The anonymous source of a large cache of documents collectively known as the "Panama Papers" issued a wide-ranging statement on Thursday criticizing several groups and calling for the protection of whistleblowers from prosecution. The statement was confirmed by the Süddeutsche Zeitung, a German newspaper that first broke the story in conjunction with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.
The source, who has yet to be identified but calls himself John Doe, called for governments to “codify legal protections for whistleblowers into law,” and has signaled a willingness to cooperate with law enforcement if it can ensure whistleblower protection. However, the source has signaled support of the ICIJ’s decision not to cooperate with ongoing law enforcement investigations.
In addition to criticizing governments, legal systems, and politics, the source also accuses several media outlets for not running the story. “The sad truth is that among the most prominent and capable media organizations in the world there was not a single one interested in reporting on the story. Even Wikileaks didn’t answer its tip line repeatedly.”
In a Twitter post on Friday, Wikileaks responded “WikiLeaks does not have a 'tip line' so the comment is odd. We take submissions here 24h/day.”
The organization previously criticized the ICIJ for not releasing all leaked documents.
#PanamaPapers: If you censor more than 99% of the documents you are engaged in 1% journalism by definition.— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) April 6, 2016
The organization previously criticized the ICIJ for not releasing all leaked documents.
The source also took a swipe at a flurry of recent acquisitions of major media companies by the wealthy. “Individual billionaires appear to have taken up newspaper ownership as a hobby,” writes the source, “limiting coverage of serious matters concerning the wealthy, and serious investigative journalists lack funding.” Late last year, Jack Ma’s Alibaba Group Holding Ltd acquired the South China Morning Post, and in 2013 Jeff Bezos acquired the Washington Post.
The lengthy statement, written in a clear, intellectual style that at times evokes the ideas of collectives like Occupy Wall Street and Anonymous, indicates a lucid if somewhat grandiose awareness of the Papers’s impact around the world. Naturally, it also accuses Mossack Fonsenca, the Panama City-based firm where the documents originated, of wrongdoing by complicity setting up offshore corporate structures used to evade taxes and obscure wealth.
The documents were first reported in April this year, and included 2.6 terabytes of emails, passport scans, and other data. Multiple sites point out the leak is one of the largest in journalism, with The Guardian calling it the “biggest leak in history.” The documents have led to several investigations and resignations around the world, most notably the resignation of Iceland’s Prime Minister. The release of the documents also touched off a small firestorm in the media industry, with some publications taking flak for underreporting on the story.
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Filed: 6 May 2016.
Updated: 8 May 2016.
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