Change is inevitable and changes to journalism are current and imminent. One particular change is that of user generated content and its rise due to the availability of technology within a globalising world. As a result, long standing traditions and rules are breaking down and by extension, are threatening national security (Quandt 2011).
You see, everyone wants to be the hero; the one to crack the code and free an enslaved, ignorant nation by feeding them the ‘truth’ about the respective Governments. They believe that the duty of the free press is to ‘prevent any part of the government from deceiving the people’, following the words of Justice Black at a 1971 United States Constitutional appeal (Black 1997). An example of such is WikiLeaks.
But where can we draw a line? When does the interest of the people and what they want to know, come above the safety those living in that country or those fighting for that country? A report referenced in a 2010 article by the Telegraph in New York, strongly feared that the information could be used against the country by aiding ‘foreign intelligence’ and thereby threatening the United States (Leonard, 2010). Such aid could easily be considered treasonous and result in severe consequences for the ‘journalist’.
Traditional press are governed by policies and law which may impede free speech and public access while others, are generating content outside of media gatekeepers which may lead to a breach in the security of a nation. The discoveries and uncovering of secrets, while intended to inform the public, may be risking much through the divulging of critical and secret information.
So where do we draw the line? How far will we go to support traitors for the ‘right to know’.
References
Black, J 1971, ‘Concurring Opinion: Supreme Court of the United States’, United States Court of Appeals, Available: http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0403_0713_ZC.html
Leonard, T 2010, ‘Pentagon deems WikiLeaks a national security threat’ The Telegraph, 18March, Available: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/7475050/Pentagon-deems-Wikileaks-a-national-security-threat.html
Quandt, T 2011, ‘Understanding a new phenomenon: The significance of participatory journalism’, in Hermida et al Participatory Journalism, Wiley Blackwell
Pre-cooked Thinking 