Professional Documents
Culture Documents
February Public Forum
February Public Forum
February Public Forum
DISCLAIMER: This topic overview is provided by the National Forensic League to provide a basic foundation for
understanding the debate. It is not intended to be a definitive statement of the topic to be debated, to prescribe
what direction the debate should go, or to provide the “framer’s intent” for the topic. Accordingly, this topic
overview should not be quoted or referred to in any actual debate round.
Founded in 2006, the site is now famous for releasing hundreds of thousands of classified documents,
ranging from sorority secrets to classified diplomatic cables. The site has drawn immense criticism
for hindering national security, while proponents of the site champion government transparency and
First Amendment rights. The site has sparked an intense discussion over the extent of free speech
versus protecting national security and national interests, providing an excellent framework for
debate.
Pro
Con
1. From the Wikileaks home page. As of this writing, the page could be accessed by IP address at
http://213.251.145.96/; however, as a result of political pressure and website takedowns, this
link may not be persistent.