The Increasing Concerns Over Government Secrecy

Abstract

In the democratic system, an informed and educated public and an open
government are two main guardians of democracy. It is often viewed that the media is the
traditional and regular means by which the public gains knowledge of government
activities in a democracy. The long-running controversy over the Wiki Leaks case, which
was the public release of classified United States government documents by an
international nonprofit organization, illustrated the strong tension between the desire for
government to keep many of its actions in secret and the desire of the public to know what
its government is doing. Those who disclose government’s misconducts have the
compulsion to uncover any wrongdoings in government in order to protect the democratic
process. On the other hand, they fear that disclosing secret information may harm the
government. Despite the uncertainties and the potential risks, government whistle blowing
does seem a necessary aspect of the democratic process. There is a very simple yet very
important question that remains unanswered which is what, if anything, government
should or must keep secret and to what extent government should keep secret including in
the name of national security?