We've been talking about democratic politics over the past couple of weeks. One important component of a properly functioning democracy is that the elected rulers should be held accountable to the ruled
Two ways that leaders are held accountable is by 1. voting = citizens select who they want as leaders or representatives 2. adversarial justification = representatives face the criticisms and questions of citizens and justify why they are making certain policy decisions.
I want to talk a bit more about adversarial justification. Adversarial justification occurs in a number of ways. One example of formally accepted type of adversarial justification is the press pool, which is where the US President speaks to and takes questions from news reporters. Another type of adversarial justification that is potentially illegal is the classified leak, which is where a person slips secret information out to the public. Leaking classified information to the public is one way of trying to make leaders talk about and justify secret policies that impact citizens' lives -- it is a form of adversarial justification.
Edward Snowden recently leaked a series of documents to the news media. These documents show how secret government security policies are potentially impacting your life. This leak is pushing political elites, like President Obama, to talk about and justify these policies to American citizens and the international public.
Leaking is controversial. Some political elites say that leaking harms US national interests. Other political organizations say that leaking has helped build their case against government overreach and infringement on individual civil liberties.
What do you think?
Do you agree or disagree that leaks of secret information are an important component of a democracy? Should there be more leaks of classified information? Is this better for democracy or can a leak hurt a democracy? Are there limits on what should be leaked? When is leaking more of a problem for democracy?
I think the leaks are important simply because I don't think we should be ever be kept in the dark about something that has an effect on us. I only seems fair to be informed about every issue or policy that has to do with us. Since our government is secretive and isn't the type to be open with us, leaks seem to be the only way for us to get in on their secrets. If the leaks are what takes I guess they are necessary but I hope one day we won't have to feel out of the loop with what is going on in our government. It would be nice if we eventually would get to hear the truth and the whole truth from them directly.
ReplyDeleteMaggie Nevin
PSCI 100:03
I agree that the leaks are very important. I don't think that a government should hold so so so much stuff from the people. It is supposed to be a "free world" but obviously it is not. I agree that we as the people should be informed of everything that happens, especially the really in depth stuff. i am glad the someone is taking a stand and leaking all of this crazy information to the less fortunate American Citizens that obviously, according to the Gov, do not need to know.
DeleteI agree with Maggie; if the leaks weren't to occur, then imagine what information we would still be deprived of. Of course the government hides an endless list of things from us citizens, but to what extent is too much? Eventually, they will see that hiding everything isn't always the safest bet. Being blind of what our officials do or plan can raise a lot of concerns. Why are we electing people who hide their actions or choose not to keep the citizens updated? So the leaks help give us little hints about what is going on. I don't like the thought of our government having leaks because of security issues, but that's the only way we figure out what's happening.
ReplyDeleteVictoria Wilson
100:02
IN a democracy i believe everyone should know everything. I think all secret information should be leaked. If it is not then the leaders have way too much power over the citizens and it could become a totalitarian political system. The point of a democracy is rule of the people. How can they make the laws and rule if they are not kept up to date with what is going on and are being left out of the loop about what the government is really doing.
ReplyDeleteMike Reed
In the US, we should have total faith in our government and not worry about secret policies. I do agree with Maggie saying that the american public should always notified with news about courses of action and policies done in our government. Although it is unfortunate that Snowden is arrested, the last time I checked, informing the american people wasn't against the law. This was very similar to the whole Wikileaks situation a few years ago for exposing classified documents to the american people. In the end, democracy is defined as rule of the people. On capitol hill, democracy is run by secrets, smoke and mirrors as well as lies
ReplyDeleteKevin Cantarilho
PSCI 100:02
I believe leaking information is important, the more information we can get the better. The government will lie to citizens constantly to "protect" us, but that whole protection word, is a lie too. There is nothing the government is really doing to protect us, they are playing spy games and most Americans are letting them do it, why?? because they have "total faith in our government" shit.. We are fucked.
ReplyDeleteChelse O'Connor
PSCI
I agree with this statement, leaking information is important. The government believes they are protecting us, but in reality they are hurting us even more economically and financially. I believe everything should be said and done instead of keeping important information a secret. The government has no right to be spying unless they are suspicious or looking for criminals. You don't see us spying on the government, so why should they?
DeleteAshley Cole
PSCI 100:02
I believe that information being leaked is both important but at the same time it could be dangerous. If information that is leaked is very negative it could cause chaos. However the government will lie about things in an attempt to protect its citizens but most of the time I believe that the information withheld would be better put to use if given to us.
ReplyDeleteKayla Motheral
Leaking important US information is good and bad due to the actions or consequences that might follow. Such as other countries getting a hold of it and using it against the US. It might be good because the citizens of the US know whats going on around them and what they should prepare for or know for their own good.
ReplyDeleteJ.C. Mao-Alston
PSCI 100:03
I think that secret information leaks are important because if we are supposed to be as free as we say we are, why is all this information being kept from the public? At the same time, I do understand why it is bad, because it can only cause things to get worse and possible information to be made even more secret, if possible. I do believe there should be more leaks to keep the public aware of what is actually going on in our country rather than having this glorified image of America can do no wrong. The government shouldn't be keeping this information from the public because it can give them a false sense of security, especially with all of the NSA things going on. If these leaks didn't happen, I can't even imagine what else they would try to hide from us to let us believe we are actually free.
ReplyDeleteMegan Douglas
PSCI 100:02
I think that leaks are good for democracy to a certain point. I think the leaks that Snowden made about the NSA were very important to opening citizen's eyes to what their government is really doing and has encouraged many to find a voice on this matter. Leaks such as these about what the government is doing to its own people are very important because citizens have every right to know exactly what their government is doing and how it will impact their lives. However, leaking important military documents, such as what WikiLeaks did, can endanger the lives of many U.S. citizens and actually got an Afghan informant killed because his name was released. Those leaks are not needed because they endanger our nation and make us vulnerable to attacks on our troops and people by other nations, and expose informants that allow our military to gain knowledge of threats to our nation. I believe that leaks of classified information can be very good for a democracy but only when they open the eyes of the citizens to what their government is doing to them, not when it exposes military information that was meant to protect U.S. troops and special forces.
ReplyDeleteMatt Deal
PSCI 100
I think that leaking information is bad when put into the wrong hands. Such as other countries trying to harm America of its people, leaking information that we as Americans should know about such as a bombing or attack is good that we know to prepare or be aware of these things. If the right information is leaked it can benefit us but if the wrong information is leaked it can cause chaos.
ReplyDeleteDominique Dixon
PSCI 100
I think that leaks are good in democracy because the leaders need to be held accountable to the public that they represent. The people also need to be informed so they can make an informed decision on who they elect and decide wither or not to remove them from office. The people have the right to over throw their government and in order for them to want an overthrow they need to know that something is wrong and our liberties are being infringed on. Leaks could be harmful if they are not correct, but for a pure democracy leaks would not be a bad thing. It will hurt some of our foreign affairs, but if it would hurt our foreign policy you probably shouldn't do it in the first place. Today we don't have a pure democracy and a leak could potentially hurt the country if the wrong thing is leaked and war breaks out, but an uninformed public is how a dictatorship would develop.
ReplyDeleteKayla Piechowiak
PSCI 100-03
Leaks should be allowed if we are paying for whatever it is that's going on. It is unfair for tax paying citizens to be supporting government decisions that we were not aware of. I feel that leaks are necessary if we are paying for choices. Depending on the situation, leaking can hurt our democracy or make it better. The government should just be honest in the first place; inform us about the situation, justify why they believe we need this, and have us vote. If they just did that then we wouldn't have to worry about illegal leaks and not being able to trust the government.
ReplyDeleteAmanda Malave
PSCI 100.02
I believe that leaks are important in a democracy. The people of a democracy should have a say within the government and if information is being concealed, that is unjust. The people deserve to know things just as much as the president does in most cases. There is some information though that should not be leaked. For example, information that could be harmful if it is leaked should be kept confidential.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I think leaks are necessary in a democracy because the people are supposed to have a say in issues, and if those are being hidden, that is undemocratic.
Cara Mason
PSCI 100:02
I definitely believe that leaks are important for democracy. As citizens, everyone should have a say about what is going on around them and for them. If the government is hiding information and always spying or covering up, the citizens would just not trust them. If it was truly democratic, there should always be leaks because the people should always have a say.
ReplyDeleteKathy Huynh
PSCI 100:03
You're right and it also affects us because by our government hiding information it puts the entire nation at risk and in danger without us even know what is going on and we wonder why other nations stereotype us as a whole.
DeleteI think these leaks are important. I believe that in a democracy we should all have a say with NO secrets. If the government didn't keep things from the people there wouldn't be anything to leak.
ReplyDeleteDanielle McManus
PSCI 100:02
The government closely recording all technological based communications and hacking into cameras to watch its citizens is not democratic in any sense. Leaking this information so that the citizens know what their government is doing nothing but necessary. The whole idea of democracy is that the people rule. Because we rely on representatives, we do not have the direct decision about what happens in the government. However, this does not make it okay for politicians and government agencies to keep secrets from the citizens. Therefore I feel that leaking those secrets that the government keeps from the people is absolutely necessary.
ReplyDeleteKatelyn Amspacher
PSCI 100:03
I feel as though leaks of important information are key. As a citizen I feel as though knowing as much information as possible about what is going on around me is important for my own sake. With the way things that are going on now the government isn't really doing anything that is "protecting" the citizens. Leaking secrets that the government is holding back from up is in all forms necessary for us as citizens to know.
ReplyDeleteNicole Ruane
PSCI 100:02
I think that when somebody leaks important information that is being withheld from the citizens of the United States. We keep this country running and we are supposed to be a democracy. We supposedly elect our leader and he should keep his end of the deal by doing what he thinks would help us as a country the best. When somebody leaks information for us to know it shows the secrets that we do not know about but it also shows that the person who leaked it really wants change in this government and is doing the right thing because we the people can make a drastic change in our government and I think we are on the warpath to do that. Sucks to know that we are finding things out now that have been happening for decades. It is embarrassing and shows other countries that we are weakening which could be very dangerous.I think this should be a sign that ALL of the United States should begin participating in political elections because most people do not. We could change this if people would bond together and work as a whole.
ReplyDeleteNick Bakos
i feel that leaks are important because living in the US I think we all deserve to know what is going on and what the leaders we elceted are doing to actually help our country. It's not fair for them to keep everything a secret when are all citizens of this country. If things were leaked then we could know if the people we elected are keeping their words to us.
ReplyDeleteAshleigh Orr
PSCI 100:02
I think that leaks are important if they are used in the proper way. Obviously when it comes to government and democracy, there has to be a sort of transparency because we have a right to know what our leaders are doing, If the leaks prove that an elected official is not doing what he/she promised or is performing illegal actions, it should be made public knowledge as we should be able to remove them from office. However, if the leak involves matters of national security and will reveal something that should remain state side, then I would rather that information be kept classified so as not to reveal secrets to other countries that could be used against us or that could potentially harm the nation down the road.
ReplyDeleteHaley Greene
PSCI 100:02
I believe that leaks of secret documents or any type of document is important in a democracy. The people deserve to know what is going on with the government and how they are running things. I do not think that all documents should be leaked because it would start a lot of controversial arguments among the people. The CIA does things the American people will never know about and it has not affected them. Leaking documents can be good and bad. If the wrong document is leaked it could affect affairs with other countries and nations.
ReplyDeleteBlake Johnson
PSCI 100:03
I believe that leaking information is important to maintaining democracy. However at the same time I think certain (sensitive) information should not be released. If the government is infringing on the peoples right to things such as privacy, it is necessary for this information to be leaked. However if leaking information could cause people to panic, for instance if a meteor were about to strike, I think it would be very unnecessary to leak the information. So to sum it up, if the information will do more harm than good it is best to keep the information secret. Its also important not to leak information before you have your ducks in a row, because the information could be more sensitive than one thinks.
ReplyDeleteAlicia White
PSCI 100:02
I think that leaks are very important in a democracy because we deserve to know and not be kept in the shadows, especially when the leaks effect us. Of course there is information that is completely confidential and should be kept that way for the well being of the people, but issues that directly involves the people should be publicized. So yes, I agree that there are certain topics that should be leaked, but at the same time, if its something that doesn't involve the people and is not harming us, then there is no problem keeping it a secret.
ReplyDeletePSCI 100:02
Kelsey Phelan
I feel that leaks are a vital part of democracy in the present day. The public actually knowing what is going in a government is one of the most important things in a democracy. So many governments are hiding things from their citizens today, that we need leaks just to have the basic fundamentals of democracy. I really can't think of any situation where a leak can hurt or weaken a democracy. A leak can hurt individuals in a the government but I think leaks can only strengthen democracy. As far as limits on leaks, I think that names of specific people in leaked documents should be censored, if this people would be put at risk.
ReplyDeleteJoseph Smith
PSCI 100:02
I think that leaks in a democracy are vital because a democracy is when all people have that right to vote and debate on issues. If information is being hidden from us then it is limiting our rights as citizens. The leaks have already gotten to a point that is hurting our nation and democracy, but that could be a sign that the citizens could grabs the reigns again on having a nation that is true and democratic.
ReplyDeleteCarleigh Underwood
PSCI100:03
Addressing our democratic system, I would agree that leaking secret information is important when it comes to protecting the Bill of Rights. All oath takers swear to defend the constitution as well and if the government is violating the Bill of Rights, oath takers are duty bound to report it. It is not so much the politicians but the unelected bureaucrats (non-oath takers) and policy makers who wish for more control over you and the government. These are the same people who will collect information on our politicians and use it to put leverage them. These are career people whose very existence depends on our public dollars and because they know what they know, very rarely are they jailed.
ReplyDeleteI do believe technological military weapons secrets should not be leaked. When politicians and their press secretaries lie, lie, lie, then more leaks, leaks, leaks are needed.
Leaks are important, but some things need to stay classified. Do we have spies that have infiltrated Al-Qaeda? I don't know, and I don't want to know. If we have spies that have infiltrated Al-Qaeda then I want that to remain a secret. It's unfair to make a broad statement about leaks, because some leaks are good and some leaks are bad.
ReplyDeleteAlex Smith
PSCI 100:02
Leaking information to the public is very important to a healthy government system. IN the first place, the government should not be acting in secret. Since that would be nearly impossible for a government to be open about everything, leaks are important. If the government believes that it is making the best decisions for the country, than it should be very easy for leaders to back up their choices.
ReplyDeleteBrenna Rose
PSCI 100:03
As we've learned in class, a properly functioning democracy needs adversarial justification and people with higher authority like elected rulers should be held accountable for their policies they create or allow. So I think leaking is very important. Just last month, through Banksy's art piece in New York I learned about the Wikileak Apache helicopter murder in Iraq from 2007. The Youtube video has 14 million views which mean that 14 million people are that much more educated about the so called "War on terror" and what is actually going on over there verses what our leaders tell us. I think there should be more leaks of classified information and I think it's better for a democracy. If Snowden brought these leaks in a lawful manor, like Obama was talking about in the video they probably would have never reached the public (certainly not in the popular way they did) or he would have lost is job, threatened, or killed to try and keep it hushed up.
ReplyDeleteJoey Diaz
PSCI 100.03
Leaking government information is a HUGE improvement to this country's democratic system. When documents are leaked citizens are seeing what was once tried to be covered by the government. Not in all cases is leaking information important however the government should operate however issues that directly affect a sizable popluation should be informed. The NSA is a spy agency for them to operate under complete transparency will simply never happen as I dont believe it should considering it being a spy agency, if they could show all of their documents they wouldnt be a spy agency. However I do not agree with spying on the citizen in its own country.
ReplyDeleteBen Howar
PSCI100:02
I agree that the government leaks of secret information are an important component of democracy because the citizens of the U.S should have a right to know a lot of the information that its held by the government. Many times it makes us wonder just how much the government has held from us; however I do not feel that there should be constant leaks of government information because in some cases citizens may not know how to handle what is covered depending on it's severity. The government must keep certain things undercover, but when those secrets violate citizens rights and privacy, we certainly have the right to know why. Leaks can be bad and good as I previously stated above; they can be dangerous when too much its leaked, but good when it involves the well-being of the citizens.
ReplyDeleteShannon Lyons
PSCI: 100:03
The leaking of secret information is a important component of democracy. The people should have the right to choose whether government decisions are justified or not. The people are the government in a democracy. I believe that many of the secrets going on in the government have no place there, therefore there should be more leaks of classified information. Edward Snowden made a sacrifice by blowing the whistle on the NSA. He committed a true democratic act in which he had nothing to gain by doing. Leaking is more of a problem when it directly affects national security.
ReplyDeleteI believe classified leaks are vital to democracy. Democracy is based on a system of checks and balances. The leaks work to check the leaders to make sure they are doing their job in ways that are good for the citizens. Some people believe leaks harm foreign interests. I am more interested in making sure the government is working for me then how other countries will view the U.S. I would love to see more leaks. I believe a lot of citizens are extremely clueless about what the government is doing in front of their eyes let alone what the government does in secrecy. Democracy is supposed to be for the people by the people. If I am to make informed decisions about government policy I need to know the details. We know not even half of what goes on in government. That is not how it should be.
ReplyDeleteAlicia Himes
PSCI 100.02
I think that leaks are important to an extent. There are good things and bad things, some things that need to stay classified and some that inform the public in a good way rather than affect the public negatively. This could be an ignorant way to think when it is true in a democracy the people should be able to know all information but personally I don't want to know all the classified stuff.. there is a reason it is not public knowledge.
ReplyDelete-Zoe Robinson
PSCI 100.02
I do agree with Matt and the others who posted below him; where leaking is good to an extent. Transparency is an important factor in a well functioning democracy, but when it means that people are exposed and put in danger, it is also important to have some confidentiality. In cases such as the clandestine services and military there should be line. Like most others said, tax-payers should know what they are paying for and what our government officials are doing behind closed doors. Leaks, publicized under the right circumstances (i.e. Snowden) are ultimately necessary and positive in a democracy.
ReplyDeleteHaley Smith
PSCI 100:02
With more transparency there will be less security. If a government is completely transparent, national defense will be negatively effected. There needs to be a medium somewhere in the middle. Leaks increase transparency however lessen the impact of national security.
ReplyDeleteRyan Miller
PSCI 100:02
This is a good thing for democracy. It is supposed to keep the politicians in check, which needs to be done regularly. There are some things that are maybe best unknown, but its a huge gray area and it gets broader and broader as technology gets better and the government has more tools to spy on people.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it hurts democracy at all. It hurts the politicians and bureaucrats involved, which is okay by me because they clearly need to be fired. But when politicians say that these leaks have been bad for democracy or the American government, then why were they doing it in the first place? They are just pissed off they got caught.