BACkGROUND: WikiLeaks documents in public interest, newspapers say

Nov 29, 2010, 8:56 GMT

Washington - A tranche of more than a quarter million leaked classified US documents that reveal how sensitive international issues and foreign leaders are evaluated by Washington were published in the 'public interest,' The New York Times and other publications said Sunday.

The documents were made available to the Times, Britain's Guardian, German magazine Der Spiegel, El Pais in Spain and France's Le Monde by self-proclaimed whistleblower website WikiLeaks.

In a note to readers, The New York Times said it believed the documents 'serve an important public interest, illuminating the goals, successes, compromises and frustrations of American diplomacy in a way that other accounts cannot match.'

The documents were published despite strong objections from the US government, which insists they were leaked illegally and should be returned. The White House called the release of 251,287 State Department cables 'reckless' and 'dangerous.'

They outline regular communications between embassies and consulates in some 270 countries back to State Department headquarters in Washington. While much of it is routine, some of the details and commentary could prove embarrassing.

The New York Times said the information was provided without any conditions. Each news organization agreed to start publishing the material Sunday, but independently decided what to write about the leaked cables.

In an article entitled 'Why Le Monde publishes Wikileaks documents,' the newspaper said on its website: 'From the moment when this mass of documents has been passed on, even if illegally, to WikiLeaks, and given that it therefore risks falling into the public domain anytime, Le Monde has considered it relevant to its mission to take note of these documents, to subject them to journalistic analysis and to convey that to its readers.

'To inform, however, does not prevent one from acting responsibly. Transparency and judgment are not incompatible, and it is no doubt this that distinguishes us from the bottom line strategy of WikiLeaks.'

The publications said they excluded information that would put informants at risk or compromise national security.

'The question of dealing with classified information is rarely easy, and never to be taken lightly. Editors try to balance the value of the material to public understanding against potential dangers to the national interest,' the Times said.

El Pais director Javier Moreno said in a video message, 'The ultimate driving force behind this project is the huge public interest of all these documents. I think we can say without a doubt that these revelations are going to be a turning point not just for US diplomacy but also for international relations as we have known them until now.'

Apart from these five publications, WikiLeaks has reportedly promised country-specific documents to several media and will subsequently post all the material on its website.

'The cables tell the unvarnished story of how the government makes its biggest decisions, the decisions that cost the country most heavily in lives and money,' The New York Times said.

'They shed light on the motivations - and, in some cases, duplicity - of allies on the receiving end of American courtship and foreign aid.

'As daunting as it is to publish such material over official objections, it would be presumptuous to conclude that Americans have no right to know what is being done in their name.'