The War on Journalism: The Case of Julian Assange (2020)

28/08/2020

Overview

Journalists are under attack globally for doing their jobs. Julian Assange is facing a 175 year sentence for publishing if extradited to the United States. The Trump administration has gone from denigrating journalists as 'enemies of the people' to now criminalizing common practices in journalism that have long served the public interest. WikiLeaks founder and Editor Julian Assange's extradition is being sought by the Trump administration for publishing US government documents which exposed war crimes and human rights abuses. He is being held in maximum security HMP Belmarsh in London and faces a 175 years sentence if extradited. There is a war on journalism - Julian Assange is at the centre of that war. If this precedent is set then what happens to Assange can happen to any journalist.