WikiLeaks claims to specialize in publishing censored government materials about war, spying, and corruption, but its authenticity and the agenda of its founder Julian Assange are contested. Some see Assange as pursuing a personal vendetta rather than transparency. WikiLeaks has published materials from Guantanamo Bay, the Afghan war, and emails from the DNC and John Podesta, which revealed insider information and tactics, but critics argue WikiLeaks and Assange are not truly dedicated to radical transparency and have their own aims. The authenticity and truthfulness of WikiLeaks' information is important because it shapes public opinion on important issues, so if WikiLeaks manipulates information it could easily influence consensus.

1. WikiLeaks and
The Legitimacy of the Fifth Estate
By: Emily Blegvad

2. What is WikiLeaks?
• Claims to: “specialize in the analysis and
publication of large datasets of
censored or otherwise restricted official
materials involving war, spying and
corruption.”
● What is being analyzed about it’s
authenticity?
The actual legitimacy and correctness of
the organization.
● Authenticity = Truthfulness in
documents released.
Founder of WikiLeaks, Julian
Assange

3. How and why is WikiLeaks contested?
● Is WikiLeaks the outcome of Julian Assange’s personal vendetta? To many, it is.
● “Even as he [Assange] portrays himself as a radical transparency activist, Assange’s
actions belie a fierce commitment to protecting his own privacy”
- Daniel Domscheit-Berg

4. Guantanamo Files: Revealed inner workings of
controversial prison including information
about how inmates were mistreated/tortured.
Afghan War Diaries (Collateral Murder):
The reports describe the majority of lethal military
actions involving the United States military.
DNC Email Hack:
This collection included
19,000 emails and 8,000
attachments from the
DNC, the governing
body of the Democratic
Party.
Podesta Emails: Revealed that the Clinton
campaign gained insider information on debate
questions and tactics.

5. Why is WikiLeaks contested?
● WikiLeaks seeks to be an entity that eventually eliminates itself through exposing
corrupt individuals and governments.
● WikiLeaks is contested because it is believed that WikiLeaks and its leader, Julian
Assange, are corrupt as well, and have their own agendas while hiding behind the
mask of being an organization dedicated to radical transparency worldwide.

6. Why does the authenticity of WikiLeaks matter?
• The legitimacy or truthfulness of information provided by WikiLeaks furthers the
public’s consensus on many of the largest issues our world faces.
• WikiLeaks is so powerful and has a lot of the public’s trust, it can easily
manipulate the information and consensus that many people have.
• WikiLeaks is deemed authentic or inauthentic because it is claiming its
authenticity of information, yet it is doing so in a specific way to hurt certain
people, not all people.
“He who controls the Internet servers controls the intellectual record
of mankind, and by controlling that, controls our perceptions of who
we are, and by controlling that, controls what laws and what
regulations we make in society.”
- Julian Assange