The Assange Problem.
Either Set Him Free or Go Full Fascism.
Assange is a complicated figure personally and historically. And he evokes pretty strong reactions on both sides. Mostly though we don’t think about him at all. With the exception of occasional reports whenever there’s an update on his charges or extradition attempts, Assange has been sort of back burnered. Considering the stakes at play for the U.S. media, this should be surprising or even troubling. Today we’re going to review the story of WikiLeaks and put the debate over the fate of Assange in the only context it should be - to answer the question of just how serious we are about our concept of democracy, free speech and the role of the fourth estate.
Show Notes
Clips
Episode Timestamp + Link | Clip Link
- 00:04:09 + 00:04:39 + 00:05:09 + 00:05:20 + 00:06:03 + 00:06:20 | WikiLeaks video: 'Collateral murder' in Iraq
- 00:08:54 | The Daily Show: Assange Arrested and Charged with Conspiracy
- 00:11:24 | Triple Scrambled Static Filled Chatter Decoded
- 00:17:49 | Campaign: I Fucked Up
- 00:18:50 | CBS News: WikiLeaks Exposes Possible War Crimes
- 00:18:58 | PBS NewsHour: WikiLeaks Releases 400,000 Iraq War Documents
- 00:19:18 | CNN: Afghan war documents on WikiLeaks
- 00:21:15 | ABC News: Democratic National Committee Emails Released En Masse by WikiLeaks
- 00:22:59 | Top Gun: That's Classified
- 00:31:02 | Democracy Now: Daniel Ellsberg: Espionage Charges Against Assange Are Most Significant Attack on Press in Decades
Book Love
- Glenn Greenwald: No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State
- Tariq Ali + Margaret Kunstler: In Defense of Julian Assange
Pod Love
- Intercepted with Jeremy Scahill: Joe Biden's War Powers
- Media Roots Radio with Abby & Robbie Martin: Assange Trial: Torture, Trumped Up Charges & A Warning to Us All w/ Kevin Gosztola
- News Beat: Chelsea Manning: Collateral Murder Cover-Up
- News Beat: Espionage Act & The Battle For The Free Press
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