Newsweek's Foreign Service Podcast: The Redemption Of Wikileaks?

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Jordan Saville

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Wikileaks was the future, once. The platform for whistleblowers and hackers truly arrived in 2006 when it was involved in a series of disclosures that rocked the diplomatic and military establishment, particularly in the U.S.

But along the way, the small group of activists behind the platform drew controversy. Their resistance to redacting controversial information was questioned. JulianAssange, its charismatic Australian-born publisher, was driven into hiding in London's Ecuadorian embassy after Swedish authorities issued a warrant for his arrest over a rape allegation (which he denies.) During the 2016 U.S. election campaign, some Democrats accused Wikileaks of collaborating with Russian authorities, with the Donald Trump campaign, or both (again, Wikileaks and the Russian government both deny this.)

Now, as Wikileaks unveils a new leak around the espionage practices of the CIA, it seems it is taking a more moderate, back-to-basics approach, redacting certain information before release. So does this represent the start of a rehabilitation? And what's next for Wikileaks? Newsweek's Josh Lowe and Mirren Gidda spoke to cybersecurity journalist Jason Murdock​ from the International Business Times to discuss.

Newsweek's Foreign Service is recorded and edited by Jordan Saville.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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