The Wall Street Journal's announcement that it has set up a website called wsjsafehouse.com, whose role is to serve as a safe inbox for leaks, is sure to cause consternation within the ranks of those brave and independant guardians of free speech who have been leaking the secrets of governments and big business the world over during the last few years. It would arguably not be beyond the realms of realism to say that Julian Assange's WikiLeaks must be gnashing its teeth in anguish and anger at the news of this perfidious attempt to make the leaking of secrets a respectable activity.
On the face of it the WSJ site offers the same services as WikiLeaks and other whistleblowing sites, and the paper's sales pitch includes the following seductive invitation;
"If you have newsworthy contracts, correspondence, emails, financial records or databases from companies, government agencies or non-profits, you can send them to us using the SafeHouse service."
However, Safehouse also declares that;
"Documents and tips provided to SafeHouse will be vetted by some of the world's most experienced and responsible investigative reporters and editors."
Now that's a very crafty marketing move indeed, because WikiLeaks doesn't offer that much bang for the buck.
I mean, what does an honest whistleblower have to do to turn a dime these days?
