[February 18, 2011] Reporter: WikiLeaks faces challenges Tweet Feb 17, 2011 (The Charlotte Observer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- WikiLeaks' future will depend on the documents it's able to obtain and how it fares against competing splinter groups, a New York Times reporter who has worked with the group says. "It's the nature of the Internet that everyone can play this game," said Scott Shane who has been involved in the Times' coverage of the diplomatic cables obtained by the anti-secrecy group. WikiLeaks has developed a strong "brand name" and impressive systems to keep the organization functioning, Shane told the Observer. But, by its own account, it's a passive organization that relies on the next cache of documents it receives. WikiLeaks has been in the spotlight in Charlotte because founder Julian Assange has said his next "megaleak" will be about a bank, leading to speculation that Bank of America Corp. could be the target. Shane said he did not know what WikiLeaks might have on the bank. But he said a report that the material may not be all that explosive could be true. "It may be one of these things where the secret documents are not always as interesting as you hope," he said. While some readers have met WikiLeaks' diplomatic cables with a shrug, the documents are still producing new color and details about U.S. international relations, Shane said. Reporters continue to mine the 250,000 cables for new stories as crises flare in countries such as Tunisia and Egypt. Shane has been involved in the sensitive process of redacting names of people who have provided local information to U.S. diplomats. Only about 2 percent of the cables have been made public. Shane is speaking tonight at Queens University of Charlotte. The 7 p.m. event at Dana Auditorium is free and open to the public. Spots are still available. Attendees are asked to register online at www.queens.edu. To see more of The Charlotte Observer, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.charlotteobserver.com. Copyright (c) 2011, The Charlotte Observer, N.C. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]