This post is part of our special coverage WikiLeaks and the World. Brazilian netizens scored an exclusive interview with Julian Assange, founder and editor of the polemical WikiLeaks. The invitation to participate in a collective interview was open to all bloggers and readers of the blog by independent journalist Natália Viana. From the 350 questions sent in, 12 were selected and answered as part of the interview. With the material republished on a number of blogs, Global Voices could not stand idly by. At the Campus Party, held this January, participants used a mask with Assange's image. Photo from Flickr user kHovsT, published under a CC BY-SA 2.0 license. Various – WikiLeaks worked with the mainstream media. Here in Brazil, Folha de São Paulo and Globo are seen as right wing newspapers. Not only they contribute to media concentration but they also have their own agenda. Isn’t it contradictory to work with these vehicles if WL wants to democratize access to information? Why not work with blogs and alternative media? Due to resource constraints we are not able to yet to vet thousands of individuals so instead we have chosen to often work with groups of journalists, or groups of human rights researchers who have a significant audience. This often includes established media outlets, however, we do also work with individual journalists. Alternative media outlets and activist organisations, as the situation demands and resources permit. One of the primary functions of the press is to hold government to account. In the case of Brasil, which has a left wing central government, we felt that a center right newspaper was necessary to properly scrutinise the left wing politicians of the central government. In other countries we have applied the reverse equation. Ideally we like to partner with a pro-government media outlet and an anti-government media outlet. Marcelo Salles – In your opinion what is the most dangerous for democracy: the manipulation of information by governments or the manipulation of information by media oligopolies? The manipulation of information by media is most dangerous for when a government manipulates information to the public detriment, but the media is strong, this manipulation can not hold for long. But when the media itself has become debased of its critical role then not only can government not be held to account but the pernicious interests or affiliations of the media or its owners can sway or permit government to engage in new abuses. The clearest example of this in recent times is the US mainstream media-led war on Iraq in 2003. Eduardo dos Anjos – I’ve been following the recent leaks and didn’t find anything relevant, it sounds like too much noise for nothing. Why should we trust you and WikiLeaks? WikiLeaks has a four year publishing history. During that time, to our knowledge, we have never described a false document as true. Additionally, neither has any other organisation claimed otherwise. While we currently have a perfect record in judging true documents from false we are, of course, only humans and will someday possibly make a mistake. But at present we have the best record in the business and wish to try hard to keep this good reputation. Unlike other media organisations that have no public standard of what they will accept and what they will discard, WikiLeaks has a clear and precise definition to give potential sources confidence about whether we will use their material or not. We take disclosures of diplomatic, ethical or historical significance that are official documents and that are classified or suppressed under some form of legal injunction. Various – What concrete changes can happen as a consequence of WL in terms of balance of powers between governments, business and the public? James Madison the framer of the US bill of Rights said that knowledge will forever rule ignorance. So a people who mean to be their own masters must have the power that knowledge brings. This philosophy of Madison's which combines the realm of knowledge with the realm of the distribution of power points to the changes that occur when knowledge is democratised. States and giant corporations maintain their power over the individual through keeping knowledge from individuals. It is the gap in knowledge which delineates who is inside the most powerful parts of the state and who is inside the powerful parts of a corporation. The free-flow of knowledge from powerful groups to less powerful groups or individuals is also a flow of power and hence an equalising and democratising force in society. Marcelo Träsel – After Cablegate, Wikileaks got very powerful. Julian’s declarations about future leaks influence markets and government policies.