The man, the myth, the traitor? Julian Assange has been called many things in the span of the last ten years. The infamous editor for WikiLeaks, Assange lived a low profile life before publishing damaging material against the United States' war efforts in Afghanistan. Now, he is hailed as a hero by many, a traitor by most, and an enemy of the state by the United States.
The persecution of Julian Assange is personal for the United States. His refusal to publish the identities of his confidential informants as well as his continuous publication of dirty government laundry has made Assange public enemy #1 for the United States, above even some of the most cruel violent terrorists. But why the focus on a journalist, a man that the average American does not even remember? The answer is more gruesome than you think.
In 2010, two years into the Obama presidency, Assange's WikiLeaks published the Iraq Logs. With information provided by confidential informants, Assange published videos of American service members shooting Afghani civilians, including a journalist and cameraperson. This made Assange public enemy #1 and led him to seek refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.
An enemy of the American Democrat Party, Assange has long published damaging information about the Democrat Party's top brass; including, but not limited to former president Barack Obama and failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. In 2016, from the confines of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, Assange published damaging information about Hillary Clinton's tenure as Secretary of State. Many on the political left, including current President Joe Biden, blame Clinton's loss on the published information.
To the American government, particularly Democrat leaders, Assange continues to be a threat to their power. With damaging stories against the former administration that included officials like current president Joe Biden, the influence and power of Assange continues to grow as he has shown that he is not scared of the American government and will continue to publish the truth regardless of threats against him.
With the departure of President Donald Trump, the likelihood of Assange ever seeing freedom again are probably dead. The current prognosis for him is bleak as President Joe Biden has called him a "high-tech terrorist" and as many upper level administration officials want to see Assange in prison for the remainder of his life.
The arrest of Julian Assange is one that will forever change the environment for journalists worldwide. Previous attempts to protect journalistic integrity have been attempted. For decades, state legislatures have passed shield laws to protect the identities of confidential informants and journalists. Attempts at the federal level have been less successful, but states across the country have passed the protective legislation.
The legacy of Julian Assange will continue to be debated for the remainder of his life and likely after his death. Opponents of Assange will say that his work damaged the image of the American military which hurt the war efforts and brought division to the United States. Proponents of Assange will argue that because of him, journalism will begin the shift back towards true reporting and investigating and away from sensationalized reporting. The stories that Assange published are disturbing to the average person, there is no doubt about that. But the stories that he published are ones that people needed to hear. A good journalist does not tell people what they want to hear, they tell them what they need to hear but are not.
At the end of the day, the work of Julian Assange has change the journalistic landscape worldwide. A man not afraid to publish what he thinks is right, Assange put his reputation at risk and his life in jeopardy to report the truth.
A hero to many, a traitor to most, and an enemy to the United States, that is the story of Julian Assange.
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