The March 23 NYU Law Forum, “Law and Accountability in the Age of WikiLeaks,” doubled as the annual roundtable discussion sponsored by the NYU School of Law’s magazine, and hosted experts on the First Amendment, national security, Internet law, and journalism.
Moderated by Ira Rubinstein, a senior fellow at the Law School’s Information Law Institute, the timely discussion included Global Professor Simon Chesterman, director of the Law School’s Singapore Program; Norman Dorsen, Frederick I. and Grace A. Stokes Professor of Law and co-director of the Arthur Garfield Hays Civil Liberties Program; Brian Markley ’00, a partner at Cahill Gordon & Reindel; Burt Neuborne, Inez Milholland Professor of Civil Liberties and legal director of the Brennan Center for Justice; Assistant Professor Samuel Rascoff; Jay Rosen, an associate professor of journalism at NYU; Professor Katherine Strandburg; and Diane Zimmerman, Samuel Tilden Professor of Law Emeritus.
The discussants grappled with many of the same questions that continue to confound governments, lawyers, courts, and the media. Is WikiLeaks a legitimate media outlet? How gravely does it threaten international diplomacy? How should the government deal with leakers such as Bradley Manning? Will prosecuting Julian Assange only make the situation worse—and what should he be prosecuted for? Should private entities play a role in attempts to hobble WikiLeaks? Who should have access to government secrets, and what safeguards are needed to protect that information? What solutions, if any, exist? What do information outlets like WikiLeaks mean for the future of traditional media?
Watch the full video of the event (1 hr, 25 min):