“The Fifth Estate” Gets Inside the WikiLeaks Scandal
Every generation produces a rebellious figure who changes the game of power and becomes something larger than himself; for some, a visionary symbol of hope; for others, a dangerous enemy of the state. In the early 21st Century, such a figure has emerged in Julian Assange and his groundbreaking, information-disseminating organization, WikiLeaks. Initiated in 2006 as a non-profit devoted to publishing previously secret, potentially incendiary information from anonymous sources — while offering the security of cutting-edge cryptography — WikiLeaks shattered the mold of 21st Century news-gathering, trumping mainstream media organizations and infuriating people in power.