My following book review appears in today’s Sydney Morning Herald: A journalist with access to a superpower’s military machine refuses to toe the line. “I went into journalism to do journalism, not advertising,” independent American journalist Michael Hastings told… The Huffington Post… in 2010. ”My views are critical but that shouldn’t be mistaken for hostile – I’m…
Wikileaks
Wikileaks is one of the biggest and most important stories in the world, challenging governments and journalists alike. I’ve been writing extensively about the group since 2006, featured an exclusive interview in 2008 with founder Julian Assange and examined the myriad of issues around the website. Assange himself asked me in the early days whether I wanted to be on the group’s board to vet incoming leaks and determine their veracity before publishing. I agreed but unfortunately this never eventuated.
Understanding PNG and how the resource curse infects everything
During my recent visit to the country, not a day passed when a land-owner or NGO didn’t complain about the negative effects of Western corporations on daily lives; exploitation supported by a corrupt political elite. Some recently released documents via Wikileaks provides a grim picture. Both are written by Australian journalist Philip Dorling. The most…
The Guardian puts its best foot forward for journalism 21st century style
The British Guardian is a paper with a fine reporting record albeit with blind spots incorporated (including Wikileaks and war). They’ve just released a startling new ad that aims to showcase its “open journalism” style: Back in 1996, this is how the newspaper last promoted itself:
The #Occupy threat; US Homeland Security wants to know why capitalism so loathed
Yet another insight from this week’s Wikileaks information dump (via Rolling Stone): As Occupy Wall Street spread across the nation last fall, sparking protests in more than 70 cities, the Department of Homeland Security began keeping tabs on the movement. An internal DHS report entitled “SPECIAL COVERAGE: Occupy Wall Street,” dated October of last year,…
What Wikileaks tells us about corporate and government power (you can’t trust them)
So finally we learn, via the Sydney Morning Herald, that the Obama administration wants to crush Julian Assange and Wikileaks for the “crime” of revealing a litany of wrongs committed by Washington. And here’s the irony; after demanding answers from governments in America, Britain, Australia and elsewhere about the legal status of Assange, it takes…
Wikileaks unloads with the Global Intelligence Files
The role of private companies in spying, monitoring and controlling public (and private) policy and debate sorely needs investigation. It’s not just about Western firms assisting repressive states censor the internet. Today Wikileaks launches the Global Intelligence Files: Today, Monday 27 February, WikiLeaks began publishing The Global Intelligence Files – more than five million emails…
Assange debuts on Murdoch-run The Simpsons
Wikileaks Julian Assange on The Simpsons 500th Episode from LeakSource Archive on Vimeo.
Wikileaks shows failure of MSM in pursuing real leaks (not officially sanctioned one)
I was recently interviewed for a global series about Wikileaks called Did You Have Any Idea? (part one is here):
What you need to know about the Afghan war and aren’t afraid to ask
With the war in Afghanistan an unmitigated clusterfuck, it’s remarkable still how many voices in the corporate press talk about goals, achievements and possibilities (usually given by anonymous “officials”). American journalist Michael Hastings obtains a fascinating document recently that reveals the depth of the mess: Earlier this week, the… New York Times’ Scott Shane published… a bombshell…
How Wikileaks must be supported and why
Mainstream support for Wikileaks is often far removed from the daily news cycle. Many journalists seem to feel uncomfortable backing Wikileaks (and Julian Assange) because of his ongoing legal issues, forgetting the key miracle behind the site; the profound challenges to the established information order and exposing the sycophancy between journalists and corporate power. I…