2012-01-10 #WikiLeaks News: Army monitored tweets on Bradley #Manning’s Pre-trial; Other News





This is a "WikiLeaks News Update", a daily news update of stories relating directly to WikiLeaks and also freedom of information, transparency, cybersecurity, and freedom of expression.

News

  • A document containing analysis of news coverage of Bradley Manning’s pretrial hearing by the US Army was released today by Politico. The Army used a service called VOCUS to track not only traditional press coverage, but also social media in near-real time, for instance tweets containing the hashtag #Manning.
    VOCUS identified most coverage as being “negative”, but also mostly “balanced and factual”. Part of the report deals with the number of stories on Lt. Dan Choi’s removal from Fort Meade:

    "Since former Lt. Dan Choi's disturbance outside of the courtroom there have been 118 print and online stories; and 67 social network conversations in reference to the incident."

    Also today, journalist Kevin Gosztola wrote about his experience covering the hearing from the Media Operations Center at Fort Meade. He recalls that, on the first day, the social media director on the public affairs staff asked the media if they would agree to use a single hashtag to categorize their tweets.
    “In retrospect”, he writes, “it appears she may have been trying to make it easier to track media tweets.”


  • Media Advocacy Group NYTimes eXaminer has filed a Freedom of Information Act request for access to records on meetings between the US State Department and newspaper The New York Times regarding WikiLeaks, Julian Assange and Bradley Manning. A release excerpt of the request reads:

    “(…) any action by the State Department impacting upon the New York Times behavior towards WikiLeaks is an important issue of Freedom of the Press and First Amendment Rights that bear upon the U.S. Constitution. (…) [this information] bears upon impending legal decisions in the U.S., for example the trial of Bradley Manning and possible U.S. prosecution of Julian Assange.”


  • An article on WikiLeaks Spy Files and NSA-funded research, written for the Oklahoma State University newspaper, highlights the importance of sharing information and, referring to a message recently tweeted by @wikileaks, encourages programmers to blow the whistle on Surveillance companies.



  • January 11 marks 10 years of Guantanamo bay (see Upcoming Dates below for information on planned protests) and also the 400th day Julian Assange has spent detained without charge. To learn how you can support Julian read: Justice4Assange.com/Action


  • Quantico Brig, the prison where Bradley Manning was held for 9 months before he was transferred to Fort Meade, is dismantling. Manning suffered abuse while in the facility and requests for a United Nations torture investigator to see him and evaluate the conditions he was being held under have been denied. Officials stressed that the closure is not related to Manning.



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Upcoming WikiLeaks Dates


January 11: Day of Action Against Guantanamo: A rally will take place in Washington DC, with the presence of Guantanamo historian and WikiLeaks media partner Andy Worthington who will also be attending other rallies across the country.
Similar protests are planned in Canada (Ottawa and Toronto).

January 11: Julian Assange will have been under house arrest without charge for 400 days. Please visit Justice4Assange.com for more information on the extradition case.

January 14: Bradley Manning will have been in prison for 600 days.

January 16: A recommendation on whether Bradley Manning faces court-martial is expected. Final decision has no date set.

January 21: “War on the Internet” panel in Melbourne with Jacob Appelbaum, Bernard Keane, Senator Scott Ludlam and Suelette Dreyfus. More information here.

February 1 & 2: (updated) Julian Assange’s extradition appeal will be heard by the Supreme Court. Hearing will likely last 2 days. A support demonstration is planned outside of the Supreme Court, starting at 8:30AM. How to attend.

April 25-29: WikiLeaks spokesperson Kristinn Hrafnsson and L’Espresso journalist Stefania Maurizi, who has worked on several WikiLeaks releases, will speak at the International Journalism Festival in Perugia (Italy).

May 23: Julian Assange will speak at the Enterprise Information Management Congress 2012 (Netherlands).



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Action Campaigns


WikiLeaks
403 days of unlawful financial blockade.



Julian Assange
400 days under house arrest without charge.

  • Australia: Contact your Senator demanding Justice for Julian Assange! Threaten your vote if action to defend the rights of Julian Assange, an Australian citizen, is not taken.
  • Show your support for Julian Assange at the Supreme Court of London, February 1 and 2, at 9 AM. More information at Free Julian Assange Now campaign by Liberté Info.
  • Nominate Julian Assange and WikiLeaks for the Nobel Peace Prize 2012: campaign website.
  • Send at least one of the several call to action draft letters addressed to European organizations and Members of the European Parliament requesting action over the unjust treatment of Julian Assange.



Bradley Manning
597 days detained in military jail.

  • I am Bradley Manning campaign website with photos of supporters from around the world. Submit your own!
  • A challenge proposed by the Bradley Manning Support Network: Stand with Bradley until his trial is over - pledge a monthly donation for the length of the trial. For more details see bradleymanning.org



Rudolf Elmer

  • Liberté Info started a campaign to make whistleblower Rudolf Elmer’s trial an international issue. The campaign page is constantly updated with new developments on his case. Readers are encouraged to share.