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Comment by OBLIQUE_PILLAR | Hacker News Reader

Assange is in jail for the sole reason he embarrassed the American military industrial entertainment complex.

He's also a useful tool to undermine journalism and a free and independent press.

Even more effective than the blind defense of Khashoggi's murders and the "enemy of the people" language.

How is he a tool for undermining the proliferation of facts? Just because facts come from a sexual predator doesn't make them any less true. If someone isn't willing to put in the effort to validate truth, then they can't handle it.

I think they meant a tool for the government (in the sense that they can use him as an example to pass laws limiting press freedom or to punish him to dissuade others).

Also the sexual crimes related to Assange (regardless of whether you think they're true or not) are allegations.

Wasnt the biggest issue is that he solicited and encouraged new material beyond that of a journalist?

what does that even mean? Is there some legally definition for material that journalists must adhere to?

Journalists cannot commit crimes to gain access to their info. "Illegal information" handed to them however is somewhat freer game

From the last time this came up:

“””

Assange is alleged to have performed acts that could be construed as attempts to access classified information, beyond merely asking for it--specifically, it is alleged that he assisted Manning with attempting to acquire and decrypt classified documents. That is the heart of the issue--if Assange had merely accepted a document dump from Manning (as he generally did with most other sources), he wouldn't be facing 18 charges today.

“””

"he wouldn't be facing 18 charges today" - I think it's pretty clear the US has been working on charging and imprisoning Assange since around the time of "Collateral Murder". They would have found something else!

Assamese already was facing a sealed indictment on other charges related to the Manning dump, charges that the Obama administration carefully drew up to avoid any 1st amendment implications. The charges being discussed here, being brought by the Trump administration, are the charges with first amendment implications.

Really, and you have the proof of this? I'm not saying you're wrong but I'm led to believe that both Assange and WikiLeaks are not innocent even if they did some good.

People do bad things all the time and aren't charged. Cases are dropped, etc.

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