Week 6-Wikileaks and Transparency

 We are the fourth estate.

Since 2006, the media organisation Wikileaks has been publishing online but it was not until the year of 2010 that they really made their mark.

Why? As discussed in class, the 'Collateral Murder' was a video released that contained some really confronting footage of US soldiers indiscriminately firing at innocent civilians on the ground. That was including two children.

A key term that continued to be brought up is 'Transparency'  which has raised more questions as journalism moves into the digital age.

What does Transparency mean? It's a "normative construct that is linked inextricably with public accountability and justification of practice" (Mier, K 2009). Ziomek states that transparency is needed for "enhancing public knowledge and engagement that demystify journalistic practices and clarify journalistic values" (2005, p8).  


This is why we need Wikileaks :

 SMH journalist, Phillip Dorling even refers to Wikileaks as a "transparency group" who has recently leaking information on the global surveillance industry.
Companies are now investing in spying technology able to detect encryption and what people are using their internet data on. Privacy problem?

Read the article here.

Personally, I find transparency to be a complicated topic and one that should be addressed. What Wikileaks is doing by leaking government documents, footage etc is informing the public of what governments are hiding.
If anything, we need to up hold journalistic values and not allow any government/corporations/institutions dissuade us from doing our jobs.

Sources: 

Dorling, P 2013, 'WikiLeaks releases documents on global surveillance industry', 5 Sept 2013, Sunday Morning Herald, viewed on 5 Sept 2013.
 http://www.smh.com.au/it-pro/security-it/wikileaks-releases-documents-on-global-surveillance-industry-20130904-hv1m6.html

 Mier, K 2009, Transparency in journalism: credibility and trustworthiness in the digital future, online pdf, viewed on 5 Sept 2013.
http://www0.caerdydd.ac.uk/jomec/resources/foj2009/foj2009-Meier.pdf

Why We Need  Wikileaks 2013, The Wikileaks Channel, Youtube, viewed 4 Sept 2013.
Url:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krEsVDPdh-4&feature=share&list=TL5hG0rQpMnBo