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Diversity of Journalisms. Proceedings of ECREA/CICOM Conference, Pamplona, 4-5 July 2011
In February 2011, the five editors of the news organisations involved in the leak met in
Madrid. They concluded that free and total transparency could be dangerous, yet they
decided to carry out that role. “This process has been undertaken with the strong
condition of not putting lives at risk, such as protected unidentified sources that could
be threatened if their names were revealed. All the media outlets have made an effort
to avoid publishing certain events that could be a risk for the security of many
countries, such as the United States in particular, since it was more exposed with the
leak” (Jiménez y Caño, 2010).
Conclusions
This paper describes differences and similarities in the news production process when
an international leak occurs. It focuses its attention more broadly, considering the role
that editors—not just journalists— play managing their teams, struggling with legal and
ethical issues and improving the quality of their investigations. This study describes the
news production process by examining every document, article and chat that mention
how the various news organisations have worked. The five news organisations and
their main editors face a new challenge that has never been seen in the world of news.
It provides an opportunity to identify the diversity of journalistic practices and
journalistic values in this constantly changing media system environment.
Newspapers can adapt to the changing technological environment, but WikiLeaks, born
in this new ecosystem, will always be a source, just as these newspapers have proven.
Perhaps the New York Times´ enduring culture of transparency can be found in the
overall approach undertaken by the three newspapers. However, The Guardian has led
this coalition to a point that perhaps no other newspaper could ever do. Its role as the
initial contact with the source, as well as its extensive team of journalists and its
abilities in the use of databases have led The Guardian to be the main driver of this
coalition. On another hand, El País has carried out a lower profile role in the coalition,
although it has also made the most of computer resources and social networks.
The U.S. Embassy´s cache of leaked cables has been an excellent opportunity for
newspapers to promote a culture of transparency with readers. They have explained
their work, participated in chats, and they have published several books describing how
they processed this historic leak.
While this is not a conclusive study and many different approaches should be taken,
the news production process and the coordination of several newspapers from multiple
countries and cultures are exemplary. In that sense, the focus on only three of the five
newspapers obscures a wider opportunity to analyse journalistic practices when a leak
occurs in a global situation.
This work leaves several unanswered questions that will require further research. The
research for this paper was done in the period of a few months and with only three of
the news organisations involved in the leak of U.S. Embassy cables. More in depth
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