McNulty
Tim McNulty, who co-directs the National Security Journalism Initiative, shared his views on WikiLeaks via a guest essay on CNN.com.
Journalism and national security have survived decades of lies; both can handle a little unexpected truth.
“I know there is risk in having these illegally obtained insights into government discussions and calculations, but we should not allow others to use this to attack a free media or to create more government secrecy.” Giving government secrets and classified documents to a nation’s enemies or even its allies is certainly against the law. We’ve always called it spying.
Now the equation is changed and people who approve giving purloined documents to the wide electronic world call it transparency. Others, who oppose WikiLeaks’ release of diplomatic cables Sunday, are calling it an act of terrorism to be met with full government sanctions.
The sober side of me knows that putting the entire archive of a quarter-million State Department documents online can be harmful and potentially dangerous for national security. Yet the news reader — the citizen — in me also finds it immensely satisfying to learn what government leaders are really saying compared with the official statements, releases and communiqués that often masquerade as government information. . . . (Continue reading on CNN.com.)
