On my
way home from work, while walking from my office to Grand Central Station, I
came across a public protest that demanded Julian Assange be set free, calling
him a journalistic hero. Up until now I
thought of him as a hacker, criminal, and contributor to getting Donald Trump
elected with the exposure of illegally obtained data and emails. So which one is he – or is he both?
USA Today had this to say:
“The release of a stunning trove of sensitive diplomatic cables and entire
Pentagon databases nearly a decade ago made Assange and his anti-secrecy group Wikileaks
a household name and an enemy of the American government.”
But
is that criminal activity?
The
U.S. government only unveiled a single criminal count against him, alleging
criminal conspiracy between Assange and a former Army intelligence analyst,
Chelsea Manning, who in 2010 may have cracked a password on a secret computer
network within the Defense Dept.
The
Justice Department was careful to draw the distinction that he is not being
charged for anything that he published.
So,
one can print sensitive materials, but you can’t commit a crime to get the
information.
London
already sentenced him to nearly a year in jail for jumping bail on a hacking
charge.
The
ACLU warns any prosecution of Assange by US authorities would constitute an
‘unprecedented’ breach of free speech rights.
But
where do you draw the line?
Can
anyone publish stolen information, provided they didn’t ask someone to do it –
and didn’t compensate them? Can the
“publication” of information make one a journalist even if they don’t otherwise
operate like a media outlet?
Just
what exactly is Wikileaks? In 2006, when the Australian began doing his thing, debates
ensued: Activist or journalist? It continues today, though Amnesty
International Media Awards, along with the BBC,
CNN, and Newsweek, have honored
his work.
Maybe
it’s all a moot point. Perhaps President Trump will just pardon him, since he’s
benefitted greatly from Wikileak’s making damaging emails made available from or
about the DNC and Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign.
But the press is never defined, legally, in the Bill of Rights. Is anyone -- and everyone -- the press?
But the press is never defined, legally, in the Bill of Rights. Is anyone -- and everyone -- the press?
We
think of the media in traditional forms – a newspaper, magazine, or TV news
program. But it can extend to bloggers,
podcasters, social media, newsletters and all type of digital delivery
forums. Still, we think of media as being
something specific – a trusted source for information, where an ethical code
promotes the dissemination of facts and trusted ideas, where some kind of
unbiased pursuit for the vetted truth takes place. But maybe a renegade who sporadically dumps
millions of data points on a website is a member of the media too.
This
debate reminds me of one that my high school science teacher posed about
life. He asked: Is a car alive?
We then went down a list of checkmarks. A car has a body, like a human. It performs calculations, like a person. He relies on fuel (gas vs. food). Cars get insured, like humans. Many cars have names, like humans. Cars move, like humans. They rest, like humans. It goes on and on until somewhere along the line you are able to show how a car is not human. But the argument, though it seems obvious, is not so easy to make about a car not being human or alive. The same may be true with Wikileaks.
It may resemble features of a media outlet, but a case can be made it is not a member of the news media the way Fox News, The New York Times, or even The National Enquirer are.
We then went down a list of checkmarks. A car has a body, like a human. It performs calculations, like a person. He relies on fuel (gas vs. food). Cars get insured, like humans. Many cars have names, like humans. Cars move, like humans. They rest, like humans. It goes on and on until somewhere along the line you are able to show how a car is not human. But the argument, though it seems obvious, is not so easy to make about a car not being human or alive. The same may be true with Wikileaks.
It may resemble features of a media outlet, but a case can be made it is not a member of the news media the way Fox News, The New York Times, or even The National Enquirer are.
But
even if you squint to see Wikileaks as journalism, and even if you like and
support what Assange has released, and see his efforts as a public service, the
fact is he violated the law by hacking or conspiring to hack government and
private files – no different than someone stealing someone’s diary and then
posting the contents on a Facebook page.
We can’t support breaking and entering one’s home, hacking a computer,
or using stolen evidence in a court case.
In
the end, we want the truth – and to know everything about what those in power
are up to. But the world has rules of justice
that we either accept and support – or we end all of that now and just let
anyone steal anything and post it anywhere, anytime. Journalist or not, just put out there every
bit and byte about the powerful, political, and famous.
As
much as I support freedom of speech – and desire that justice be brought to the
world – I would be happy to see Wikileakes shuttered if it exists on the basis
of hacking and criminal activity.
Assange is a fascinating figure who may do some real good or harm, who
may be a journalist, and who may also be a criminal hacker who deserves prison
time.
Catch Me At Book Expo America May 31
Don’t Forget To Give Back
Don’t some of your book proceeds to a worthy charity. Feel free to
consult these reosurces:
This nonprofit is dedicated to finding worthy giving opportunities.
This ranking system evaluates tons of charities.
Here are the 100 largest U.S. charities.
DON”T MISS THESE!!!
Some key principles to rally your book marketing around
How to write powerful, effective book advertising copy
that sells tons of books
So what is needed to be a champion book marketer?
The Book Marketing Strategies Of Best-Sellers
How authors can sell more books
No. 1 Book Publicity Resource: 2019 Toolkit For Authors
-- FREE
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.