4 ms·

Wikileaks has done plenty to discredit itself. MSNBC shouldn't have done this but let's not pretend WL is a bastion of credibility.

krapp 10y ago
Wikileaks' credibility in the minds of the mainstream is the highest its ever been. President-elect Trump mentioned them by name as a credible source, while discrediting all other media outlets as being propaganda tools for the left. And it worked. He won, and in no small part because Wikileaks has become the only credible news source for many people. Not even because of what Wikileaks published, but because of what people claim they published.
- abritinthebay 10y ago
  If your barometer is Trump - currently the most disapproved of and untrusted PEOTUS of all time (per polling)... then your point about him lending credibility is a bit strange.
  - krapp 10y ago
    Trump lends credibility because of his position and the scope of his reach - his popularity isn't that relevant, the bully pulpit and access to American broadcast media is enough. Far more people know about and trust Wikileaks because of this election, and Wikileaks has proven influential enough to possibly swing a Presidential election, which wouldn't happen if people didn't take for granted that they were a reliable source.
    - abritinthebay 10y ago
      By that argument Putin lends credibility to Russia Times. Yet they have very little (outside of Russia). So that's a very weak argument
      - krapp 10y ago
        Wikileaks' credibility outside the US isn't relevant. The question is whether or not it gained or lost credibility in the US due to the recent election leaks, and I think it's clear (or at least likely) that more people gained trust in the organization than lost it.
        abritinthebay 10y ago
        I refer you back to my other comment about this asinine comparison
- Esau 10y ago
  Their credibility was shot for me once they decided to release the DNC materials in a piece-meal fashion in order to affect a national election. At that point, I lost all respect for them.
  - krapp 10y ago
    That's understandable - but how many people gained respect for them because Wikileaks' releases appealed to their political biases?
rdtsc 10y ago
> Wikileaks has done plenty to discredit itself. So what is a better, less biased news source?
- abritinthebay 10y ago
  Well your first mistake is thinking they are a news source. They aren't (and don't really try to be). There's no such thing as unbiased news. The trick is to acknowledge bias.

krapp 10y ago

Wikileaks' credibility in the minds of the mainstream is the highest its ever been. President-elect Trump mentioned them by name as a credible source, while discrediting all other media outlets as being propaganda tools for the left. And it worked. He won, and in no small part because Wikileaks has become the only credible news source for many people. Not even because of what Wikileaks published, but because of what people claim they published.

abritinthebay 10y ago
If your barometer is Trump - currently the most disapproved of and untrusted PEOTUS of all time (per polling)... then your point about him lending credibility is a bit strange.
- krapp 10y ago
  Trump lends credibility because of his position and the scope of his reach - his popularity isn't that relevant, the bully pulpit and access to American broadcast media is enough. Far more people know about and trust Wikileaks because of this election, and Wikileaks has proven influential enough to possibly swing a Presidential election, which wouldn't happen if people didn't take for granted that they were a reliable source.
  - abritinthebay 10y ago
    By that argument Putin lends credibility to Russia Times. Yet they have very little (outside of Russia). So that's a very weak argument
    - krapp 10y ago
      Wikileaks' credibility outside the US isn't relevant. The question is whether or not it gained or lost credibility in the US due to the recent election leaks, and I think it's clear (or at least likely) that more people gained trust in the organization than lost it.
      - abritinthebay 10y ago
        I refer you back to my other comment about this asinine comparison
Esau 10y ago
Their credibility was shot for me once they decided to release the DNC materials in a piece-meal fashion in order to affect a national election. At that point, I lost all respect for them.
- krapp 10y ago
  That's understandable - but how many people gained respect for them because Wikileaks' releases appealed to their political biases?

rdtsc 10y ago

> Wikileaks has done plenty to discredit itself. So what is a better, less biased news source?

abritinthebay 10y ago
Well your first mistake is thinking they are a news source. They aren't (and don't really try to be). There's no such thing as unbiased news. The trick is to acknowledge bias.