Julian Assange: Innocent or Guilty?


Source: dw.com

No matter the situation, the role of a journalist is to provide information to the public. That information is always protected. Their role is to serve and benefit those who may be unaware of things occurring in our everyday world. This seems to apply to all journalists. However, Julian Assange was not given this same treatment when revealing information that seemed to share a bit too much for the United States Government's liking.

Julian Assange is an Australian journalist who is widely known for being the founder of 'WikiLeaks', a news source that provides articles and information from anonymous sources all across the world. Although he is a journalist, Assange is being charged for crimes under the 'Espionage Act' and his case is being heard all over the world as he sits in jail in Great Britain.

The 'Espionage Act of 1917' prohibits people from revealing governmental information through foreign relations. This act, which at first glance violates people's first amendment rights, was deemed constitutional, and therefore has been used to target Assange's work, career, and livelihood. 

Due to the fact that this act still remains constitutional, the US is using that declaration as a driving force in charging Assange with 18 charges against him. What some may argue is an obvious violation of his first amendment rights, others declare these accusations valid, due to the Espionage Act being declared constitutional. 

However, journalists have a civic duty to report nothing but the truth to the general public. This is what makes this case so interesting. When the truth is revealed about various war documents, this journalist's free will to report the facts was stripped from his fingers. 

Journalists all across the world have payed close attention to this case, as it has played a huge role in how journalists are viewed not only by the government but by citizens as well. Some journalists as well as some of the aforementioned citizens consider the Julian Assange case to be a case of Whistleblowing.

What is whistleblowing exactly? Whistleblowing is the act of someone exposing private information from a company, organization, or in this case, the government, that could be deemed illegal or wrong. But isn't that a journalist job? Shouldn't they be revealing the information whether it is right or wrong? In this situation, there are many people who do not think so. 

Perhaps one of the biggest issues with this is that even though Assange may be a whistleblower, he revealed information about the United States Government. Assange is not a United States citizen, so why should he be extradited to the US and charged for 18 counts of crime under US law? 

What started as a journalist reporting important information to the general public has now turned in to one of the most impact cases for the industry in modern day history, yet there seems to be nothing that can be done to right the wrong. 



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