This week a classified video of a US air crew killing unarmed Iraqis was seen by millions on the internet. But for some, the whistleblowing website itself needs closer scrutinyWikiLeaks is a long way from that goal, but this week it staked its claim to be the dead drop of choice for whistleblowers after releasing video the Pentagon claimed to have lost of US helicopter crews excitedly killing Iraqis on a Baghdad street in 2007. The dead included two Reuters news agency staff. The release of the shocking footage prompted an unusual degree of hand-wringing in a country weary of the Iraq war, and garnered WikiLeaks more than $150,000 in donations to keep its cash-starved operation on the road.It also drew fresh attention to a largely anonymous group that has outpaced the competition in just a few short years by releasing to the world more than a million confidential documents from highly classified military secrets to Sarah Palin’s hacked emails. WikiLeaks has posted the controversial correspondence between researchers at East Anglia University’s Climatic Research Unit and text messages of those killed in the 9/11 attacks.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/apr/10/wikileaks-collateral-murder-video-iraqAlso see:International man of mystery
The founder of WikiLeaks lives a secret life in the shadow of those who blow the whistle, writes Bernard Lagan.On the Al Jazeera television network, an overbearing host was grilling Julian Assange, one of the founders of WikiLeaks, the online drop zone for whistleblowers.Assange, an Australian who rarely makes public appearances and shuffles around the world with little more than a rucksack and a laptop, quickly dealt with his haughty inquisitor. Lean and tall with a handsome, distant face, long grey locks and dressed in a a dark suit, Assange, in his late 30s, is a commanding presence.
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/international-man-of-mystery-20100409-ryvf.html
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/international-man-of-mystery-20100409-ryvf.html
Who watches WikiLeaks?
This week a classified video of a US air crew killing unarmed Iraqis was seen by millions on the internet. But for some, the whistleblowing website itself needs closer scrutiny