Hillary Clinton: We Want Journalism Innovation That Makes Info Easier To Share... Unless It's Wikileaks

from the tone-deaf dept

Wed, May 4th 2011 1:02pm — Mike Masnick

Jeff Sonderman points us to the odd statement put out by Hilary Clinton and the State Department for World Press Freedom Day, in which she praises the internet for making info easier to share and for holding governments accountable:

We have all witnessed the power that this surge in connectivity can have in shaping society and holding governments accountable. New media empowers individuals around the world to share information and express opinions in ways unimaginable just ten years ago.

Even as we celebrate innovations that make information easier to share, we are reminded that in many places around the world, journalists are still targeted for harassment and abuse, and are sometimes killed. Today, we remember that journalism is a calling of everyday heroes. We must continue to stand up for those who speak out in perilous circumstances as they pursue, record, and report the truth.

And yet, all of this is occurring at the same time that the State Department has continued to condemn Wikileaks and has supported the treatment of folks like Bradley Manning. He doesn't qualify as someone who decided to "speak out in perilous circumstances" as he tried to "pursue, record and report the truth?"

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Filed Under: freedom, hillary clinton, journalism, press, state department, wikileaks
Companies: wikileaks

19 Comments

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Brendan (profile), 4 May 2011 @ 1:02pm

Do as I say...
"Do as I say and not as I do" sums it up quite nicely, I think.
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- Don, 4 May 2011 @ 1:16pm
  
  Re: Do as I say...
  Who was it that said that, Nixon?
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  - abc gum, 5 May 2011 @ 5:16am
    
    Re: Re: Do as I say...
    "The problem with quotes on the Internet is that it is hard to verify their authenticity"
    � Abraham Lincoln
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ScytheNoire (profile), 4 May 2011 @ 1:12pm

Maybe they want to run the sites that share the data so they can decide what they actually want to share. Heck, why not just have all media government run, that seems to be what they are going for here.
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- Anonymous Coward, 4 May 2011 @ 1:45pm
  
  Re:
  Heck, why not just have all media government run
  
  They tried, but they got it backwards and now all government is media run.
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Don, 4 May 2011 @ 1:18pm

Did I hear/read stories of the American government forcing the media to keep mum on certain topics.
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- Anonymous Coward, 4 May 2011 @ 1:21pm
  
  Re:
  happens ALL the time - if you want to keep getting stories from certain sources you have to release what they tell you or when they tell you or both.
  
  Getting the scoop = money. Releasing the scoop as requested = future scoops. Money > all
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  - Cowardly Anon, 4 May 2011 @ 1:27pm
    
    Re: Re:
    And that is why they don't like Wikileaks. They aren't in it for the money, and that is changing the information supply chain.
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Cowardly Anon, 4 May 2011 @ 1:24pm

Shhhh...don't speak such things out loud.

Logic...it burns us. *hiss*
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Anonymous Coward, 4 May 2011 @ 1:40pm

2011=1984
He doesn't qualify as someone who decided to "speak out in perilous circumstances" as he tried to "pursue, record and report the truth?"

Of course he doesn't. He spoke out against the government. Nobody speaking out against the government is reporting the truth, because the government decides what is and isn't true. Only those who report the truth according to the government are considered journalists by the government.
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- Anonymous Coward, 4 May 2011 @ 5:18pm
  
  Re: 2011=1984
  Exactly. Which is what makes her statement SO wrong, particularly:
  
  "We have all witnessed the power that this surge in connectivity can have in shaping society and holding governments accountable."
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Anonymous Coward, 4 May 2011 @ 1:52pm

He doesn't qualify as someone who decided to "speak out in perilous circumstances" as he tried to "pursue, record and report the truth?"

This only applies to information that makes other governments look bad, not to info that makes the U.S. govt look bad.
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Chris in Utah (profile), 4 May 2011 @ 2:02pm

The third in the series. Again she (Hillary) hedges once, twice and the third? Let's openly do it. There's a reason the now, quote, conspiracy nutz, unquote of today were called alarmist 50-100 years ago.

Oh and if you want to listen to government just do a simple mind trick. There openly telling you what there doing but you have decode it. Just take everything they say and the opposite is the truth. As least on capital hill. As for state legislature its about the same only we really need to shorten the term for governorship.
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- HM, 4 May 2011 @ 2:49pm
  
  Re:
  "quote, conspiracy nutz, unquote"
  
  You know there is a button on your keyboard for that "".
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Anonymous Coward, 4 May 2011 @ 2:35pm

You think maybe China is listening to this? After all, we claim they have freedom of the press issues and human rights issues.

The hypocritical statements coming out of the US government today never cease to amaze me.
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Anonymous Coward, 4 May 2011 @ 3:42pm

He doesn't qualify as someone who decided to "speak out in perilous circumstances" as he tried to "pursue, record and report the truth?"

No, he doesn't. He is a thief, plain and simple. Those documents were not submitted to him; he stole them off of government computers. Anyway, Wikileaks isn't a journalistic organization; they do not report on any issues. They just buy stolen documents and distribute them.
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- Anonymous Coward, 4 May 2011 @ 5:23pm
  
  Re:
  I hope this is sarcasm. If so, well done. If not then define "journalistic organization" for me. I have a feeling that phrase doesn't mean what you think it does.
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- Anonymous Coward, 4 May 2011 @ 5:23pm
  
  Re:
  The goverment still has the docs in question so it can't possibly be theft. Violator of goverment property? yes. thief? No.
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- The eejit (profile), 5 May 2011 @ 12:19am
  
  Re:
  Doesn't matter under the US "Constitution" (read: toilet paper). He is doing something the the lameass media should be doing and has done before. regardless of what you think of Assange, Wikileaks has a noble cause; to prevent governments from abusing their power.
  
  Also being a journalist doesn't always mean that there's a report as well, on occasions, it just mneans getting the truth out.
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