UW-Madison English professor Anne McClintock, journalism professor Lewis Friedland and communication arts professor Robert Howard discussed WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange, who Howard described as a ""computer wielding modern day Batman"" Thursday.
The professors' discussion was hosted by the UW Madison Center for the Humanities and moderated by Wisconsin Public Radio's Steve Paulson. Paulson introduced the topic by posing the question ""Is Julian Assange a journalist, or is he simply a source? Is Assange a hero or a villain?""
The professors agreed that WikiLeaks has influenced political situations such as those in Egypt and Iraq by making classified knowledge public.
Friedland said the evolution of WikiLeaks is ""the beginning of a major rupture in the world system of information.""
Howard said he encourages the public to ""consider the incredible privilege"" it has enjoyed given its ignorance of war crimes, and challenged Americans to perhaps see WikiLeaks as the robber of the public's blissful ignorance.
Later the discussion turned from the role of WikiLeaks in the media today to its founder Julian Assange, and the moral problem of one person having the power to decide what should become public knowledge.
Panel members addressed Assange's culpability in the case of a U.S. Army private who leaked information to Assange and was arrested. Pfc. Bradley Manning gave Assange information that revealed the number of Iraqi civilian deaths are thousands higher than the U.S. government let on.
Despite the professors' knowledge on the topic, they said it is still uncertain whether Assange's controversial role in the media will prove beneficial to the public or detract from the validity of the mainstream media.
