Editor's Letter: Advocates for truth
I found it striking that veteran journalist Daniel Schorr passed away last week just as tens of thousands of classified U.S. documents relating to the Afghanistan war were published by WikiLeaks.
I found it striking that veteran journalist Daniel Schorr passed away last week just as tens of thousands of classified U.S. documents relating to the Afghanistan war were published by WikiLeaks, a 3-year-old “whistle-blower” website that specializes in exposing secrets. Schorr also made it his specialty to expose secrets, from Nixon’s Watergate abuses to CIA assassination plots. For many journalists of a certain age (okay, mine), Schorr was an iconic figure, an old-school reporter who was willing—and even a bit eager—to challenge anyone, including his own paymasters, who tried to suppress the news. (See Obituaries.)
What a different media world we live in today. Schorr’s influence was derived from his being part of the great news team that Edward R. Murrow built at CBS. WikiLeaks, on the other hand, employs no professional journalists, lacks the resources to thoroughly verify all the leaks it receives, and eschews such journalism norms as seeking comment from affected parties. It’s all driven by a vaguely anarchistic agenda that considers powerful institutions like the U.S. military and multinational corporations to be inherent threats to human compassion and truth. Schorr, too, considered himself an advocate for truth, though as a product of what’s now derided as the mainstream media, he viewed his digging as a civic responsibility, not an act of subversion. Yet Schorr and the WikiLeaks activists shared a belief that in the absence of an informed citizenry, there can be no real accountability. They had something else in common, too. The government claims that some of the embarrassing secrets revealed by WikiLeaks jeopardize national security. Some things never change.
Eric Effron
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
It's not just ice quantity that climate change affects. It's also quality.
Under the Radar Ice is getting thinner and frailer
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
What's behind Trump's last-minute merch push?
Today's Big Question With just weeks to go before the election, Donald Trump is spending the waning days of his campaign hawking a suite of new products, from silver coins to cryptocurrency
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Kamala Harris' plan to raise taxes on corporations and the wealthy
the explainer Tweaks, rather than sweeping overhauls, characterize the Democratic nominee's proposals
By David Faris Published
-
Editor's letter
feature
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Editor's letter: Are college athletes employees?
feature The National Labor Relations Board's decision deeming scholarship players “employees” of Northwestern University has many worrying that college sports itself will soon be history.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Editor's letter
feature
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Editor's letter: When a bot takes your job
feature Now that computers can write news stories, drive cars, and play chess, we’re all in trouble.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Editor's letter: Electronic cocoons
feature Smartphones have their upside, but city streets are now full of people walking with their heads down.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Editor's letter: The real cause of income inequality
feature When management and stockholders pocket all the profits, the middle class falls further behind.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Editor's letter: The real reason you’re so forgetful
feature When you consider how much junk we’ve stored in our brains, it’s no surprise we can’t remember our PINs.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Editor's letter: Ostentatious politicians
feature The McDonnells’ indictment for corruption speaks volumes about the company elected officials now keep.
By The Week Staff Last updated