In What Way Julian Assange has Damaged Journalism's Reputation - Essay Example

Julian Assange has Damaged Journalism's Reputation University’s Name: Submitted by Names: Tutor: Date: Julian Assange has Damaged Journalism's Reputation Journalists play important role in the society because they inform the public of all things happening locally, regionally and internationally. The health of any democracy largely depends on the quality of information that can be accessed by common citizens (Sonnemaker, 2015). Informed citizens are better place to make rational decisions on all aspects of the society like political, social, and economic. However, journalists should subscribe to media ethics and moral standards, and must report the news objectively. Julian Assange, one of the founders of WikiLeaks, has brought a lot of controversies over the real definition of journalism after he was caught in a number of scandals that, to en extend, have damaged the reputation of journalism (Andrade, 2013). Some people claim that he is a journalist while others argue that he is only a source of information to journalist. Therefore, the essay analyzes whether Assange is a journalist and how it has damaged the reputation of journalism. Julian Assange attracted international attention after establishing a whistle-blowing web site known as WikiLeaks. He is known as a journalist and computer programmer and he was born in 3rd July, 1971. Assange is regarded as a genius person with very high IQ. As a result, he has been involved in hacking the databases of high profile organizations. He is using WikiLeaks to collect and disseminate confidential information to the public (Lynch, 2012). Assange, therefore, is a controversial man who is associated with many scandals, including rape case and sexual assaults. At the same time, he is regarded as an activist. It is important to first understand the basic principles of journalism before determining whether Julian Assange is a journalist. Journalism basically refers to the gathering, collecting, and publishing information that concerns the public or in line with public interest (Ward, 2009). First, journalism requires truth-telling and a journalist should be able to verify that the material he or she is using is genuine before accurately publishing the material in a manner that can be understood by the majority of people. Secondly, journalism need harm minimization, as journalism ethical value does not allow journalist to publish recklessly without considering the potential harms it may cause to other parties (Ward, 2009). Therefore, journalist must analyze and assess the potential risks to individuals, organizations or the government. In addition, the risks should be analyzed against the general public interests because the public has a right to know the truth. As a result, a journalist must be able to strike a balance between the interest of the general public and the risks it may cause to a few individuals in the society (Mellado and Lagos, 2014). Finally, journalism also requires journalists to account for the sources of their information. Besides, they should account for the motive behind publishing any material. Therefore, journalist must also be held accountable for their actions for any material that they publish to the public. Journalism ethics does not encourage illegal acquisition of materials by journalists. Going by the definition and basic elements of journalism, a significant number of people believe or agree that Assange is a journalist and should be treated as one. He gathers, collect, and publishes information with the intention of distributing it to the public. However, there are some people who argue that Assange does not qualify to be called a journalist because he does no analyze and contextualize the materials that he publishes (Andrade, 2013). It is a journalism requirement that a journalist should contextualize his or her publications, but there is no clear definition or guideline for contextualization because it varies from one journalist to another. Therefore, it is difficult to determine whether he is analyzing or contextualizing his publications. At the same time, there is a section of society and media personalities who argue that Assange is a journalistic anarchist because his instinct is to only publish. Besides, some media societies have faulted Assange for not obeying the media code of ethics, especially that which require journalists to account for their work and to minimize the harm to other parties. However, this claim can be refuted because Julian Assange has agreed to be held accountable because he publicly declared that founder and chief editor of WikiLeaks. As the head of the organization, he must take responsibility and be held accountable for all the activities that are carried out by the organization. Interestingly, some people and organization, especially the US government, have maintained that WikiLeaks is not a media house and does not qualify for media protection because it unlawful leaked information (Wahl-Jorgensen, 2014). But this should not be the basis of ruling out Assange as a journalist because many journalists and media houses publish leaked documents and they have never been condemned as in the case of Assange and WikiLeaks. Therefore, excluding Assange as a journalist is not proper and is misguided. He is a journalist and the current debate surrounding him revolves around archaic definition of journalism in the internet era. The internet and the immense use of social media have revolutionized the concept of journalism, which calls for the expansion of the definition of journalism (Giannakoulopoulos and Kodellas, 2005. The lines that were distinguishing professional journalists from other individuals disseminating news have disappeared with the emergence of the internet (Alejandro, 2010). Many journalists use government source of information to publish their materials to the public. Using leaked confidential government information, therefore, should not disqualify Assange as a journalist. Consequently, like any other journalist in the world, he deserves to be protected by media laws that ensure the freedom of all journalists. Apart from the debate surrounding Assange and the concept, there are other scandals surrounding him. In 2010, WikiLeaks, an organization owned by Assange, published many classified US military documents that were illegally acquired (Wahl-Jorgensen, 2014). As a result, he has been accused of espionage and he may face death penalty if prosecuted by the US government. Therefore, Assange could have gone against the media ethics that is against acquiring and publishing illegal materials. Even though journalists have a duty of seeking information, including confidential information that is in public interest, they must follow the right channel when seeking information. In addition, there is some sensitive information that should not be availed to the public like security information, especially in this era where terrorism is common. Even though he has the right to publish information to the public, there are some sensitive and confidential information that should be treated with care. Therefore, the publication of the US classified military information by Assange amounted to irresponsible journalism, which can damage the reputation of journalism (Andrade, 2013). Some have argued that Assange does not differentiate between genuine and superficial public interest. As a result, he is labeled as a journalist with no regard to the sensitivity of the issues that he is addressing and publishing. For instance, the release of the US diplomatic cables could have interfered with its diplomatic relationship with many countries. Interestingly, the US government has not has not filed formal charges against Julian Assange, which raises a questions as to whether he committed an offence by publishing the information. This raises the question of whether he went against the media ethics. Some people have argued that, by publishing the highly classified information, Assange played an important role of protecting the people’s right to access information. In addition, it gave the people the opportunity to oversee the power and actions of the government, which is essential in any democratic society. It can be argued that Assange has used WikiLeaks to enhance government and corporate accountability and transparency in various parts of the world (Wahl-Jorgensen, 2014). In addition, apart from publication of leaked documents, Assange has also been accused of rape and sexual assaults (Andrade, 2013). Two women living in Stockholm accused him of rape and sexual assaults. The two ladies who are referred to as Miss A and Miss W in the rape case made allegation that Assage sexually assaulted them. Even though the allegations have not been confirmed, they dented the image of journalism because it goes against any professional ethics. Rape is also a serious offense in any country in the world and any individual involved in it always face severe court sentence. In conclusion, there are a number of issues surrounding Julian Assange and his conduct as a media personality. Due to unclear definition of journalism in the modern world that is characterized by high use of the internet, Assange can be regarded as a journalist. Like any journalist in the world, he gathers, collects, and publishes information to the public. Although the motive is his materials is not clear, his publications have informed the public. In addition, his materials have helped in enhancing transparency and accountability in various organizations. However, his reliance on leaked information to publish his materials has affected the reputation of journalism. The rape and sexual assault cases against him also put his ethical and moral behaviors in question. As a journalist, he has moral obligation to adhere to media ethics and moral standards. Reference List Alejandro, J., 2010. Journalism in the age of social media. Reuters Institute Fellowship Paper, University of Oxford, pp.2009-2010. Andrade, M.K.M., 2013. Julian Assange: A Content Analysis of Media Framing in Newspapers around the World. Giannakoulopoulos, A.P. and Kodellas, S.N., 2005. The impact of web information availability in journalism: The case of Greek Journalists. Digital Utopia in the Media: From Discourses to Facts. A Balance, pp.547-560. Lynch, L., 2012. “That’s Not Leaking, It’s Pure Editorial”: Wikileaks, Scientific Journalism, and Journalistic Expertise. Mellado, C. and Lagos, C., 2014. Professional roles in news content: Analyzing journalistic performance in the Chilean national press. International Journal of Communication, 8, p.23. Sonnemaker, T., 2015. Objectivity and the Role of Journalism in Democratic Societies. Wahl-Jorgensen, K., 2014. Is WikiLeaks Challenging the Paradigm of Journalism? Boundary Work and Beyond. International Journal of Communication, 8, p.12. Ward, S.J., 2009. Journalism ethics. The handbook of journalism studies, pp.295-309. Read More

The risks should be analyzed against the general public interests because the public has a right to know the truth. As a result, a journalist must be able to strike a balance between the interest of the general public and the risks it may cause to a few individuals in the society (Mellado and Lagos, 2014). Finally, journalism also requires journalists to account for the sources of their information. Besides, they should account for the motive behind publishing any material. Therefore, journalists must also be held accountable for their actions for any material that they publish to the public. Journalism ethics does not encourage the illegal acquisition of materials by journalists.

            Going by the definition and basic elements of journalism, a significant number of people believe or agree that Assange is a journalist and should be treated as one. He gathers, collects, and publishes information to distribute it to the public. However, some people argue that Assange does not qualify to be called a journalist because he does no analyze and contextualize the materials that he publishes (Andrade, 2013). It is a journalism requirement that a journalist should contextualize his or her publications, but there is no clear definition or guideline for contextualization because it varies from one journalist to another. Therefore, it is difficult to determine whether he is analyzing or contextualizing his publications. At the same time, there is a section of society and media personalities who argue that Assange is a journalistic anarchist because his instinct is to only publish.

            Besides, some media societies have faulted Assange for not obeying the media code of ethics, especially that which require journalists to account for their work and to minimize the harm to other parties. However, this claim can be refuted because Julian Assange has agreed to be held accountable because he publicly declared that founder and chief editor of WikiLeaks. As the head of the organization, he must take responsibility and be held accountable for all the activities that are carried out by the organization. Interestingly, some people and organizations, especially the US government, have maintained that WikiLeaks is not a media house and does not qualify for media protection because of its unlawful leaked information (Wahl-Jorgensen, 2014). But this should not be the basis of ruling out Assange as a journalist because many journalists and media houses publish leaked documents and they have never been condemned as in the case of Assange and WikiLeaks.

Therefore, excluding Assange as a journalist is not proper and is misguided. He is a journalist and the current debate surrounding him revolves around the archaic definition of journalism in the internet era. The internet and the immense use of social media have revolutionized the concept of journalism, which calls for the expansion of the definition of journalism (Giannakoulopoulos and Kodellas, 2005. The lines that were distinguishing professional journalists from other individuals disseminating news have disappeared with the emergence of the internet (Alejandro, 2010). Many journalists use government sources of information to publish their materials to the public. Using leaked confidential government information, therefore, should not disqualify Assange as a journalist. Consequently, like any other journalist in the world, he deserves to be protected by media laws that ensure the freedom of all journalists.

Apart from the debate surrounding Assange and the concept, other scandals are surrounding him. In 2010, WikiLeaks, an organization owned by Assange, published many classified US military documents that were illegally acquired (Wahl-Jorgensen, 2014). As a result, he has been accused of espionage and he may face the death penalty if prosecuted by the US government. Therefore, Assange could have gone against the media ethics that is against acquiring and publishing illegal materials.

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