Essay about A Rhetorical Perspective on the Issue of WikiLeaks

Bradley Manning had access to confidential files and record as an Army intelligence analyst in Iraq. In the year 2010, Manning revealed confidential information to the website called WikiLeaks. The material contained various sensitive information such as videos of the July 12, 2007 Baghdad airstrike, and the 2009 Granai airstrike in Afghanistan; 250,000 U.S. diplomatic cables; and 500,000 Army reports that came to be known as the Iraq War logs and Afghan War logs. The majority of this information was published by the website WikiLeaks or the like. Bradley Manning’s case was somewhat complex because he didn’t initially express his reasoning for doing this and he appeared to have indiscriminately released numerous amounts of government records. Manning’s defense lawyer claimed that WikiLeaks is a valid media outlet, while the opposition claims that Manning was not a whistleblower leaking to a news outlet, but just a fame-seeker who released the information indiscriminately for his own purposes. ("What Bradley Manning Leaked.") Whether WikiLeaks is a valid reporting and journalistic media outlet or not, the case unfolded as the United States’ government began to scrutinize all media and information disclosures to the public.

Furthermore, Edward Snowden had done more than disclose the governments illegals acts, but also inform the world about programs and secret government agendas about how much freedom and privacy is being taken away in the name of security. Samuel Adams also once said, “The truth is, all might be free if they valued freedom, and defended it as they ought.” In this sense, Edward Snowden had valued freedom more so over anything against it, and had acted as he did fighting and defending his individual freedom. Edward Snowden had also fought for the truth, and not only exposed the government, but also to the American people what was happening to their rights and freedoms. The many stories and historical freedom fighters had even put their lives on the line for truth and liberty, and Edward Snowden had also done the same and succeeding in continuing the fight for freedom. Many who also who perceive Edward Snowden as a hero inspire them to do the same as he had, and exposing the government of their false truths and secrecy.

Edward Snowden. This is a name that will be in the history books for ages. He will be branded a traitor or a whistleblower depending on where you look. Many Americans feel that Edward Snowden is a traitor who sold the United States’ secrets aiming to harm the nation. Others believe that he was simply a citizen of the United States who exercised his right to expose the government for their unconstitutional actions. It is important to not only know the two sides to the argument of friend or foe, but to also know the facts as well. My goal in this paper is to present the facts without bias and to adequately portray the two sides of the argument.

In an article published by “Opposing Viewpoints,” Michael Reagan, son of former president Ronald Reagan, wrote that “If found guilty [Bradley Manning and Julian Assange] deserve nothing less than death sentences for their unspeakable crimes.” Bradley Manning, a private in the United States Army released classified information to Julian Assange, the editor of the controversial Wikileaks website. Reagan suggests that if America had a president stronger willed than president Obama, Julian Assange and Bradley Manning would be found guilty of treason and be “stood up before a firing squad.” The release of classified information by Pvt. Bradley Manning, Reagan argues, gave aid and comfort to the enemies of the United States. “By [Manning and Assange’s]

But For Leaders in the Non-violence Movement not all are universally loved achieve lasting results. In Why Edward Snowden Is a Hero, the article describes Edward Snowden Motivation of releasing Classified Documents on the NSA. As wanting to let the public known that government spies on them. Collects information on their daily life's Some may Call Him a Traitor who sold out American Interest to our foreign Adversary. Or a young Naïve boy Who doesn't fully recognize, The implications he America In Protecting at us at Home and Abroad.

Critics of Edward Snowden label him a traitor and a coward. They condemn him for irreparably harming government security operations and setting of a worldwide chain of events that weakened the American position on the world stage. While America now has blight on its records due to the leaks, the topic that should be addressed is should the whistle-blower, the man who uncovered and exposed the questionable and wrong activities, be blamed or should those who allowed the illegal and immoral activities be held accountable for what they started. Edward Snowden had the justification and conviction to do the correct thing and present the incriminating evidence straight to the public. When one takes in consideration everything that Snowden has lost because of his decision, there was little gain for him to make the immoral activities public. Snowden’s crime is breaching the trust of his government contract to expose egregious monitoring by the government on the American public. In an interview conducted by the Washington Post, Snowden speaks out about his goal in releasing the files: “All I wanted was for the public to be able to have a say in how they are governed,”

Just as United States has the freedom of speech, they also have the freedom of information; it is not exactly the same type of meaning. The Freedom of Information Act was established in 1966 and signed by President Johnson and in 1996 a more modern act was constructed, the Electronic Freedom of Information Act. These acts were designed for an individual to have the ability to obtain unreleased information or documents controlled by the United States government. An organization named WikiLeaks has changed the law to a whole new level. Government transparency is their goal. The WikiLeaks website has released undocumented files in large amounts to the public. According to author of “From FOI World to WikiLeaks World”, WikiLeaks "…has been

Wikileaks Julian Assange is expected to remain in the Ecuadorean embassy until 2020. It now seems apparent that Swedish prosecutors who are engaged in investigations of sex abuse against Assange will run out of time. On Thursday, August 13, Marianne Nye, the Swedish Director of Public prosecutions, announced that they intended to drop their investigation into some of the sex allegations against Assange, the man who became infamous for the Wikileaks scandal in which US diplomatic cables were leaked to the public. According to London's Channel 4 News, the Swedish prosecutor said that by hiding out in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, Assange has evaded justice. Due to the statute of limitations, the prosecutor is running out of time and is unable

Greenwald, who had written many journalistic pieces about government surveillance, was unaware of the turn of events that was about to take place when he received an email from “Cincinnatus”. The email, unknown to Glenn Greenwald at the time, was from a twenty-nine year old former NSA employee named Edward Snowden who was looking to blow the whistle on the United States government’s extensive surveillance of

In early 2013 a man by the name of Edward Joseph Snowden began leaking classified National Security Agency (NSA) documents to media outlets, which in turn ended up in public ears. These documents, mainly involving intelligence Snowden acquired while working as an NSA contractor, are mostly related to global surveillance programs run by the NSA. This has raised multiple ethical issues ranging from national security, information privacy and the ethics behind whistleblowing in general. The reach and impact of these leaks have gone global and have put in question the very government that protects us as well as the extent of the public’s rights on privacy. Various foreign

It is the release of such information that causes U.S. politicians to format an attack against the nonprofit, calling for the arrest and trial of its spokesman, Julian Assange. The question is this: If U.S. politicians regard Wikileaks’ information as a ‘chit-chat,’ why are they in an uproar against the organization? Bill Moyers, an American journalist and commentator once said that “War, except in self-defense, is a failure of moral imagination” (Moyers). In other words, the attack on Wikileaks and its operators is unjustified. After all, the U.S. is a country who believes in the right to free speech and individuality, for that reason, Assange shouldn’t be punished simply because he knows and exercises his human rights more that the average person.

Founded by Julian Assange, in 2006, WikiLeaks is a non-profit, online, journalistic organization that reveals confidential documents and governmental secrets and leaks. Wiki Leaks is struggling against secrecy, and against a world that is trying to shut it down. It has released documents about US military operationsin Iraq and Afghanistan, unreported civilian causalitiesembarrassing Obama’s administration’s diplomatic actions, and many other documents. Although Wiki Leaks may be considered a threat to our social security system, it remains immensely valuable to the society and shouldn’t be banned since it is credible and it promotes democracy.

analyses.” They get their sources from anonymous people and groups all over the world, which led to the publication of over 10 million documents and associated analyses. It is stated that, “Although no organization can hope to have a perfect record forever, thus far WikiLeaks has a perfect in document authentication and resistance to all censorship attempts.” Moreover, WikiLeaks won numerous of awards for many years now, which proves that they are really credible sources and they deliver the truth that everyone deserves to know. “We publish without fear or favor, bringing transparency to powerful factions and secretive institutions, not taking any sides except that of the truth. We believe in the democratization of information and the power that knowledge gives to people to further peace, accountability and self-determination.” A recent news is about the thousands of deleted emails of Hillary Clinton when she was the Secretary of State and went against the law by using her own private server. These email leaks may have affected the last presidential election since citizens discovered something that they do not like. It is indicated that, “WikiLeaks has contractual relationships and secure communications paths to more than 100 major media organizations from around the world. This gives WikiLeaks sources negotiating power, impact and technical protections that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to achieve.”

In recent years, Wikileaks has acquired mixed public reception, receiving numerous awards and appraisal, as well as harsh criticism. In 2008 and 2009, Wikileaks received the New Media Award, and in 2010, it was listed as a website that could change the way the news works. It was praised as a tool to empower citizens to voice their opinions and report the truth. However, the site received criticism for defacing the value of a journalist. “Journalists

When the words “Wikileaks” and “Whistleblowers” are said out loud, all heads in the room will surely turn around. Secret organizations have for long been an interest to many people and a fatal threat to others. Whistleblowers are those who secretly speak of underlying mysteries and secrets of colossal organizations and important people. The ambiguity surrounding the true identity of those whistleblowers and the people operating Wikileaks succeeds in grasping the curiosity of people all over the world. Of course it can be completely understood and comprehended why some people will defend whistleblowers with every way possible. Nevertheless, we should never underestimate or overlook the disadvantages and the danger of leaving whistleblowers