Overview

  • Print this page

The release of a quarter of a million classified U.S diplomatic cables has been described as the biggest release of secret documents in modern history.
 
It's set off furious debate about the balance between secrecy and transparency.
 
This week Insight looks at WikiLeaks and the whistle-blowing websites that have sprung up in its wake.  
 

Add Your Comments

Currently 95 comments

Former WikiLeaks members have created 'GreenLeaks.org' and 'OpenLeaks.org', and traditional media are also getting in on the act. Al Jazeera's new 'Transparency Unit' hopes to solicit secret documents anonymously. They've already released 1,700 confidential documents about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - the so-called 'Palestine Papers'.

(GreenLeaks.org is a separate group to GreenLeaks.com).

Most agree that this is unchartered territory and the world waits for what leaks may come next. But is the leaking of secrets about greater transparency, good journalism or is it just plain treachery?

Meet the Guests

  • Daniel Domscheit-Berg

    Daniel is a former member of WikiLeaks and the founder of OpenLeaks, a new website which deals with anonymous online leaks. Once one of Julian Assange’s closest collaborators at WikiLeaks, he thinks that the world needs more websites which distribute information and encourage whistle-blowers.

  • David Sanger

    David is the Chief Washington correspondent for the New York Times. His newspaper was one of a handful that worked with Julian Assange on the release of classified U.S. documents. While covering the story, David met with U.S. State Department officials about what information should be redacted before publication.

  • Birgitta Jonsdottir

    Birgitta is an Icelandic MP and former member of WikiLeaks. Birgitta was involved in the release of the ‘Collateral Murder’ video by WikiLeaks, which depicted the killing of two journalists and some civilians in Afghanistan by a U.S. helicopter. She is behind the push to introduce new laws in Iceland which would make the country a safe-haven for publishers.

  • James Carafano

    James is a U.S. scholar on national security and international studies at the Heritage Foundation, a thinktank which promotes conservative policies. He has said that websites like WikiLeaks encourage people to commit treason. A former Lieutenant Colonel, he served in the U.S. Army for 25 years.  

  • Evgeny Morozov

    Evgeny is a visiting scholar at Stanford University who studies the impact of the internet on global politics. He believes the internet alone is not enough will lead to transparency or better government. He is the author of ‘The Net Delusion: the Dark Side of Internet Freedom’.

ADVERTISEMENT

Get Involved!

Have an idea for the show?
Tell us your idea
Join the studio audience
Register now
Get the video podcasts
Subscribe to our vodcasts
What do you think of Insight?
Send us your feedback

Coming up next week...

Are Greek citizens trying to have it both ways? They’ve lashed out at austerity measures, voting resoundingly against the political parties that support them. But at the same time, the majority say they want to stay in the Eurozone. Is the tough economic medicine the right approach? And could the backlash in Greece spread to other countries? Start the conversation here.