Global Exchange is please to announce the 2013 People’s Choice Award to Julian Assange and Wikileaks.
Wikileaks is a valuable tool for human rights activists the world over. Wikileaks helps whistle blowers bring forth information that is vital to public debate. They have helped push stories hidden by secretive governments or ignored by corporate oriented media to the fore.
Examples include exposure of insider trading at JP Morgan and the censorship of UK media outlets including BBC and the Independent. Wikileaks also revealed the inner dysfunction of Copenhagen climate negotiations and gave content to discontent that sparked the early Arab Spring protests. The shocking ‘Collateral Murder’ video depicted alleged war crimes by U.S. airmen, who appear to knowingly shoot innocent Iraqis from the air.
