I really like the photo to the right. I have no idea if it's real or if it's photoshopped but it makes a powerful point: What good are rules if they can't be enforced.
I was reminded of this point yesterday after Wikileaks released the Afghanistan War Logs. As the following quote from this post in PressThink eludes, the rules for reporting — or not reporting — state secrets have changed.
"In media history up to now, the press is free to report on what the powerful wish to keep secret because the laws of a given nation protect it. But Wikileaks is able to report on what the powerful wish to keep secret because the logic of the Internet permits it. This is new."
This is new. It is time for the media, politicians and the public to unlearn their old rules.
