WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will plead guilty to a felony charge in a deal with the US Justice Department that will free him from prison in the United Kingdom. A Monash expert is available to talk about the deal and the implications for journalism and whistleblowing.
Associate Professor, Johan Lidberg, Head of Journalism, School of Media Film and Journalism
Contact: +61 404 949 250 or johan.lidberg@monash.edu
Read more of Associate Professor Lidberg's commentary at Monash Lens
“The news that Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange, is on his way home to Australia is welcome indeed.
“Assange's legacy is complex. There were certainly times in the early days of Wikileaks where he demonstrated poor understanding of the ethical frameworks that govern public interest journalism and publishing. But that aside, the last five years of jail time for being a publisher and journalist has sent a chilling message to journalists in all liberal democracies - that you may be pursued by governments if you publish controversial content. Fortunately the Biden government has realised the huge consequences if Assange had been prosecuted for practising journalism.
“Apart from the consequences for journalism and publishing, Assange's situation has been a human rights issue since he took refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy. No one should be incarcerated for publishing facts and speaking their mind.”
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