Former WikiLeaks' spokesman to release insider book

[News_Editor]

Former WikiLeaks' spokesman to release insider book

2011-02-08 13:05:54 GMT+7 (ICT)

BERLIN, GERMANY (BNO NEWS) -- Former WikiLeaks spokesman Daniel Domscheit-Berg will be releasing a book revealing an insider view of the organization's operations next week.

Domscheit-Berg, who was previously known as Daniel Schmitt, 32, is a German computer scientist and considered WikiLeaks' effective number two man, and has written a book titled 'Inside Wikileaks: My Time at the World's Most Dangerous Website.' The book is scheduled to be released in German and in 12 other countries simultaneously on February 15.

The 300-plus-page book will be published by Berlin-based publisher Econ Verlag, according to Spiegel's online website. Meanwhile, Australia's Scribe Publications had previously announced that it had acquired the rights to the the book in order for it to be translated to English and published in Australia and New Zealand.

Previously, Domscheit-Berg, along with several other former WikiLeaks collaborators, announced the launching of an alternative whistleblowing site called OpenLeaks, which has pledged to have a broader and neutral approach and not only focus on U.S. issues. Furthermore, the group has criticized that WikiLeaks has centered around its founder, Julian Assange.

After meeting with Assange in December 2007, Domscheit-Berg started work on expanding the website and resigned from his job in early 2009 in order to look after WikiLeaks full-time, moving to Berlin to do so. He remained collaborating until last September.

WikiLeaks' first big scoop was on April 5, 2010 when it released a classified video which showed a 2007 U.S. helicopter attack in Iraq which left several civilians killed, including two unarmed Reuters journalists.

Later, in July 2010, WikiLeaks released the so-called 'Afghan War Diary', more than 92,000 documents with sensitive details about the ongoing war in Afghanistan. It was one of the largest leaks in the history of the U.S. military, but also exposed the names of Afghans who have provided information to NATO. The Taliban pledged to kill those informants, although no such violence was ever reported.

Then, in late October 2010, WikiLeaks released nearly 400,000 U.S. Army field reports of the Iraq War between 2004 and 2009. It led to several revelations, including new reports of civilian deaths. It was the biggest leak in U.S. military history.

Last December, in one of its latest release, WikiLeaks shocked media outlets around the world as it began releasing some of the 251,287 U.S. diplomatic cables it claims to have.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-02-08

[LaoPo]

Wonderful news and I'm almost sure that former spokesman Daniel Domscheit-Berg will donate the profits of his book to a good cause, noble as he is.

LaoPo