Saturday, November 6, 2010

WikiLeaks, The One Trick Pony?

Looking at WikiLeaks home page, you'd think they were just a one secret trick pony.  http://bit.ly/93mijT

And we all know what happens to a one trick pony--they ride off into the distance never to be heard from again. So, here's what really burns me about Julian Assange and how he is wrecking a good idea.

1) You can't find browse or find information on other "leaks" than "The Iraq War," even though there is a short list buried on the "About WikiLeaks"
2) The site mentions other leaks, but then doesn't give links to either the resulting published stories or a summary of the leak.
3) The only media friendly contacts seem to be with Al Jazeera News--nothing wrong with that, I also peek in on Al Jazeera for their news slant--but please, what other credible media/reporters are there working with WikiLeaks?
4) Julian Assange's mantra seems to be, "Any news is good PR"--but guess what, he's just destroying WikiLeaks credibility and ability to accomplish its mission.
5) WikiLeaks is fast becoming the Julian Assange personality cult.

WikiLeaks is a great idea born in a time when journalism needs it most. I also like the idea that Iceland could be its home. In order for this explosive idea to grow, here's some steps I think need to be taken:
  • Julian Assange needs to step down as the sole front man
  • WikiLeaks needs to divide, by topic, into a growing collection of leaks
  • Multiple global journalists and outlets need to be cultivated in a cooperative and collaborative fashion
  • Multi-national legal support needs to be transparent
Let's not allow a good idea, whose time has come, to end up in ashes.

No comments:

Post a Comment