On NagaLeaks

I was among the thousands who waited for We Are Collective's "expose" yesterday at 3pm. I do not know who We Are Collective is, nor have any of the micro-bloggers I know come forward and admitted any connection. From what I can deduce, We Are Collective seems to be a group of idealistic young people, most probably with backgrounds in IT and graphic design. Their site is slick, impactful and organized, although some people noted it's probably best they cut some graphics and remove the auto-loading music since it just eats up on load time and bandwidth.

The piece is better-written than many expected and certainly lived up to its explosive teaser. I almost had the feeling I was reading a PCIJ article. The names are there for people to fact check. Those who have been named are free to come forward to dispute or corroborate the story. As Contreras points out, the trajectory of the piece follows the murmurings that have always circulated in Naga.

To their credit, We Are Collective also published bullet points on their FB site for people who did not want to wade through the lengthy piece. These bullets are easily shareable.

I don't know what effect this will have on the current political landscape. The least we can take away is a reminder that politicians often cultivate a persona, and the wiliest ones do so with full awareness and strategy for the brand they want to project. Eventually, however, the truth will out once the supporting environment changes, and the hidden skeletons are then revealed.

I'm looking forward to the next part(s) of #NagaLeaks.

To follow Charles Englund on FB, click above image.