could seriously harm so many people's jobs, and lives. People could get angry, and it could get ugly fast.
ReplyDeleteI believe wikileaks had a right to release most of those documents, unless they specifically threatened national security or caused strains with other countries. If our government is doing something that may be considered to be frowned upon, it is the citizens right to know about it despite the consequences there may be for those certain officials.
ReplyDeleteObviously, there are two sides to hte story. On one hand, the public ought to be informed of the government's mishaps. But of the other, confidential secrets are meant to stay confidential. I believe personally that WikiLeaks should be shut down. It's very interesting that they can manage to attain these documents, but if the government didn't want us to know about a few things, I think it's alright. But also, if the government did commit a crime, the public should know. It's very hard to choose a side.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that WikiLeaks should of put this information on their website. It is official government information, and there is nothing on it that is absolutely necessary that the public has to know. Some things are meant to be private, and are meant to stay private, so it does not harm other people.
ReplyDeleteWiki leaks was out of line in publishing classified and potentially harmful information, especially because it was obtained illegally. Even though the public has a right to know some government information, much of the released information is of a sensitive nature. This information was kept secret for a reason. Only certain government employees in certain government agencies had access to this information. It could put lives in harm's way and threaten relations with other countries.
ReplyDeleteI think the release of information to the public is definitely a gray area as is the arrest of the wiki leaks founder. However, if the allegations against him are true, I think he should be convicted for those crimes. I am curious as to whether or not those crimes were made up in an attempt to shout him down or if they are true.
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