7 ms·

Journalists Abandoned Julian Assange and Slit Their Own Throats

32 points by jules-jules 3y ago

raxxorraxor 3y ago
A lot of journalists indeed did. Some might try to hide behind some press codex, but they ignored that as well. It really showed how much scoundrels work in that industry. At this points I can believe the others are exceptions.
- appleflaxen 3y ago
  I think you make a great point. It highlights that the press isn't dead because they failed to demand press freedom for Assange. The press is dead because they are a coporate entity. And they didn't demand press freedom for Assange because corporate interests didn't benefit from it.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
jaimex2 3y ago
So we had Assange who stayed and fought. We have Snowden who ran to safety. I guess the lesson for future whistleblowers is to stay anonymous and dump the data covertly.
- theironhammer 3y ago
  Yes! Like the leaker of Panama Papers. Why on earth did Snowden reveal himself? Did he think he'd be like Daniel Ellsberg? Surely he'd seen what happened to Assange and Manning?
  - jaimex2 3y ago
    Yeah, you can see a pattern in wanting the recognition.
kelipso 3y ago
I'm not sure America has actual journalists anymore, just writers who rewrite press releases and call themselves journalists.
- lusus_naturae 3y ago
  I think there are people and institutions still trying to maintain ideals and standards. At least this section of Reuters seems to indicate that, or maybe that's just very good marketing and signaling: https://www.reuters.com/investigates/ https://www.reuters.com/investigates/ Either way, I think adversarial systems are always helpful in keeping humans somewhat honest.
  - stefantalpalaru 3y ago
    [dead]
- jareklupinski 3y ago
  > just writers who rewrite press releases and call themselves journalists. I tried "just reading the wire" for a few weeks before I gave up and went back to normal articles; journalists (imo) are supposed to provide the context for those 2-3 sentence long releases if a wire comes down the line about an African king losing succession, i think a journalist is supposed to provide the meaning behind this (was it a coup? were they a popular monarch? what do people on the ground think?) the first two can be filled in with some research, but that third requires (expensive) boots on the ground...
- gaws 3y ago
  > I'm not sure America has actual journalists anymore Many are still putting in the work: https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year
snehk 3y ago
I learned that very few people actually care about the truth/leaked materials themselves. The only thing most people care about are revelations that are bad for the person they don't like. As soon as something is published that shines "person they like" in a bad light, it's over. People immediately stopped caring about whether what he leaked was true, they only cared if he leaked the right things.
0xDEF 3y ago
He is an Asutralian citizen so one has to wonder why Australians haven't burned down the US embassy yet. Why is there not more uproar about it from Australians? The silence from Australia has been deafening. >He was smeared as [...] a Russian spy Calling him a Russian spy is misleading because he has been openly employed by Russian state media (RT) since 2012. He has never denied being affiliated with Russia so how can he be a spy?
Slava_Propanei 3y ago
[dead]
qingcharles 3y ago
I found out the hard way that as soon as your luck is down everyone abandons you. It is human nature to avoid those who are on a losing streak. Speak to anyone in jail, they will tell you that almost all of their friends, all of their family will have abandoned them, regardless of their guilt or innocence. It's tragic.

32 points by jules-jules 3y ago

A lot of journalists indeed did. Some might try to hide behind some press codex, but they ignored that as well. It really showed how much scoundrels work in that industry. At this points I can believe the others are exceptions.

appleflaxen 3y ago
I think you make a great point. It highlights that the press isn't dead because they failed to demand press freedom for Assange. The press is dead because they are a coporate entity. And they didn't demand press freedom for Assange because corporate interests didn't benefit from it.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

jaimex2 3y ago

So we had Assange who stayed and fought. We have Snowden who ran to safety. I guess the lesson for future whistleblowers is to stay anonymous and dump the data covertly.

theironhammer 3y ago
Yes! Like the leaker of Panama Papers. Why on earth did Snowden reveal himself? Did he think he'd be like Daniel Ellsberg? Surely he'd seen what happened to Assange and Manning?
- jaimex2 3y ago
  Yeah, you can see a pattern in wanting the recognition.

kelipso 3y ago

I'm not sure America has actual journalists anymore, just writers who rewrite press releases and call themselves journalists.

lusus_naturae 3y ago
I think there are people and institutions still trying to maintain ideals and standards. At least this section of Reuters seems to indicate that, or maybe that's just very good marketing and signaling: https://www.reuters.com/investigates/ https://www.reuters.com/investigates/ Either way, I think adversarial systems are always helpful in keeping humans somewhat honest.
- stefantalpalaru 3y ago
  [dead]
jareklupinski 3y ago
> just writers who rewrite press releases and call themselves journalists. I tried "just reading the wire" for a few weeks before I gave up and went back to normal articles; journalists (imo) are supposed to provide the context for those 2-3 sentence long releases if a wire comes down the line about an African king losing succession, i think a journalist is supposed to provide the meaning behind this (was it a coup? were they a popular monarch? what do people on the ground think?) the first two can be filled in with some research, but that third requires (expensive) boots on the ground...
gaws 3y ago
> I'm not sure America has actual journalists anymore Many are still putting in the work: https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year

snehk 3y ago

I learned that very few people actually care about the truth/leaked materials themselves. The only thing most people care about are revelations that are bad for the person they don't like. As soon as something is published that shines "person they like" in a bad light, it's over. People immediately stopped caring about whether what he leaked was true, they only cared if he leaked the right things.

0xDEF 3y ago

He is an Asutralian citizen so one has to wonder why Australians haven't burned down the US embassy yet. Why is there not more uproar about it from Australians? The silence from Australia has been deafening. >He was smeared as [...] a Russian spy Calling him a Russian spy is misleading because he has been openly employed by Russian state media (RT) since 2012. He has never denied being affiliated with Russia so how can he be a spy?

Slava_Propanei 3y ago

[dead]

qingcharles 3y ago

I found out the hard way that as soon as your luck is down everyone abandons you. It is human nature to avoid those who are on a losing streak. Speak to anyone in jail, they will tell you that almost all of their friends, all of their family will have abandoned them, regardless of their guilt or innocence. It's tragic.