Al Jazeera Journalism Review

Julie1
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 27: Yellow ribbons with messages from supporters of Julian Assange are tied to the railings of the Royal Courts of Justice during an appeal hearing for his extradition to the United States on October 27, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images)

Julian Assange and Wikileaks are no model for responsible journalism

Punishing journalists who publish leaked information is an assault on democracy, but journalists still need to handle such information with care and integrity.

 

The main legal instrument against breaches of British governmental security is the much-criticised Official Secrets Act (OSA). Changes to the OSA are afoot but not in a good way.

Journalists dislike the Act, claiming that it is a way for the government to hide things from its citizens. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a former journalist who was sacked by The Times for making up a quote, wants to increase both its strength and the punishment for defying it.

If the changes are made, both journalists handling leaked information and whistle-blowers could be criminalised on the same scale as if they had committed espionage. This has brought about much debate, particularly when it comes to the “public interest” test.

In 2016, the Law Commission, an independent body that advises Parliament on controversial legal issues, decided to look at the law for the first time since 1989. The key concern was the evolution of the Internet alongside issues such as the theft of data and spying from overseas. 

If journalists publish material from a whistleblower, they are required to verify that the information and source are genuine. The story also needs to be published in the correct and appropriate context. 

Then there is the issue of potential harm. A key ethic of journalism is to ensure that eliminating any potential risk to a person’s reputation, rights or life should be paramount. When it comes to leaks involving entire nations and security forces engaged in war or conflict, this risk assessment is imperative.

Journalists must ask if there is a public interest element to the story? If the public needs to be disabused of lies - such as “reasons” for going to war - then yes. However, journalists have a professional and ethical obligation to put the safety of sources above any other consideration.

Have we learned anything from the WikiLeaks scandal about the ethics of journalism in the digital age of today? WikiLeaks states that its mission is to bring censored or restricted information to the public eye and that it has created a “giant library of the world’s most persecuted documents”. In 2015 alone, half a million files were added to the WikiLeaks library, but it transpired that some of these documents contained rogue data, computer viruses, spam and personal records. 

Assange and his organisation have put women’s lives at risk. In my view, he does not deserve the title of 'journalist' 

 

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange branded his company as a “radical transparency” organisation and he is lionised by human rights advocates. But much of what Assange has done has had negative consequences for others. 

For example, in 2016, Turkey resorted to blocking access to WikiLeaks in its country after almost 300,000 emails from the country’s ruling party were posted online. One consequence of this was WikiLeaks also posted links on its social media to databases containing sensitive information about millions of Turkish civilians. This included a specific database about women voters in Turkey, including their home addresses and telephone numbers. In some instances, the data included their Turkish citizenship IDs, which posed a safety risk. One file contained the details of more than a million women, but there were 79 files in total and each file contained the details of hundreds of thousands of women. That potentially put millions of Turkish women at grave danger from stalkers, violent ex-partners or anyone else who wished to cause them harm. In a country such as Turkey, where hundreds of women are murdered annually, often by domestic partners, this created a very serious problem. 

In this respect, Assange and his organisation put women’s lives at risk. In my view, he does not deserve the title of “journalist”. 

The first question a potential leaker should ask is about the status of the information. For example, is it classified or otherwise protected? Is there a system that considers this information restricted? If so, then the leak must be worthy of the betrayal.

The second consideration is whether the potential leaker has gained the information because another person violated an obligation to keep it secret. If either is true, it becomes a more serious matter.

The third consideration is whether the information is about public or private matters. Information about another’s sexual orientation, private finances, or personal phone calls, has more of a claim to privacy than information about a person’s actions as a corporate executive or government official. The difficult cases are those in which an individual’s private life influences their public actions.

Journalists have a professional and ethical obligation to put the safety of sources above any other consideration

 

What would the benefit to the public be of breaking the story? If the leak serves the political or self-interest of the whistle-blower, this makes it complicated.

Self-interest and anger can cloud the leaker’s view of the damage a leak may cause. It’s crucial to get another’s perspective on what harm will result. Taking the attitude of “the ends always justify the means” is inadequate.

Leaks to the media that may have stopped behaviour or actions that could have caused serious harm seem straightforward enough. Supporters of WikiLeaks say the "war logs" showed evidence of torture which had been ignored, and detailed the deaths of thousands of Iraqi civilians. But Assange has also been much-criticised for causing harm, and putting his ego before the safety of potential victims. 

As a journalist who uses unnamed and anonymous sources, I am concerned about any measures that would deter journalists from ethically using whistle-blowers and exposing information in the public interest. But I am also wary of eulogising the likes of Assange who has appeared to treat WikiLeaks as a vanity project. 

I recently took the difficult decision to sue a publication for libel, something that journalists generally disapprove of. But I was moved to do so because of an article in which I was not named but was instantly identified by individuals who knew me, my work or both. By not naming me, I believed the publication was able to make the most outrageous and defamatory allegations without being required to come to me for a rebuttal, and without any evidence. I always carefully assess the pros and cons of changing names of interviewees in cases where the law does not require it, ie those who allege sexual assault. 

In the UK, the Law Commission may well find itself in a pickle over its suggested changes to the Official Secrets Act. This is not least because, as well as proposing a more punitive law, it also wants the law to be rewritten to include a public interest defence, in order to provide whistle-blowers who expose previously secret evidence of official wrongdoing from claiming that they did it to serve a wider good. 

 

Julie Bindel is a British investigative journalist and women's rights activist

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera Journalism Review’s editorial stance

 

 

More Articles

How Media Drives Collective Adaptation During Natural Disasters in Oman

This paper highlights how Omani media, during times of natural disasters, focused on praising government efforts to improve its image, while neglecting the voices of victims and those affected by the cyclones. It also examines the media’s role in warning against and preventing future disasters.

Shaimaa Al-Eisai
Shaimaa Al-Eisai Published on: 31 Mar, 2025
Misinformation in Syria: Natural Chaos or Organised Campaign?

Old videos inciting “sectarian strife,” statements taken out of context attacking Christians, scenes of heavy weaponry clashes in other countries, fabricated stories of fictitious detainees, and a huge amount of fake news that accompanied the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime: Is it the natural chaos of transition or a systematic campaign?

Farhat Khedr
Farhat Khedr Published on: 11 Mar, 2025
Trump and the Closure of USAID: A Candid Conversation on "Independent Media"

The impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to halt foreign funding through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on Arab media platforms has largely gone undiscussed. Some of these platforms have consistently labelled themselves as "independent" despite being Western-funded. This article examines the reasons behind the failure of economic models for Western-funded institutions in the Arab world and explores the extent of their editorial independence.

Ahmad Abuhamad Published on: 9 Mar, 2025
The Sharp Contrast: How Israeli and Western Media Cover the War on Gaza

Despite being directly governed by Israeli policies, some Israeli media outlets critically report on their government’s actions and use accurate terminology, whereas Western media has shown complete bias, failing to be impartial in its coverage of Israel’s aggression in Gaza.

Faras Ghani Published on: 5 Mar, 2025
International Media Seek Gaza Access; What Do Palestinian Journalists Say?

As international media push for access to Gaza, Palestinian journalists—who have been the primary voices on the ground—criticize their Western counterparts for failing to acknowledge their contributions, amplify their reports, or support them as they risk their lives to document the war. They face systemic bias and exploitation, and continue to work under extreme conditions without proper recognition or support.

NILOFAR ABSAR
Nilofar Absar Published on: 26 Feb, 2025
Journalism and Artificial Intelligence: Who Controls the Narrative?

How did the conversation about using artificial intelligence in journalism become merely a "trend"? And can we say that much of the media discourse on AI’s potential remains broad and speculative rather than a tangible reality in newsrooms?

Mohammad Zeidan
Mohammad Zeidan Published on: 23 Feb, 2025
The Whispers of Resistance in Assad’s Reign

For more than a decade of the Syrian revolution, the former regime has employed various forms of intimidation against journalists—killing, interrogations, and forced displacement—all for a single purpose: silencing their voices. Mawadda Bahah hid behind pseudonyms and shifted her focus to environmental issues after a "brief session" at the Kafar Soussa branch of Syria’s intelligence agency.

Mawadah Bahah
Mawadah Bahah Published on: 18 Feb, 2025
Culture of silence: Journalism and mental health problems in Africa

The revealing yet underreported impact of mental health on African journalists is far-reaching. Many of them lack medical insurance, support, and counselling while covering sensitive topics or residing in conflicting, violent war zones, with some even considering suicide.

Derick Matsengarwodzi
Derick Matsengarwodzi Published on: 13 Feb, 2025
Tweets Aren’t News: Why Journalism Still Matters

Twitter, once key for real-time news, has become a battleground of misinformation and outrage, drowning out factual journalism. With major newspapers leaving, the challenge is to remind audiences that true news comes from credible sources, not the chaos of social media.

Ilya
Ilya U Topper Published on: 10 Feb, 2025
Will Meta Become a Platform for Disinformation and Conspiracy Theories?

Meta’s decision to abandon third-party fact-checking in favor of Community Notes aligns with Donald Trump’s long-standing criticisms of media scrutiny, raising concerns that the platform will fuel disinformation, conspiracy theories, and political polarization. With support from Elon Musk’s X, major social media platforms now lean toward a "Trumpian" stance, potentially weakening global fact-checking efforts and reshaping the online information landscape.

Arwa Kooli
Arwa Kooli Published on: 5 Feb, 2025
October 7: The Battle for Narratives and the Forgotten Roots of Palestine

What is the difference between October 6th and October 7th? How did the media distort the historical context and mislead the public? Why did some Arab media strip the genocidal war from its roots? Is there an agenda behind highlighting the Israel-Hamas duality in news coverage?

Said El Hajji
Said El Hajji Published on: 21 Jan, 2025
Challenges of Unequal Data Flow on Southern Narratives

The digital revolution has widened the gap between the Global South and the North. Beyond theories that attribute this disparity to the North's technological dominance, the article explores how national and local policies in the South shape and influence its narratives.

Hassan Obeid
Hassan Obeid Published on: 14 Jan, 2025
Decolonise How? Humanitarian Journalism is No Ordinary Journalism

Unlike most journalism, which involves explaining societies to themselves, war reporting and foreign correspondence explain the suffering of exoticised communities to audiences back home, often within a context of profound ignorance about these othered places. Humanitarian journalism seeks to counter this with empathetic storytelling that amplifies local voices and prioritises ethical representation.

Patrick Gathara
Patrick Gathara Published on: 8 Jan, 2025
Mastering Journalistic Storytelling: The Power of Media Practices

Narration in journalism thrives when it's grounded in fieldwork and direct engagement with the story. Its primary goal is to evoke impact and empathy, centering on the human experience. However, the Arab press has often shifted this focus, favoring office-based reporting over firsthand accounts, resulting in narratives that lack genuine substance.

AJR logo
Zainab Tarhini Published on: 7 Jan, 2025
I Resigned from CNN Over its Pro-Israel Bias

  Developing as a young journalist without jeopardizing your morals has become incredibly difficult.

Ana Maria Monjardino
Ana Maria Monjardino Published on: 2 Jan, 2025
Digital Colonialism: The Global South Facing Closed Screens

After the independence of the Maghreb countries, the old resistance fighters used to say that "colonialism left through the door only to return through the window," and now it is returning in new forms of dominance through the window of digital colonialism. This control is evident in the acquisition of major technological and media companies, while the South is still looking for an alternative.

Ahmad Radwan
Ahmad Radwan Published on: 31 Dec, 2024
Independent Syrian Journalism: From Revolution to Assad's Fall

Independent Syrian journalism played a pivotal role in exposing regime corruption and documenting war crimes during the 13-year revolution, despite immense risks to journalists, including imprisonment, assassination, and exile. Operating from abroad, these journalists pioneered investigative and open-source reporting, preserving evidence, and shaping narratives that challenged the Assad regime's propaganda.

Ahmad Haj Hamdo
Ahmad Haj Hamdo Published on: 17 Dec, 2024
Bolivia’s Mines and Radio: A Voice of the Global South Against Hegemony

Miners' radio stations in the heart of Bolivia's mining communities, played a crucial role in shaping communication within mining communities, contributing to social and political movements. These stations intersected with anarchist theatre, educational initiatives, and alternative media, addressing labour rights, minority groups, and imperialism.

Khaldoun Shami PhD
Khaldoun H. Shami Published on: 16 Dec, 2024
How Does Misinformation Undermine Public Trust in Journalism?

Reports reveal a growing loss of trust in the media, driven by the extent of misinformation that undermines professional journalism's ability to influence public discourse. The platforms of misinformation, now supported by states and private entities during conflicts and wars, threaten to strip the profession of its core roles of accountability and oversight.

Muhammad Khamaiseh Published on: 13 Nov, 2024
Challenging the Narrative: Jeremy Scahill on the Need for Adversarial Journalism

Investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill calls for a revival of "adversarial journalism" to reinstate crucial professional and humanitarian values in mainstream Western media, especially regarding the coverage of the Gaza genocide.

Mohammad Zeidan
Mohammad Zeidan Published on: 10 Nov, 2024
Freedom of the Press in Jordan and Unconstitutional Interpretations

Since the approval of the Cybercrime Law in Jordan, freedom of opinion and expression has entered a troubling phase marked by the arrest of journalists and restrictions on media. Musab Shawabkeh offers a constitutional reading based on interpretations and rulings that uphold freedom of expression in a context where the country needs diverse opinions in the face of the Israeli ultra right wing politics.

Musab Shawabkeh
Musab Al Shawabkeh Published on: 8 Nov, 2024
Voting in a Time of Genocide

The upcoming U.S. presidential election occurs against the backdrop of the ongoing genocide in Gaza, with AJ Plus prioritising marginalised voices and critically analysing Western mainstream media narratives while highlighting the undemocratic aspects of the U.S. electoral system.

Tony Karon Published on: 22 Oct, 2024
Journalists Should Not Embrace the Artificial Intelligence Hype

What factors should journalists take into account while discussing the use of AI in the media?

Jorge Sagastume Muralles
Jorge Sagastume Published on: 16 Oct, 2024
A Year of Genocide and Bias: Western Media's Whitewashing of Israel's Ongoing War on Gaza

Major Western media outlets continue to prove that they are a party in the war of narratives, siding with the Israeli occupation. The article explains how these major Western media outlets are still refining their techniques of bias in favor of the occupation, even a year after the genocide in Palestine.

Mohammad Zeidan
Mohammad Zeidan Published on: 9 Oct, 2024