Wikileaks have been an ongoing conversation in my Broadcast Journalism class this year. They touch on current events, journalism, first amendment rights, and technology – what a great combination of topics! What’s more, the students were actually interested, and I was surprised to find out how knowledgeable they were on the subject matter.
For anyone who's not following the story, CNN reported "FBI Director Robert Mueller said Thursday that secret government surveillance programs disclosed by leaks of classified information have been conducted in adherence with the U.S. Constitution and federal laws." (CNN, 2013) Basically, the government surveillance programs claim it's a matter of national security to collect personal information, including telephone and computer records. These government acts were the topic of recent Wikileaks, which the government claims actually hurt national security.
During our discussions, my students fell on both sides of the debate - both disagreeing and agreeing with the program. They debated on the journalistic aspect of the Wikileaks in whether or not this should have been disclosed to the public, and again they saw pros and cons. They also focused on the fact that technology is what makes this all possible. That is one element they ALL agreed on, and I do as well.
As technology continues to grow by leaps and bounds, so will the ability for the government, and maybe even private sectors, to track down private information. The debate over whether or not this is ethical will continue. Wikileaks will no doubt continue as well. What do you think?
Cohen, T. “FBI director, congressional leaders defend data mining.” CNN.com. Web. Retrieved 13 June 2013. <http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/13/politics/nsa-congress-mueller/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29&utm_content=Google+Reader>
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