back to article Assange vows to drop 'insurance' files on Rupert Murdoch

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says he has a trove of private documents on Rupert Murdoch and his News Corp empire and is prepared to release them in the event the whistle-blower website is taken down. “If something happens to me or to WikiLeaks, 'insurance' files will be released,” he told The New Statesman. “There are 504 …

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    1. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Up

      @Anonymous Coward

      Indeed fellow anon and I wonder when someone from the Wikileaks cheerleaders is going to sing about the king being in the altogether?

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Black Helicopters

    Rofl...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwtOPpgrG_M

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      @your icon

      Roflcopter??

      Also what's the relevence to the article? Apart from the fact that Assange, Cowell and Mckenna are all utter, utter bellends?

  2. The Vociferous Time Waster
    Flame

    douche

    Nobody is coming out of this looking good. Julian is going down in flames and he wants it to be noisy.

  3. Andrew Moore

    What we need...

    ...is for someone within WikiLeaks to leak all the documents to OpenLeaks. And then we can sit back and watch Julian's head explode.

  4. r0rschach
    Grenade

    the enemy of my enemy is...my enemy?

    Of course if you hated Newscorp or BoA or just the USA govt in general then you might be seriously tempted to wack ol' Jules for the exact reason that you want the secret insurance to see the light of day and do lots of harm. His magical nuclear-option insurance is what we want to see anyway if it is so juicy and he just told us how to ensure it gets released.

    Motive can be attributed to dozens of groups now. I think we might start seeing him being even more paranoid than usual now....

    1. david wilson

      @r0rschach

      >>"Motive can be attributed to dozens of groups now. I think we might start seeing him being even more paranoid than usual now...."

      Just wait until the conspiracy nuts realise that if *they* whack him...

      Especially if they can make it look like an almost successful attempt to fake a suicide.

  5. Matt Hawkins

    Whiter than whiter

    I agree with Assange.

    He isn't releasing stuff about News Corp because it isn't in the public interest. Those cables can be put to the bottom of the pile.

    If however News Corp decide to play the game and interfere in something that isn't their business then they make the cables that mention them public interest. If the "free" press is acting as an agent of the state then they deserve everything they get.

    If News Corp are independent and honest then they won't have anything to worry about.

    It isn't blackmail. It is merely a statement. He's just giving them a heads up. They don't have to do anything Assange says. It is no more blackmail than any of the statements made by the US Government.

    As we are often told by politicians "if you've got nothing to hide ..."

    Well now it is their turn.

    I look forward to reading all about News Corp and their dealings around the World. I'm sure as an upstanding and honest beacon of democracy we will all be impressed.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      The title is required, and must contain letters and/or digits.

      How can you agree with something you have no knowledge of?

      Unless you have personally seen the stuff about News Corp then you have no idea whether releasing it is in the public interest or not.

    2. Matt Bryant Silver badge
      Boffin

      RE: Whiter than whiter

      "....He isn't releasing stuff about News Corp because it isn't in the public interest...." But surely, nothing could be of more interest to the public? A rich individual alledgedly using his power to influence democraticly elected individuals to his own ends - sounds bang-on for public interest! It would seem that it is more of a case that Assange doesn't see it as "in the public interest" but more as "in Assange's interest". There could be no more glaring example of why you should be pushing Assange to release the information now.

      Personally, I want Assange to release anything he has on Murdoch. Not that I'm really expecting some amazing revellations, but it's always fun watching Murdoch froth!

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    insurance

    The insurance files are files that would be released anyway. He is just making sure that everybody knows he has the means to release them whatever happens to him.

  7. Jo 5
    Joke

    what a gem

    my youngest son, misunderstanding the telly news last week, said that "if his wiki leaks he should wear a bigger nappy."

    lol

  8. doperative

    dd'ed Bill of Rights

    • It's funny that the forensics guy uses EnCase. As it, like CBP, apparently couldn't find a copy of the Bill of Rights I dd'ed into the disk ..

    What kind of a forensic package is it that can't read a dd'ed disk?

  9. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

    Assurance Practices to Insure against Catastrophic Losses?

    A word of advice for all visiting here who don't want to be automatically included on a terrorist watch list ..... don't visit and root around in the website provided by StooMonster ... Who you gonna call? Posted Thursday 13th January 2011 10:40 GMT .... http://hitman.us/

    Or is that advice too late? Ah well, take care, and just try to plead ignorance or even better, natural curiosity. :-)

    "If News Corp are independent and honest then they won't have anything to worry about." ..... Matt Hawkins Posted Thursday 13th January 2011 12:35 GMT

    Well, I think we take it for granted that they are extremely worried to the point of apoplexy, Matt Hawkins.

    And what has not been mentioned, and is quite probably the real concern of the "Establishment", in whatever form and phorms that it may be, is that reading between the lines of the communications, allows the more intelligent being and any budding wannabe Great Game Player to know how things are made to happen around the world, with Media fanning the flames and spreading the tales. And that would then have ..... well, the "Establishment" battling against itself and Real SMART Virtual Players, who under Cotonou defined rules are also Non State Actors. And the reality then is, whenever they cannot be defeated and vanquished, is that they can always be bought, and although the best of them are always exorbitantly expensive, it is the cheapest and best option, given the irreparable damage that can be inflicted on a vast range of Establishment players.

    And there is a fabulous bonus too freely available, for the very best of best of the new breed of Non State Actors will probably definitely also have an extremely clever novel program to offer the System in order to protect itself from itself, thus making any exorbitantly expensive purchase, as aforementioned, a really cheap bargain and a very astute move.

  10. JaitcH
    Unhappy

    RC Church declared Murdoch to be of "unblemished character" ... after he gave them millions

    Rome has declared the pope to be infallible and after it declared Murdoch to be of "unblemished character" and made him a knight.

    Obviously this had nothing to do with his giving millions of dollars to the church, whose coffers are kind of light after paying damages for all the paedo's it employs, a few months earlier.

    So what can Wikileaks have that the pope doesn't know about?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Big Brother

      Catholic Pope gives Jewish Media Oligarch Free Reign

      So much for religious differences between the faiths eh?

      I've heard it all now.

      World Elite Oligarch at work again. LOL

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Down

      Nearly 200 years time difference

      between the pope being declared infallible and Murdoch being declared to be of unblemished character although you wouldn't know it reading your comment.

      Papal infallibility refers solely to the popes pronouncements about the catholic faith and nothing else. Since he is head of the catholic faith I have no objection to him being declared infallible in those matters. Pronouncements by the pope about somebody's character are regarded are fallible by the church.

    3. david wilson

      @Jaitch

      >>"Obviously this had nothing to do with his giving millions of dollars to the church, "

      Though to be fair, he may well have made a bit of cash on the back of "Sick Paedo Priests!" stories, and is just giving them a cut.

  11. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

    Seek and ye shall find....

    "Just an egomaniac trying to keep his face in the news and try to rake in those donations in to his personal pocket. Speaking of which. Has Wikileaks sent any money for Manning's defense fund yet?" .... Ian Michael Gumby Posted Thursday 13th January 2011 01:23 GMT

    Yes. ....... http://cryptome.org/0003/wikileaks-15100.htm

    Still no word from the British Legion or Tony Blair though ....."Softly softly, catchee wannabe" , Posted Thursday 13th January 2011 09:52 GMT

  12. Syntax Error
    FAIL

    Just Publish dont judge

    I thought Wikileaks was about publishing leaked documents, not playing politics. Assange is on an ego-trip. Just publsh everything. Thats what Wikileaks is for and let us decide the rights and wrongs.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    One man's insurance...

    ...is another man's bribery and coercian.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Alert

    World Elite Oligarch's ABOUT hit Obama-puppet internet kill switch

    Wake up people.

    Problem-Reaction-Solution

    Assange-Leaks Bad!-Obama Internet Kill Switch US Bill passed last year.

    Internet switched off upto 120 Days!

    Connect the dots. Read this...

    http://news.techworld.com/security/3228198/obama-internet-kill-switch-plan-approved-by-us-senate/?olo=rss

    2010 the year internet free speech died :(

    1. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge
      Black Helicopters

      Mole[s] in a hole and digging ever deeper in vain search of systems hosting intelligence traffic

      It does make you wonder who Senator Joe Lieberman is really working for, doesn't it. Is there any treatment for paranoid schizophrenia or is that which fuels the parasitic lobby system in a fascist state?

  15. Levente Szileszky
    FAIL

    Whoever claims it to be blackmail is clearly some...

    ...half-illiterate idiot, not being able to understand even the most basic things - ie blackmail implies he shot first, as in "unwarranted" - aka "highly opinionated but barely educated" loudmouth, nothing else.

    Stop typing and start thinking, bums.

    1. Grease Monkey Silver badge
      Thumb Down

      Blackmail? Bribery?

      Blackmail implies no such thing. Just because that is the inference you draw from the term blackmail does not mean that the term blackmail implies that. I don't think any reasonable definition of the term blackmail includes any mention of "shooting first" .

      Personally however I don't think we're talking about blackmail. I think we're talking about coercion. The funny thing is that I wouldn't be particularly worried if I were the target of his latest threats. Remember the "insurance" file from last year? All we need is the key to open that particular Pandora's box. But the key still isn't forthcoming. What inference can we draw from that? The file is worthless? Or maybe he's already released the stuff that's in there? One thing I think we can say is that that particular threat was empty.

      Every "revelation" from Mr Assange is weaker than the last and has less to do with "whistle blowing". And yet with every leak he shouts louder. Do you really believe he's got anything less when he's threatening to blow the lid off a man and a corporation that the whole world knows to be corrupt anyway?

      Oh and your post does read like the rantings of a "highly opinionated..." well you get the point.

  16. NoneSuch Silver badge

    There is a need...

    ...to post video of an Apache gunship killing Reuters journalists.

    There is a need for an organization that can highlight abuses of power and trust in the public and private sectors.

    That organization should sagely choose what to publish or not to let the people be informed and keep an educated electorate.

    However, that organization should not blanket-publish secret documents unless the above applies. The Pentagon Papers were classified, but revealed abuses in all levels of government from the Vietnam War. Their publication was justified. The exposure of the majority of recent Wikileaks material is not.

    Julian Assange is trying for sainthood, but fails to remember that most saints were burned at the stake prior to beatification. The vast majority of folks who were burned got nothing.

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The real question is...

    ...when will Assange get whacked? You know he knows it's coming but he just don't know how or when. It should be a fun game, whack the whack-job.

    1. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

      The real question is...answered?

      "The real question is ...... when will Assange get whacked? You know he knows it's coming but he just don't know how or when. It should be a fun game, whack the whack-job." ..... Anonymous Coward Posted Friday 14th January 2011 00:39 GMT

      AC, Do you not think, and do you not think that that will declare open season on politicians and bankers and media moguls too, who are all quite directly responsible for what everyone and you do and believe, via their networking present controls with flash cash and neuro linguistic programming?

      Whack the whack-job is hardly a fun game though, whenever it delivers such psychotic episodes and perverse guaranteed consequences .... although it is a Great Game Changer, to be sure. It is though much more the low road route to anarchy rather than being any high road freeway to a more organised chaos, ..... and sub prime to its core, don't you think?

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Up

      Whack the whack job?

      Yeah, but it's got to look like natural causes. Perhaps Julian could slip when he walks down an outside staircase in the rain. Maybe add a little diesel which won't show on water like rain does.

      1. Grease Monkey Silver badge

        Whacked?

        I don't think there's any particular need to whack the guy. At the moment between himself, the Swedes and the yanks his credibility is being hammered. The way it's going he'll have no credibility left among the majority and then the yanks will be able to safely ignore him.

        Take for example Manning's defence fund. Private Eye have jumped on that particular issue in their new year edition. I doubt it will be long before most of the mainstream press are running similar stories. Depending on which version of the "truth" you believe Wikileaks raised anything between $15K and $95K for Manning's defence fund and promised $115K, but then only handed over $15K. Now any or all of that could be true, but the point is that an awful lot of people will be down on Assange and Wikileaks on reading any version of that story. One thing most people believe is that you should protect your sources, it is commonly believed that Wikileaks have done little or nothing to protect Manning. How many people are going to want to leak things to Assange now?

        It doesn't matter whether or not you personally believe the smears or whether they are true, if enough people believe them you can shout in defence of Assange all you like, people won't listen.

        And then there's his ability to smear himself. Threatening to sue newspapers for leaking "his" leaks before he does? Quite appart from the legal rights and wrongs of this it's not going to make him popular with the news media is it? Once the news media are against you it can't be long before public opinion turns too.

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