CBS News Poll: 6 in 10 Americans feel WikiLeaks expose will hurt the U.S.

NEW YORK - About three quarters of the American public have heard about the Wikileaks release, and of those Americans, 60 percent believe it will have a damaging impact, a CBS News poll reveals.

Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has released over a quarter of a million State Department cables in the name of transparency.

While the government feels that the leaks have not diminished the country’s leadership role in global affairs, the CBS News poll found agreement from across the political spectrum on the impact of the document release.

Seventy-four percent of Republicans say it will hurt America, while 52 percent of Democrats and 59 percent of independents feel similarly.

In general, most Americans do not think the public has the right to know everything the government does, if secret information concerns national security. Only one in four thinks everything should be public, even if it might affect national security.

Democrats (30 percent) are more likely than Republicans (18 percent) to say the public has the right to know everything the government does. (ANI)