Should press freedom have its limitations?
Julian Assange - do his actions in leaking vast amounts of sensitive material represent a triumph or a blow for press freedom?
Julian Assange, the Australian who, 14 years ago, became the centre of global attention after the organisation he founded, Wikileaks, released thousands of documents about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, along with diplomatic cables.
The documents revealed appalling abuses by the United States and other governments - no one has been held liable for them.
But Mr Assange was pursued by the United States government. Originally charged with 18 offences under the Trump administration, the Biden government dropped all but one of the charges. That one remaining charge was brought under the 1917 Espionage Act- he was charged with conspiring to obtain and disclose classified US national defence documents.
In the years since, his case was bound up in legal battles with the US government until this week, when it emerged that he had agreed a plea deal which would allow him to return to his native Australia. He pleaded guilty to the Espionage charge and did not have to serve any more time in prison
So is the Assange case a triumph or a blow for press freedom? What responsibilities do journalists have to the safety and security of nations and their peoples when they publish information about issues of national security? Does the case set a precedent for governments to increase their grip, their control of how journalists do their work?
Presenter Audrey Carville in conversation with the former journalist and author Mihir Bose, the former head of the Royal Navy, Admiral Alan West, and Professor Deirdre Heenan.
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- Sun 30 Jun 2024 08:30大象传媒 Radio Foyle & 大象传媒 Radio Ulster