Wikileaks...keeping the bastards honest

Up until the 17th Century Royalty controlled the media until the Industrial Revolution bought about changes. From this change activists such as the Puritans and Karl Marx started to emerge.

 These activists provided a necessary social debate where parties argued it out in engaging debates between good and bad. The presses freedom of speech proved to be what was needed to provide a good and ethical government.

Now we jump forward to the 21^st century where personal computers and the Internet have provided a new platform for the general public to become involved in media making and partaking in a participatory culture. Wikileaks fuels this participatory culture by providing an outlet for whistleblowers. They are not causing trouble for trouble sake but providing a site to disseminate information.

 

This transparency of information I believe reduces government and corporate corruption by just being there. Knowing there is a body like Wikileaks could make people think twice about their unethical actions.

Henry Jenkins, one of the great brains of our Digital Future said

Powerful institutions and practices (law, religion, education, advertising and politics) are being redefined by a growing recognition of what is being gained through fostering – or at least toleration through participatory cultures.

 As Jenkins said social media is redefining these institutions. These institutions need to rethink their game plan or be honest and upfront. Big Brother is out there or maybe we should call Wikileaks the annoying Little Brother.  Julian Assange is not a criminal, no court of law has convicted him of any criminal act. So I believe both he and Wikileaks are practicing their civil rights as derived by Article 19 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Wikileaks).

everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

P.J Proudon, another 17th Century political / anachist was quoted as saying: To be GOVERNED is to be at every operation, at every transaction noted, registered, counted, taxed, stamped, measured, numbered, assessed, licensed, authorized, admonished, prevented, forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished ... which is a mammoth task for any government or country. So to have Wikileaks and Julian Assange around now and in the future to provide ethical auditing and to keep the bastards honest is reassuring, long live Freedom of Speech.

REFERENCES

Jenkins H, 2006. Fans, Bloggers, and Gamers: Exploring Participatory Culture Author: Henry Jenkins Publication: New York: New York University Press, cop. 2006. Viewed 20 January 2014 <www.uoc.edu/uocpapers/4/dt/eng/jenkins2.html>

Only in America, 2013. Edward Snowdon Julian Assange Do Read. Blogspot. Viewed 20 January 2014.  http://onlyinamericablogging.blogspot.com/2013/11/edward-snowden-julian-assange-do-read.html

 Proudhon PJ, P. J. Proudhon in the Revolution of 1848, Mary B. Allen The Journal of Modern History
Vol. 24, No. 1 (Mar., 1952), pp. 1-14, viewed 20 January 2014 <http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/1871978?uid=3737536&uid=2134&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&sid=21103329046911

Wikileaks, 2014. Why Wikileaks and the Media is Important, viewed 20 January 2014 <http://wikileaks.org/About.html>