It's a question David Carr raises today in his NYT column that explores how WikiLeaks effectiveness directly correlates with Julian Assange's decision to collaborate with mainstream outlets and create "a comfort zone for his partners in journalism." But what if that cooperation was reversed?
WikiLeaks may be willing to play ball with newspapers for now, but the organization does not share the same values or objectives. Mr. Assange and the site’s supporters see transparency as the ultimate objective, believing that sunshine and openness will deprive bad actors of the secrecy they require to be successful. Mainstream media may spend a lot of time trying to ferret information out of official hands, but they largely operate in the belief that the state is legitimate and entitled to at least some of its secrets.
[...]
And what if WikiLeaks was unhappy with how one of its ad hoc media partners had handled the information it provided or became displeased with the coverage of WikiLeaks? The same guns in the info-war that have been aimed at its political and Web opponents could be trained on media outlets.
The result? Well you only have to look as far as this weekend's Gawker hack to see what kind of havoc a team of tech geniuses with nefarious intentions can do to a media site.
