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Yet another story on Assange from @TheIntercept that doesn't mention the Edward Snowden related overt act (or, really, the CFAA charge generally). https://theintercept.com/2021/02/11/julian-assange-extradition-biden-journalism/
Here's the weird thing about the absolute silence--from Greenwald, from Poitras, from The Intercept, from Freedom of the Press Foundation--regarding the Snowden overt act in the CFAA charge.
There's a real arg that it helps the Assange as dissident argument.
There's a real arg that it helps the Assange as dissident argument.
If you believe Snowden is a hero, then Assange helping him to flee (ignore the Russia part, for the moment) is helping a hero. Illegal, sure, but heroic. Historically so.
The problem is, once you address that part of the indictment, you can no longer argue Assange was doing journalism. Indeed, he did something Poitras and Gellman refused to do. https://www.emptywheel.net/2020/12/22/the-wapo-solution-to-the-nyt-problem-laura-poitras-misrepresentation-of-assanges-18th-charge/
So:
1) Some people--a lot of people--are commenting on an indictment they haven't read. That's not journalism.
2) Others are willfully ignoring that part to sustain the Assange = journalism argument, thereby misleading abt charges. Also not journalism.
1) Some people--a lot of people--are commenting on an indictment they haven't read. That's not journalism.
2) Others are willfully ignoring that part to sustain the Assange = journalism argument, thereby misleading abt charges. Also not journalism.
What I don't understand is how EVERY SINGLE person with a colorable tie to Snowden (unless you consider my attenuated tie to him) can comment on the indictment w/o disclosing it.
I'm somewhat sympathetic to the Assange = dissident view, which is truthful (for current charges), unlike the current Assange as journalist argument.
Except the organized silence abt the Snowden part raise real questions I didn't use to have.
Except the organized silence abt the Snowden part raise real questions I didn't use to have.
