Many in US don't know about WikiLeaks: poll News

Many in US don't know about WikiLeaks: poll
NEW YORK: Despite constant media coverage, 41 percent of Americans are not sure what WikiLeaks is and most are not interested in the royal wedding of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton, a poll found Monday.

According to the 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll, 23 percent of Americans think the whistleblower website is "destructive but legal," 22 percent think it is "treasonous" and only nine percent think it is a "good thing."

When broken down by political party, Republicans were more likely than Democrats to be unaware of WikiLeaks or to see it as treasonous.

Washington was infuriated when WikiLeaks published hundreds of thousands of secret military reports and diplomatic cables last year.

It has launched a criminal investigation, accusing those behind the leaks of placing lives in danger and threatening national security.

The poll was released a day after 60 Minutes ran an interview with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who said his release of the documents had advanced free speech and government transparency.

The same poll found that 65 percent of Americans were not interested in any of the details of the British royal nuptials, with 21 percent interested in "some of it."

Nine percent said they were only interested in whether the marriage would last, and four percent said they wanted to know all the details and wish they had been invited.

The poll was conducted among a random sample of 1,058 adults nationwide who were interviewed by telephone December 17-20. It had a margin of error of plus or minus three percent.