Spinning Wikileaks

Many in the media just can't let it go. Wikileaks has beat them to many good stories. But the media always get the last word. Making it even more confusing is Wikileaks spinning its own stories.

The current spin is that Wikileaks has broken up because of discontent with Julian Assange. Another way to look at plans to set up OpenLeaks is that it is flanking operation. Now the powers that be will have to divert their attention to a second group.

It is a well-known concept in Washington. Create the impression that the collapse of Wikleaks is inevitable. Voila. A self-fulfilling prophecy. Like President Obama's tax breaks for the rich. All it took for him to distract attention, at least for a day, was to talk about that old Washington chestnut: rewriting the tax code.

The creation of OpenLeaks may be just another distraction. Former Wikileaker Daniel Domscheit-Berg talks of Assange's dictatorial methods. But some Assange supporters welcome the appearance of another whistleblower.

Instead, it very much looks like an effort to avoid the scrutiny afforded Wikileaks. Instead of OpenLeaks making documents available, the leakers would designate where the information should go. That seems unlikely to dissuade governments from going after OpenLeaks.

But it could create confusion in the ranks of those who want to curb the free flow of information to the world via the Internet.

Some are talking of awarding Assange the Nobel Peace Prize. Voting has closed in the Time Magazine Man of the Year Competiton with Assange leading 382,000 votes to 233,000 for the Turkish prime minister, who is second place. They were followed by Lady Gaga, Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert and Glenn Beck. Time noted its editors reserve the right to disagree.

Barbara Walters picked Gen. Daniel Petraeus as the most fascinating man of the year. Assange didn't even make her top ten. How out of touch can the mainstream media be?