Media capture in the era of megaleaks

Abstract

Much has been written about the potential of large-scale digital disclosures, or ‘megaleaks’, to transform journalistic coverage of high-value news. This analysis takes a second look at the phenomenon by analyzing three of the best-known megaleaks to date: those disclosed by Chelsea Manning, Edward Snowden, and John Doe, the source of the Panama Papers. To what extent did these large-scale disclosures disrupt the media capture that distorts or limits coverage by an autonomous press? A study of circumstances surrounding these three megaleaks suggests that their main effect was encouraging a culture of collaborative work that favors independence from official sources.