A storm was kicked up last week — more than a quarter million confidential cables from US embassies and the US state department were leaked into the public domain by WikiLeaks, a whistle-blowing website. While the recent leak has led to strained relations between the US and its allies, earlier leaks like the ‘Afghan War Diary’ in July this year and ‘Iraq War logs’ in October showed how figures on the death and destruction caused by the two wars were grossly under-reported. This week we talk about whether traditional media’s failure to hold world leaders to task is the primary reason why whistle-blowers and ordinary citizens are assuming the role of watchdogs. This is how the debate unfolded.
Clockwise from top-right: Thomas Kurian, Director of Sales living in Dubai; Rajan Sabharwal, Entrepreneur living in Dubai and Shalini Menezes, Account executive living in Dubai.
14:03 Gulf News: So, what is your initial view on WikiLeaks, and the latest releases?
14:05 K. Ragavan: Initially it was interesting. Now this has become more controversial. The co-founder [Julian Assange] has been surrounded with allegations.
14:05 Sunil Roy: I am not even sure whether what I am reading is true or not.
14:07 Ramachandran Nair: Unbelievable! Basically it questions the credibility of the confidential information. The latest releases should be looked into seriously.
14:07 Thomas Kurian: If whistle-blowing is bringing out wrongdoing in public, there needs to be introspection – whether it is right to bring out closed-door meetings or discussions in the public.
14:13 Thomas Kurian: I would still recommend trying to get the responsible organisation to take action first, unless the threat to public safety was imminent.
14:14 Sunil Roy: If the information that is being provided is going to have a negative impact on society on the whole, serious consideration has to be given before it is published.
Clockwise from top-right: Ramachandran Nair, Quality development manager living in Ruwi, Oman; Sunil Roy, Advertising professional living in Dubai; K. Ragavan, Marketing executive living in Chennai, India.
14:15 Gulf News: Would [the leaks] not lead to greater transparency within the US government and its allies?
14:18 Shalini Menezes: With regards to the authenticity of the reports, there needs to be a clear understanding on the source of the reports to arrive at the final consensus. Of course if the leaks tell us the grave truth about the actual death toll in the Iraq War it would turn the world upside down and lead to further controversies.
14:20 Ramachandran Nair: Who knows the actual facts and figures on the Iraq War? The media exposure was limited and highly censored at that time.
14:22 Shalini Menezes: If [WikiLeaks’] aim is to gather media attention and add momentum to the existing furore, guess the leaks have found the right opportunity as these leaks are sending shock waves around the world.
14:23 Gulf News: If it is for the greater good is it acceptable to employ [dubious] methods? In other words, does the end justify the means?
14:25 Sunil Roy: It is not at all right. The end does not justify the means. If that is the case then people will resort to different and at times dubious means to reach their goals.
14:31 Ramachandran Nair: In today’s scenario, it would not be possible to accurately get all the information for even the media. However, the media can make the public better understand the situation with solid proof and authenticity. After all, it all happened because of them!
14:35 Sunil Roy: It is also essential to understand the objectives of the whistle-blower.
14:35 Ramachandran Nair: For public interest, media is the only mode to receive information of any kind.
14:35 Thomas Kurian: [But], whistle-blowers are required. Media alone cannot be given this responsibility.
14:38 Shalini Menezes: Information was surely withheld [in the Iraq War], but again the authenticity needs to be established. If the same is true and withheld, it is shocking.
14:38 K. Ragavan: One [fact] out in the open is that the Iraq War by the US bypassed a lot of UN resolutions.
14:39 Rajan Sabharwal: I wish to be enlightened about the ‘good’ that is likely to come out of such leaks. How did the Watergate scandal benefit the common man? How did the Bofors [scandal in India] help the common man? How have Commonwealth Game [corruption scam] and 2G [spectrum scam in India] … helped the common man?
14:39 Ramachandran Nair: If the release of such information is of interest to the public, it should be supported and encouraged.
14:42 Shalini Menezes: The world by and large is going through turmoil regarding various issues and if such information is leaked it will be exposing the blatant truth but will [also] be [adding to] the existing turmoil.
14:43 Ramachandran Nair: It is his right to know such information, Mr Sabharwal.
14:44 Rajan Sabharwal: And what does he do with all this information?
14:45 Sunil Roy: Nothing much, other than the fact that [he] is made aware of certain things which otherwise would have gone unnoticed.
14:45 Shalini Menezes: Yes, transparency is surely [important] and every man has a right to know. Whistle-blowers do play a significant role.
14:46 Rajan Sabharwal: Which government or society has changed, in your esteemed opinion, due to such leaks? The scandals have become bigger. Watergate did bring down the [US] government, Bofors did rattle the [Indian] government, [but] someone relinquishes office only to be replaced by someone else, who moves in with greater audacity to perform bigger scandals.
14:51 Ramachandran Nair: We should be informed more about such actions through whistle-blowers and it should be encouraged as well.
14:51 Rajan Sabharwal: I feel, the more we talk about it, the more thick-skinned the perpetrators become. They are becoming immune to all the hue and cry. They get more publicity in the bargain. And with the public memory being short, they bounce back after some time with much greater vehemence.
14:54 Shalini Menezes: Scams and corruption are a virus that cannot be controlled. No matter how much of information is revealed and leaked, those who are in the position to partake in these acts will continue to do so.
14:54 Thomas Kurian: Exposing them does help the society, which cannot be measured immediately.
14:55 Ramachandran Nair: There should be someone to show us the truth, isn’t it? Unless the information was leaked, we would never know such things were happening around us!
14:58 Thomas Kurian: [I agree that] corruption cannot be erased. Men in power will find alternatives and whistle-blowers will find yet [other] means. Investigative journalists and whistle-blowers must be protected in society.
15:02 Rajan Sabharwal: With the available information we should ensure that the culprits are not allowed to get away scot-free and be handed out exemplary punishment.
15:03 Shalini Menezes: Laws need to be made more stringent to bring to task those involved in such gruesome acts.
15:04 Rajan Sabharwal: Oh yes, the information is a must. But we are required to use the same judiciously.
15:05 Shalini Menezes: Information should flow but it should be from and to the right sources who can act on them in a lawful manner.
15:05 Ramachandran Nair: I strongly feel that the information should be genuine, at the same time it should ensure proper corrective steps.
