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Wikileaks and the Role of Academia
Scholars of journalism, political science and international affairs discussed the impact of the publication of secret diplomatic cables in Wikileaks and the news media in a December 15 panel at SIPA.
Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger began by citing the Supreme Court case on the Pentagon Papers in 1971, which established that journalists were allowed to publish classified information.
"Does the Wikileaks case show that the world has changed in material and meaningful ways such that the balance that was struck in the Pentagon Papers is no longer viable?" he asked.
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Emily Bell, director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at the Columbia Journalism School, noted how the process for leaking classified information has changed. The Pentagon Papers had to be carried into The New York Times offices while the Wikileaks documents were digitized and distributed globally. However, several corporations have stopped hosting the Wikileaks website and handling its donations, and this raises questions about free speech on the Internet, Bell said.
Gary Sick, senior research scholar at the Middle East Institute, said that most of the leaked cables are fairly mundane, some provide interesting diplomatic "gossip," and very few are harmful to U.S. interests. Even reports that Arab leaders privately encouraged the UnitedStates to attack Iran are not particularly groundbreaking, he said.
However, in the worst cases, the cables are harmful, Sick said. One describes how U.S. diplomats attempted to pay a Middle Eastern government to give up anti-aircraft missiles that were at risk of being acquired by terrorists. The government agreed on the condition that the deal be secret, but before it was concluded, the report was published by Wikileaks.
"I think that is utterly irresponsible, no matter how you look at it, and in fact, it really raises the question to me, 'What does Wikileaks think it's doing?'" Sick said.
Austin Long, assistant professor of international and public affairs, described the challenge the government faces in protecting secret data. After the September 11 attacks, policies were reformed to allow greater information sharing between agencies. Classified information can now be accessed in remote locations that are difficult to monitor, like the base in Iraq where the Wikileaks data was allegedly leaked.
However, the impact of these leaks is relatively minor, Long said. In contrast, an investigative book by Bob Woodward, Obama's Wars, disclosed much more sensitive information.
Robert Lieberman, vice-dean at SIPA, said that the case of Wikileaks should spark a debate about the balance between secrecy and transparency. He argued that U.S. politicians have overreacted, including figures such as Senator Joseph Lieberman, who called for The New York Times to be prosecuted for reporting on the leaked cables.
"The university as an institution and as a place where scholarly inquiry happens depends entirely on openness of information," he said. "As citizens of the university, it's our professional obligation to keep pushing for transparency."
Hassan Abbas, Quaid-i-Azam Professor at the South Asia Institute, argued that Wikileaks is having a significant impact on international relations, particularly in the Middle East and South Asia. The disclosures are hurting relations between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and between Iran and some of its neighbors, he said. However, Wikileaks is a valuable resource to scholars and may contribute to the development of better policies.
Bollinger argued that the United States should stay true to the principle of free speech in the Wikileaks case. In contrast, leaders of countries such as China and Singapore believe that the publication of leaked information undermines the public's confidence in the government.
"We see it as actually reinforcing the trust of people in government," he said.
Tim Shenk, December 17, 2010