Through its publications as the world’s only functioning whistleblowing platform, WikiLeaks has exposed corruption, political murder, torture as well as abuse of power on all continents. But not only is WikiLeaks publishing the unpublished. Increasingly WikiLeaks has to preserve investigative stories that classic newsmedia cannot defend against those abusing legal systems in order to stiffle freedom of speech and supress critical voices. According to the press, the platform has in its short existance produced more scoops than the Washington Post in the past 30 years. It has been called the most successful journalist operation in the world, and its internet address been said to be the home of free speech. Besides offering the most sophisticated legal and technical infrastructure for the protection of the press and its sources, the recipe for this success is very simple: WikiLeaks is upholding its principles, no matter what. Join us for a session about the state of the media, possibilities to defend our historic record and requirements for the future to preserve the 4th estate as an independent mechanism to control those in power.