Social Responsibility of Journalism & Media: The WikiLeaks Controversy Professor Eric Freedman 29 September 2011 Ericinlithuania.wordpress.com
Common Themes Professional ethical standards in theory and in practice. Conflicts between multiple roles of journalists as professionals & citizens. Impact of changing communication technologies & economic models on ethical practices.
Lecture Outline Background on WikiLeaks, Julian Assange & leaked documents Ethical & legal questions Political factors Competing values of “free flow of information,” national interests and government secrets Reactions to the leaks WikiLeaks & Arab Spring Is WikiLeaks a journalistic organization? Other issues
Julian Assange
Revolution Truth: In Defense of WikiLeaks & Assange
President Dalia Grybauskaite & U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Lithuania in WikiLeaks “President Dalia Grybauskaite intervened to prevent the transfer of inmates to Guantanamo” “NATO has developed a contingency plan for the Baltic states”
Angry Response: Chief Minister Mayawati of India’s Uttar Pradesh state
Highlighting Contradictory Positions on Issues: Climate Change
U.S. Newspaper Editorial Cartoon
“Cuba will translate and publish more than 2,000 US diplomatic WikiLeaks cables that pertain to the Communist-ruled island in a bid to highlight US ‘imperialist’ policy.”
Scenes from the Arab Spring