WikiLeaks: Journalism for Change

Agenda setting is a process whereby organizations, such as government bodies or news conglomerates, strategically select which messages and news should be conveyed to the public audience. By deciding for the public what news deserves their complete attention, more sensitive news could be deliberately excluded and neglected.

WikiLeaks is a platform for dispensing unfiltered news, generally submitted by whistle-blowers or journalists who can’t get their news published in mainstream press due to sensitive or, what news broadcasters deem as, ‘unfavourable’ news topics. Julian Assange, the man behind the site, urges mainstream press to reveal all source materials used by journalists in order for audiences to judge a story’s significance for themselves.

WikiLeaks is "a public service designed to protect journalists and activists who have sensitive materials to communicate to the public," according to the official About Us page. Assange also adds that WikiLeaks is “the vanguard of a particular ideal – that justice comes about because of the disclosure of abuse.”

A noteworthy example of WikiLeaks’ work is their release in April 2010 of classified U.S. military footage from July 2007 that revealed a U.S. helicopter killing a group of Iraqis in Baghdad, including two Reuters journalists.

Upon receiving numerous donations after the incident, Assange had a recommendation for the journalism industry:

“New funding model for journalism: try doing it for a change.”

Read more about WikiLeaks.