Beyond WikiLeaks Implications for the Future of Communications, Journalism and Society

by Brevini, Benedetta; Hintz, Arne; McCurdy, Patrick

• ISBN13: 9781137275738
• ISBN10: 1137275731
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-03-19
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

Revelations published by the whistleblower platform WikiLeaks, including the releases of U.S. diplomatic cables in what became referred to as 'Cablegate', put WikiLeaks into the international spotlight and sparked intense about the role and impact of leaks in a digital era. Beyond WikiLeaks opens a space to reflect on the broader implications across political and media fields, and on the transformations that result from new forms of leak journalism and transparency activism. A select group of renowned scholars, international experts, and WikiLeaks 'insiders' discuss the consequences of the WikiLeaks saga for traditional media, international journalism, freedom of expression, policymaking, civil society, social change, and international politics. From short insider reports to elaborate and theoretically informed academic texts, the different chapters provide critical assessments of the current historical juncture of our mediatized society and offer outlooks of the future. Authors include, amongst others, Harvard University's Yochai Benkler, Graham Murdoch of Loughborough University, net activism scholar, Gabriella Coleman, the Director for International Freedom of Expression at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Jillian York, and Guardian editor, Chris Elliott. The book also includes a conversation between philosopher, Slavoj Zizek, and WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, and its prologue is written by Birgitta Jónsdóttir, Icelandic MP and editor of the WikiLeaks video, `Collateral Murder`.

Author Biography

Dr Benedetta Brevini (PhD, University of Westminster) is Lecturer in Media Policy in the Department of Journalism of City University, London, UK. Her research addresses a range of current issues in international media policy and the political economy of online media. Her work has appeared in international peer-reviewed publications. Dr Brevini has been working as a journalist in Milan, New York and London and currently contributes to The Guardian's Comment is Free.

Arne Hintz is Lecturer at the School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies at Cardiff University, UK. Previous appointments include McGill University and Central European University. His research connects communication policy, media activism, citizen media, and technological change. He has been a journalist and communication rights advocate. His publications include the book, Civil Society Media and Global Governance.

Patrick McCurdy is Assistant Professor in the Department Communication at the University of Ottawa, Canada. He is interested in the representation of politically contentious issues and correlating actions of political actors in an age of media saturation. Patrick holds a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and his work has been published in several peer-reviewed academic journals.

Table of Contents

Introduction: B.Brevini, A.Hintz & P.McCurdy
PART I: JOURNALISM AND THE MEDIA
1. WikiLeaks and the Networked 4th Estate; Y.Benkler
2. The Leak Heard Round the World? Cablegate in the Evolving Global Mediascape; L.Lynch
3. WikiLeaks and Whistleblowing: The Framing of Bradley Manning; E.Thorsen, C.Sreedharan & S.Allan
4. 'Something Old, Something New...': WikiLeaks, Newspapers and Conjoint Approaches to Political Exposure; H.S.Dunn
5. WikiLeaks and the Public Interest Dilemma: A View from Inside the Media; C.Elliot
PART II: ACTIVISM AND CHANGE
6. Doing it for the Lulz: Anonymous and the Radical Politics of Dissent; G.Coleman
7. WikiLeaks, Anonymous, and the Exercise of Individuality: Protesting in the Cloud; S.Milan
8. 12 Theses of WikiLeaks; G.Lovink & P.Riemens
9. The Internet and Transparency Beyond WikiLeaks; J.C.York
PART III: POLITICS AND SOCIETY
10. Follow the Money: WikiLeaks and the Political Economy of Disclosure; B.Brevini & G.Murdock
11. Dimensions of Modern Freedom of Expression: WikiLeaks, Policy Hacking and Digital Freedoms; A.Hintz
12. From the Pentagon Papers to Cablegate: How the Network Society Has Changed Leaking; P.McCurdy
13. WikiLeaks, Secrecy and Freedom of Information: The Case of the UK; D.Banisar & F.Fanucci
14. Weak Links and WikiLeaks: How Control of Critical Internet Resources and Social Media Companies' Business Models Undermine the Networked Free Press; D.Winseck
PART IV: IN CONVERSATION WITH WIKILEAKS
15. In Conversation with Julian Assange and Slavoj Žižek