Wikileaks Text

"This is not journalisim," she says. "Did they write stories, talk to sources, analyze the information, go to the government for a response or put it in context? Did they do something to inform the public about what these documents show? No."

Assange doesn't dispute that notion. He concedes that no more than about 2,000 pages of documents released this week were reviewed substantially by his own staff or those of the three news organizations that got an advance peek at the material. That, he says, is up to journalists, historians or anyone with an interest in sifting through the documents.

USA Today- July 27, 2010 Peter Eisler & Gregory Korte.

The legitimacy of Wikileaks is a concern which has direct bearing on the way the world will handle this type of information exchange. As a young adult in the United States, whether or not Wikileaks is posting valid information directly affects my view on the political processes of my country. After much digging, however, the legitimacy of Wikileaks still seems suspect. Some trusted news organizations such as the New York Times claim that the material is valid, having been vetted by their own journalists, while others like USA Today condemn the website as poorly thought out, as seen in the quote above. This question of veracity could possibly change the way I as a young voter act in politics.

The New York Times and The Guardian (London) both state that the Afghan War Logs and diplomatic cable releases seem to be genuine information. Both organizations were given access to the Wikileaks documents prior to release so that they could investigate the information and determine what was newsworthy. These are reputable news organizations, and their credibility can be trusted. But the fact that other reputable sources like USA Today are calling foul muddies the situation a bit. Who can I believe? Of course some governments are flat out denying the truth of some documents, but this is to be expected. The problem lies with finding neutral, credible sources that give the facts on whether or not Wikileaks is legitimate. So far my searches have proved disappointing and inconclusive, but I will still search.

However, after some reflection I have started to realize that in a way it doesn’t matter if the information is true or not, because it will cause a stir no matter what. People who do not take the time to review the information will take it at face value, which could cause drastic effects on the politics in the US and abroad. Governments must react to this information regardless of truth value because of potential threats to their countries.

So perhaps the real lesson to be learned from Wikileaks is that people must learn to audit the information that they receive in every case so that clear thinking can be achieved and decisions can be based on solid support. If Wikileaks turns out to be illegitimate it still teaches this lesson. If it turns out that it is legitimate, it could be the start of massive reform in government structure and practice. In a way, Wikileaks will be significant no matter what it posts.