The price of freedom

The Web site Wikileaks has shaken American diplomacy to disclose secret documents about the war in Afghanistan and the Iraq War, besides exposing the views of the U.S. State Department on several world leaders and the policies pursued by each. The organization created in Sweden in 2006, presents itself as a self-regulated site with the aim of publishing secret information of world politics.

                                      

According to the site, the information is obtained through the donation of documents to Wikileaks correspondents around the world, and the portal have the participation of Chinese dissidents, journalists and volunteers from countries such as Taiwan, Australia, South Africa, United States and the nations of Europe.

Among the most important revelations of the site are a copy of a guidance manual for the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the video "Collateral Murder," which shows an Apache helicopter, from the U.S. military, killing 12 people in Iraq, including two Reuters journalists in 2007.

The site's creator, Paul Julian Assange, was arrested on charges of sexual crimes.Protesters across the world demanded the release of Assange, claiming that the arrest of the journalist is actually a form of censorship of Wikileaks. The site has being suspended, and remains in online thanks to mirrors and other platforms on the Internet in different countries.

The organization is an important tool for the full exercise of press freedom worldwide.The arrest of the founder of the site shows that the great democracies still use tricks to contain any threat against the interests of world powers. A true example of the expression "the ends justify the means."

The public has a right to know the truth behind the controversial moves by many governments.The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, obviously, hide grotesque truths that undermine the military authorities and the Republican Party. Any new data that clarifies the Americans about the real reasons for the invasion and what practices were used in conflicts is a major contribution to the understanding of fuzzy episodes of world history.

According to the site, the information is obtained through the donation of documents to Wikileaks correspondents around the world since the portal with the participation of Chinese dissidents, journalists and volunteers from countries such as Taiwan, Australia, South Africa, United States and the nations of Europe.

Among the most important revelations of the site are a copy of a guidance manual for the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the video "Collateral Murder," which shows an Apache helicopter, the U.S. military, killing 12 people in Iraq, including two Reuters journalists in 2007.

The site's creator, Paul Julian Assange, was arrested on charges of sexual crimes.Protesters across the world demanded the release of Assange, claiming that the arrest of the journalist is actually a form of censorship of Wikileaks.  The site had suspended its rule, and remains in the air thanks to mirrors on other platforms on the Internet in different countries.

The organization is an important tool for the full exercise of press freedom worldwide.The arrest of the founder of the site shows that the great democracies still use tricks to contain any totalitarian threat against the interests of world powers. A true example of the expression "the ends justify the means."

                                 

The public has a right to know the truth behind the controversial moves by governments.The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, obviously, hide grotesque truths that undermine the military authorities and the Republican Party. Any new data that clarifies the Americans about the real reasons for the invasion and what practices were used in conflicts is a major contribution to the understanding of fuzzy episodes of world history.

 However, secrecy is also fundamental to political ties, has in diplomatic relations, for example. At the risk of leaking vital information from anywhere in the government, an administration will be forced to shield their assets to preserve the diplomatic arena and their state secrets.

Press freedom is the primary requirement for good journalism. Transparency is fundamental to good government. A site like Wikileaks should publish what is of extreme importance to society. Documents and images of war that link military mistakes are essential materials for publication. But little information as personal opinions of one president over another is useless to the reader. In other words, does not please anyone except those who entertain with it.

Assange, who was released on bail, was the victim of political persecution, paying a high price for the right to publish whatever he wanted. We can only hope that the portal, and similar sites that may arise in the future, filter the information by relevancy criteria to be published. And never a man to be taken to jail for speaking the truth. This is the ideal of every journalist.

Photo: VentureBeat