Australian founder of whistleblowing website, 'WikiLeaks', Julian Assange, speaks to media after giving a press conference in London on July 26, 2010. (LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty)
92,000 cryptic reports that offer an hour-by-hour, and sometimes a minute-by-minute, look at the U.S. Army’s actions in Afghanistan were leaked this Sunday by WikiLeaks, a European news organization devoted to uncovering secrets of all kinds. The documents were shared with The Guardian, The New York Times, and Der Spiegel weeks ago, and made public in those papers, and on the Internet, on Sunday.
The picture that emerges from the tens of thousands of documents suggest that the American effort in Afghanistan is even more difficult than currently believed. And they hint at secrets not meant to be revealed, suggesting that the U.S. is responsible for more civilian casualties than previously reported. They detail the activities of a black-ops unit responsible for hunting down Taliban leaders. And they suggest Pakistani collaboration with the Taliban.
The documents have ignited a firestorm in the media about the role of information in wartime. How much can be revealed? And who gets to decide? We speak today with WikiLeaks' founder, Julian Assange.
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Comments [7]
((( http://youtu.be/results?search_query=wikileaks ))) Yearn for all countries is that the President could survive the bad and cruel hope that one day America to save the president of all America all head to a hundred years ago were now bad presidemt …. this music for people chile tobe but Chile is now in all countries Anthem is to save people’s freedom even in Iran before the Iranian leader and the anthem was translated into Persian. God help people to save America from the President that the ruthless oppression of all countries ((( http://youtu.be/watch?v=_uCC-venMtU ))) قبل از ورود امام خمینی به ایران به فارسی ترجمه وسروده شد بانام ((بر پا خیز از جا کن بنای کاخ دشمن ))…………. امید است روزی در کشور امریکا خوانده شود تا تمام کشورهای جهان از شر رئسای جمهر منفور امریکا نجات یابند. …..با تشکر از مردم کشور شیلی ……… سروش رسانه " حسن قاسمی اریان ".
I agree with Paul. The interviewers sounded a bit FOX-y, as if they had something to defend to the Aussie traitor.
It's not clear who you're talking to, Paul, but -- is that a suicide vest under your shirt?
Without the Cold War, Iraq or Afghanistan how could the government justify the existence of our weapons industry?
The very tone of your questions and the silly emphasis on the "source" (obvious to those who can read) reminds me of the Soviet-Nazi-Maoist -North Korean-Iranian propaganda machine reaction to this example of unbriddled truth which exposes the true imperialist nature of the USA. Too much risk is to be honest in the USA!
Oh, it's a crime, alright, Cougar. I strongly suspect somebody is going to be in a military brig for a very long time over this.
My question is whether Julian Assange is any different from Andrew Breitbart. I don't expect that The Takeaway will be hosting Breitbart as an intereview guest anytime soon. But let's compare:
Breitbart is a political idologue; so is Assange.
Breitbart is unhinged from any formal, professional editorial process, so is Assnage.
Breitbart is not a trained or experienced journalist; neither is Assange.
WikiLeaks operates on its own, and with its own set of editorial values, or perhaps no values at all. Same is true of Breitbart's BigGovernment.com.
So what is our "Takeaway?" That some internet renegades are preferable to others. It just depends on whose side they are on.
If this leaking of wartime information isn't a crime, it ought to be.
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