Power, Interdependence, and Hybridity in the Construction of Political News: Understanding WikiLeaks

Abstract

Chapter 5 builds on several of the news-making themes presented in chapter 4. Here, however, the book takes a different tack by examining the extraordinary rise to prominence of WikiLeaks in the late 2000s and early 2010s. This chapter tells the story of the symbiotic relationship that emerged between WikiLeaks, its network of supporters, and those professional journalists who were so crucial to the success of the 2010 war logs and embassy cables “megaleaks.” The chapter shows how the effective resources for taking action in the hybrid media system in this case emerged from the relational power and interdependence among WikiLeaks, the newspaper and broadcast media, and the distributed online networks of activists that mobilized in support of both WikiLeaks and the professional journalists during the U.S. government's unprecedented attempts to censor the internet during late 2010 and early 2011.