The Wiki leaks Saga: The online whistle blowing news generating phenomenon.

“Wiki leaks” is a media organization lead and directed by Julian Assange working with a team of cyber activists managing to collect secret classified documents hidden from the public. Wiki leaks claim that they covered what no other media corporation has ever covered.  It was first launched in October 2006, and publically gained attention in October 2010 after the release of 400,000 secret military files known as the “Iraq War Logs” leaked with the help of troops in Iraq who had access to these files.

Bradley Manning

One of the troops was caught; “Bradley Manning” a 22 year old US soldier is accused of being the soldier funneling much of the documents that Wiki leaks released. “Manning” revealed serious US war crimes, and for that he is detained at a military detention facility, facing a life conviction because he has been charged with a charge called “aiding the enemy”. It is believed that Manning is being tortured by the US government hoping to get more information from Manning about Assange and Wiki leaks.  You can watch the 50 minute official “Wiki leaks Documentary” here.

Wiki leaks is considered to have covered the biggest ever leak of military documents and other political secret documents in history so far. One of the highlight leaks is a US military footage released from 2007 showing an airstrike on civilians and journalists in Iraq titled “Collateral Murder”.

However, there is a debate going around on the internet regarding the “Collateral Video” claiming that it is missing 30 minutes; this has raised the question of whether it is Wikileaks or their sources who are editing the documents and videos they are publishing. And it is believed that it is the soldiers who are.

Julian Assange used a special media strategy; before launching the Wiki leaks website, Assange initially collaborated with three major newspapers; The New York Times, The Guardian, and The German Der Spiegel. The leak of US Military documents set up the World Wide Web on fire, dominating pages of newspapers across the planet.Wiki leaks is a very significant tool for the people who want to know what is really happening in zones controlled by the US (Afghanistan, Iraq). It has raised controversies regarding US’s National Security; powerful figures like Hilary Clinton marked it as an international terrorist organization acting as a threat to US National Security.

Is it a threat to US national security or a gift to the public giving them the right of knowledge and freedom of expression?

It is highly expected from governments to act against and terminate Wiki leaks, because it puts powerful people under the spotlight ruining their authority and reputation. Therefore people aiming for freedom of speech should support such an organization because it has the potential of changing the future of journalism radically.

– Farah Albashir

The Arab Spring

Arab Revolution "Arab Spring"

I remember very well when it all started,  it all began when “Mohammad Bouzizi” a fresh produce cart vendor set himself on fire on December 17th 2010 in Tunisia, because he was publicly humiliated and harassed for no reason from a police woman. And since then protests outrboke in Tunisia, and became a trend in   Arab countries including Jordan, where I’m from. As a result of Bouzizi’s actions, Arab citizens realized the oppression they are under, and started a revolution named the “Arab Spring” aiming to overthrow non-democratic, oppressive governments and leaders. It was called the “Arab Spring” considering the metaphoric political seasons; where winter signifies oppression and spring signifies the awakening of citizens and opening the path to achieving a long lost dream “freedom”.

Bouzizi on Fire

And, today while studying at the University of British Columbia, my colleagues Summer and Jojo gave a  presentation on the “Arab Spring” in our Journalism class, which gave me a new perspective to look at it from. They defined the “Arab Spring” as : a revolutionary  wave of demonstrations and protests occurring in the Arab world that  began on December 18th 2010.

Media and technology played a big role in leading the revolution. Twitter, Facebook and Blogger; they are the face of the “Arab Spring”. Social media became the craze across the Arab world. It was significant in fueling the revolution and supporting it, it mobilized protests, helped in planning them, aided in undermining the regimes’ legitimacy, and increased national and international exposure of what was happening. However, the governments also used technology and the internet to track IP addresses of internet activists in order to suppress them and to suppress their actions. This resulted in their imprisonment and torture of citizens. Governments and Arab dictators also managed to monitor the protests and censor posts and stories on the internet. I believe that they use IT technologies sold by internet/technology companies in North America, if Americans stop selling these tracking programs to Arab governments, then there would have been less blood shed and less police – citizen involvements.

Arab Dictators

It is said that due to the Arab Spring an increase of 1,825.3% occurred in the internet usage of citizens in the middle east. Arab citizens are not only using social media for the purpose of socializing they are now using it as political tool, critiquing governments, presidents, kings and cabinet members. I believe that this media revolution has changed and improved many aspects in the Middle East, who ever knew that social media could fuel democracy?

– Farah Albashir