YourAnonNews: Can Anonymous' Havoc Be Harnessed?

Hacker group Anonymous, which is mostly known for wreaking global havoc infiltrating websites in countries from North Korea to Israel (and most recently announced its plans to attack the oil and gas industry) now has plans to launch its own news website. But if Anonymous keeps up with its hacking exploits, this news site might not be taken seriously by the public who might not want to support a "terrorist" agenda under the guise of undiluted journalism. 

This "hacktivist group" that uses the Guy-Fawkes mask as their brand symbol has already raised hefty funds to bolster their cause for a news site revolving around a raw kind of journalism. A group known for criticizing mainstream media for their coverage of "political and celebrity gossip," Anonymous plans to expand their own news coverage. They will branch out from their Twitter and Tumblr accounts and establish an open forum collecting breaking news and blog posts from the public, according to Bloomberg BusinessWeek. They will draw from Twitter, no comments section will exist on the site, and members of the public are encouraged to submit news, though submissions will be regulated. Under the branding, YourAnonNews or YAN, the group wants to report, not just aggregate news. Having already raised $54,798 in crowd-sourced funds, the site will be quite influential when it launches.

Since they have gained power, supporters, and are about to gain more influence, governments will inevitably try to shut them down. But can they? Anonymous has proved that they can hack into major international hubs and publish private information just to prove a point. So what will they do with both hacking and broadcasting power and how will the public respond? Will they create another version of WikiLeaks, dead-set on exposing secret information? Or will they foster a community of "citizen journalists" reporting news as it's happening? 

Taking the news out of the hands of major networks trying to get the most views, most likes, and largest audience, Anonymous has the opportunity to create an environment that publishes undiluted and hard-hitting news for a global audience. However, it is difficult to tell if they will grasp that opportunity, and focus on exposing the truth to inform the public rather than expose classified information to create chaos.