3. Wrong Approach
The ICIJ seem to have assumed that the credibility of the leak would be underpinned by its sheer volume. The consortium released names of a slew of prominent figures – including George Soros, Madonna, and Lewis Hamilton – who haven't necessarily done anything wrong. The leak insinuates that to be referenced in the documents is already proof of tax wrong-doing. Statistically, a pile of more than 13 million documents will contain some misdeeds, but to tar everything in the leak with the same brush is reckless.
4. Double Standards
The journalists involved in the leak judged financial activity in tax havens as morally indefensible, and unlawful as a result. This is wrong, as long as the line of argumentation isn't rooted in a legal basis. Depending on interpretations of right and wrong, what is amoral is not necessarily illegal. Many people believe that prostitution, for example, is wrong; nevertheless, it is legal in many jurisdictions. To equate morality with lawfulness is to apply a vague, do-good view which has no place in a proper inquiry.
5. Unequal Treatment
The quality of the Paradise Papers is cast into question by the major countries which don't appear in the data leak. The partial view is reminiscent of historical misrepresentation more commonly applied by totalitarian states. Unlike the often legitimate denunciation of many tax havens, the papers are absent of any mention that the U.S. for example is an active participant in international tax fraud.
