The Media Alliance and the International Federation of Journalism (IFJ) have stood firmly behind Wikileaks and its editor Julian Assange, repudiating “desperate and “dangerous” political attacks on the whistle-blowing organisation.
IFJ statment
Media Alliance statement
Alliance federal secretary Christopher Warren and IFJ general secretary Aiden White have condemned the political backlash and accused the United States of attacking free speech after it put pressure on the website’s host server to shut down the site yesterday.
“Amazon’s decision is extremely disappointing,” said Alliance federal secretary, Christopher Warren.
“We need to take a step back from the hysteria. It is not known whether WikiLeaks has broken any law. It has – via a free media – upheld the public’s right to know.
Amazon.com ceased to host WikiLeaks after United States officials condemned the torrent of revelations about political, business and diplomatic affairs that has given the public unprecedented access to detailed information from United States sources, much of it embarrassing to leading public figures.
Wikileaks.org once again went offline on Friday afternoon in an apparent cyberattack on the site.
“It is unacceptable to try to deny people the right to know,” said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. “These revelations may be embarrassing in their detail, but they also expose corruption and double-dealing in public life that is worthy of public scrutiny. The response of the United States is desperate and dangerous because it goes against fundamental principles of free speech and democracy.”
The Alliance is concerned about the welfare and well-being of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, and Bradley Manning, the United States soldier who is under arrest and suspected of leaking the
information.
“This is a time for calm. The leaks are astonishing in their volume, and what they reveal. But this is not the first time that government or diplomatic material has been leaked.” said Warren.
The Alliance says attacks on Assange and Manning point to a dangerous atmosphere of intolerance and persecution not just for the two men, but for all journalists investigating public affairs.
Both organisations welcome the decision of WikiLeaks to collaborate with respected publications, including Der Spiegel, The Guardian, the New York Times, Le Monde and El Pais.
“These publications have given assurances that the material published does not put the lives of individuals or sources at risk or compromise ongoing military operations or the location of special forces.” said Warren
The Alliance is concerned that the Australian Government has signalled that it may attempt to pressure Australian media outlets not to report some of the WikiLeaks information. “Given that WikiLeaks is working with five leading media organisations around the world to publicise the Cablegate material, any attempt to muzzle the Australian media in this instance would ultimately prove pointless,” Warren said.
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For more information contact: Lizzie Franks on 02 9333 0961 or lizzie.franks@alliance.org.au
The IFJ represents more than 600.000 members in 125 countries
For more information, please contact IFJ on + 32 2 235 22 07
