WIth the latest diplomatic cables dump from WikiLeaks sending waves throughout the political and media worlds, the organization’s activities are raising questions such as, is releasing all this information gratuitous, even irresponsible? Is it just a bunch of policy porn? Or is it a valuable public service?

The Nation‘s Jeremy Scahill went on the Joy Behar Show Monday to debate the issue with Peter Beinart, senior political writer at The Daily Beast. Scahill argues that the main thing to remember is that these leaks shed light on important issues: diplomats spying on other diplomats, US attacks on Yemen and more.

But do we really need to know about Putin and Berlusconi’s bromance? And do the rest of the cables include information that might do more harm than good? Would we have gone to war in Iraq in the first place if WikiLeaks had been around? Watch the clip to hear Scahill and Beinart weigh in.

Jeremy Scahill is a Puffin Foundation Writing Fellow at The Nation Institute and author of the book Blackwater. You can read his articles here.

—Braden Goyette