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What is a Leak, Who is a Whistleblower?

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This study discusses the terms “leak” and “whistleblowing” within the scope of the Cumhuriyet newspaper, Can Dündar and MİT Trucks Case.

Information leaks and the revelation of government secrets by hackers have become issues of note in Turkey’s political sphere during the course of the last ten years. Turkey has also witnessed a steady flow of leaks in recent years. Of these, the MİT (The National Intelligence Organization) trucks case, concerning the role of the Turkish secret service in supplying weapons to jihadist militants in Syria, has perhaps been the most distinctive. This study discusses whether the MİT Trucks scandal can be regarded as a whistleblowing leak serving the public interest in terms of its revelations, the identities of its sources, its wider political entanglements, and the timing of its emergence into the public domain.