Informit article: Wikileaks, pedagogy and the ethical limits of research

Using publicly available material from the WikiLeaks database has thrown up a dilemma for scholars and researchers.2 In principle, this would seem a non-issue: material, despite its classified status, is made available via online search engines that serve a range of informational, pedagogical and research purposes. Such availability offers the chance of the material being reproduced, for example through links to other sites, including online learning tools such as Blackboard. But the search for knowledge is permanently encumbered by moderating and mediating obstacles. The academic and research field is strewn with ethical codes. Hierarchies of accessibility and use in learning institutions span a range of protocols, from legal permissions to intellectual property and copyright protections.