WikiLeaks - No Secrets: Julian Assange's Mission for Total Transparency

A rapid of change in the way of how people are communicating is sweeping around the world. The advancement spread of weblogs, social Medias and online optional Medias are rapidly changing the way of how people are obtaining and being informed on the current events that are happening. More and more people are turning down on newspapers and televisions. Came along the new generation age of the Internet, WikiLeaks and their operations of releasing secret government documents has clearly changed the setting of the media. We are now in the age of the WikiLeaks.

Lately, with the whistle blower website of WikiLeaks, this has been thrusting around the world with two releases on separate note regarding on classified documents of the US government. The first document released was a video footage from the Apache gunship attack back in Baghdad in 2007. The second released was considered one of the largest ever military leak in the history regarding on the US and Afghanistan war. WikiLeaks has named the thrilling 2007 footage as Collateral Murder. It was a video footage from the point of view of US army soldiers in an Apache helicopter gunning down of innocent of Iraqi civilians and as well as reporters openly on a street of Baghdad. As such controversy video has surfaced to the public, serious doubts and questions have been raised about government’s secrecy of keeping the truth from the public. The importance of transparency and also the legal and moral facts of the death of innocent civilians.

Some have against and also criticized at WikiLeaks on the release of the of war documents which has putting lives in danger war zones and have accused WikiLeaks in the political manner of editing the video footage of the Collateral Murder. Founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange stated out in an interview that WikiLeaks had purposely edited the video title, Collateral Murder and then released the edited version along with the full unedited version. Nevertheless, some found this was pure manipulation. Assange stated that the purpose of released the video is only to show the world of what war is actually like and he believes his mission only to expose justice instead of providing a record of events.

It was believed that the way of how one person edited the video, it can carefully examines the person’s reaction and as well as their position and perspective towards the matter. A controversial question has brought up regarding on the ethics of whistle blowers, whether they should be taken into legal actions for what they did. Assange commented on the statement that the answer to the question would be different depending on the side of the reality which you consider is right and a place you call home. He mentioned that the title Collateral Murder was named to the video because the disturbing images of American soldiers shooting down innocent civilians for fun will have an effect on the people.

For most people, if they were to come across when innocent people are being killed, they would actually feel such action is unacceptable and with a feeling of misery. However, as for those who are involved in the military, the deaths of innocents simply mean unavoidable “damages”. Just imagine, if in a situation where a foreign country is invading the US, killing American’s and their own loved ones, do you think they would still use the description of  Collateral Murder to their own family?

Now days the media blocks and filters the access of images and videos. People’s perception is shaped by the controlled access of words. Those words often distort reality and manipulate on the way people think and make them to believe what is wanted to be known. Assange said that a simple goal WikiLeaks is trying to achieve is to loosen up the illusion of manipulated perceptions which has been monopolized the mainstream flow of communication. It provided a path to answer many doubtful questions and assumptions by providing a new way of looking into things, in this matter, the emotional appeal of shocking to see the war in a new way.

Personally, I think WikiLeaks indeed exposed the world to a new dimension. In terms of how we look at the war, now we are faced in to two realities, collateral damage and collateral murder. Also, WikiLeaks will never die. Even if it falls apart tomorrow, the culture lives. The door has already been opened. Another will arise sooner or later. WikiLeaks is everywhere and after all, WikiLeaks is considered everyone.