Alex Gibney’s film, “We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks, ” is an interesting documentation of the case of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks, and how their activities have revolutionized the manner in which democratic nations address secrecy, confidentiality, and the right to information. Based on the movie, WikiLeaks’ mission is to publish and disseminate critical news and information that it can confirm to be factual to the public (Gibney). WikiLeaks achieves its purpose by providing a safe and an anonymous platform for whistle-blowers to leak material (WikiLeaks.org).
The mission of WikiLeaks is related to reporting in many ways. By definition, reporting is the art of publishing and distributing information to the public. It is clear from the WikiLeaks mission that the organization engages in the dissemination of critical information that would otherwise not have been brought to the public attention. For instance, WikiLeaks released a video showing United States combatants fatally shooting people from a helicopter in Iraq (Gibney). Before that, Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks published over 10 million documents containing secret information from anonymous sources (WikiLeaks.org).
It could be argued that the activities of WikiLeaks somehow relate to and affect the public’s perception of reality. For instance, a section of the public currently believes that the world is ruled by lies after WikiLeaks exposed the reality of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. For example, according to the movie, the U.S. government lied about the number of war casualties (Gibney). As much as the information might be accurate or not, it has modified the perception of what is presented as reality, as more people are now doubtful on what is reported as the truth.
WikiLeaks mission is related to information as the platform seeks to publish facts provided by whistleblowers (Gibney). Additionally, considering that any person can post information to the organization’s website, WikiLeaks mission is also connected with disinformation and misinformation. Individuals accessing the site can formulate personal opinions concerning the truthfulness of the material forwarded. Therefore, without editorial review or surveillance, there is a likelihood of posting false information, disinformation and misinformation.
However, despite emphasizing the importance of disseminating information to the public, WikiLeaks's mission statement is related to various ethical issues. For instance, ethical concerns relating to beneficence, non-maleficence, and respect for autonomy may arise. Concerning beneficence, exposing critical secret activities, for example, the war in Iraq can promote positive reforms, such as change of engagement rules and prevent future harm (WikiLeaks.org). However, when viewed from the non-maleficence principle of ethics, publishing such information could be detrimental to the public. For example, according to the U.S. Department of defense, the enemy can use the released information about the military to their advantage, thereby exposing the public to danger (Gibney). Respect for autonomy also relates well to the activities of WikiLeaks. Sources identity are kept secret, and no one is coerced to provide information. For example, Assange denied getting information from Bradley Manning.
Based on the above analysis on ethical issues, it can be concluded that WikiLeaks' activities mostly relate to some of the common ethical issues in reporting. There is a dilemma pertaining to what Assange and other WikiLeaks members are trying to achieve and the adverse consequences of releasing crucial information to the public. In other words, one can assess the morality of WikiLeaks reporting from alternative perspectives, but still, make a convincing argument.
Works Cited
We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks. Directed by Alex Gibney, Perf. Julian Assange, Bradley Manning, Adrian Lamo. 2013. Focus Features, 2013.
WikiLeaks.org. "What is WikiLeaks?" WikiLeaks, 7 May 2011, wikileaks.org/About.html. Accessed 30 Mar. 2018.
