Wikileaks: evil or moral? Editor Julian Assange: criminal or hero? A month ago—even two weeks ago—I would have easily responded evil and criminal. But now, I’m not so sure.

The government’s response to Wikileaks has been alarming at best. Recently, the Air Force decided to ban the New York Times because it published “sensitive” data. They blocked anyone on base from being able to access the New York Times website and went a step further by banning troops from buying physical copies. While I’m not sure it would be punished as such, reading the New York Times would be punishable by a court marshal and dishonorable discharge. Um, censorship?

Furthermore, it is very troubling how politicians are calling for Assange to be murdered. What did he really do? He is not the one who stole the information. The soldier who did is sitting in prison right now.

Assange merely published the information. I can’t help but think that if an anonymous individual dropped a CD with classified information on it by the Washington Post, few would be calling for Editor Marcus Brauchli’s head.

How is what Assange is doing different?

Almost 8 years ago, we entered into a war predicated on lies. We were told Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. They didn’t. We were told Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden had collaborated. They didn’t. We were told that Iraq posed an imminent threat to United States national security. They didn’t.

If Wikileaks had been around then, 4,748 troops may very well be alive.

I don’t see the journalistic value in publishing gossip about other world leaders, but I do see value in other leaks.

In 2009, Wikileaks released a video of NATO forces shooting and killing an unarmed Reuters reporter along with several Iraqi civilians. We heard excuses about how it was as honest mistake. Fact is, the soldiers were laughing and cracking jokes about the murder of innocent human beings.

Jullian Assange and Wikileaks reported a war crime. And as a result, we have politicians calling for him to be executed. That is a very dangerous precedent to set.

Should certain information remain classified? Yes. But nothing Wikileaks has reported, as of yet anyway, has been absolutely detrimental to the U.S. Rather, Wikileaks has exposed war crimes, brought attention to a troubling undercurrent in the U.S. military, revealed near espionage practices of U.S. diplomats and ultimately spread knowledge to a nation that is far too quick to accept whatever the government feeds it.

Assange has put freedom of speech to the test. We have a right to know.