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Defend WikiLeaks or lose free speech - Dan Gillmor - Salon.com
by Decius at 7:31 pm EST, Dec 6, 2010 |
WikiLeaks may well make us uncomfortable in some of what it does, though in general I believe it's done far more good than harm so far. We need to recognize, however, as Mathew Ingram wrote over the weekend, that "Like It or Not, WikiLeaks is a Media Entity." What our government is trying to do to WikiLeaks now is lawless in stunning ways, as Salon's Glenn Greenwald forcefully argued today. These are also acts of outright censorship. No, Amazon is not bound by the First Amendment. But if it's bowing to government pressure, it's helping a panicked government tear up one of our most basic freedoms.
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RE: Defend WikiLeaks or lose free speech - Dan Gillmor - Salon.com
by Stefanie at 11:45 am EST, Dec 7, 2010 |
Dan Gillmor: These are also acts of outright censorship. No, Amazon is not bound by the First Amendment. But if it's bowing to government pressure, it's helping a panicked government tear up one of our most basic freedoms.
When Michael Jordan was asked to publicly support a Democratic candidate in a 1990 election, he declined and later said, "Republicans buy sneakers too." I don't think it's fair for Dan Gillmor to criticize Amazon for making a wise business decision. WikiLeaks knew that it would burn some bridges along the way, even among its supporters. Dan Gillmor should understand that business is business, and he's wrong to criticize Amazon for not wanting to take the heat brought down by WikiLeaks. To suggest that Amazon is "helping a panicked government tear up one of our most basic freedoms" is misguided. He should focus his attention on the "panicked government." |
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