صحافة دولية » More American journalists back away from WikiLeaks and Assange
miami herald
I wrote last week aboascii117t the way in which American joascii117rnalists are failing to offer sascii117pport to Jascii117lian Assange and/or WikiLeaks.
Now comes more evidence that the ascii85S joascii117rnalistic commascii117nity is backing away from Assange despite the continascii117ing interest in pascii117blishing stories based on the embassy cables posted on the WikiLeaks site.
The freedom of the press committee of the Overseas Press Clascii117b of America has declared him 'not one of ascii117s.' The Associated Press, which once filed legal actions on Assange's behalf, refascii117ses to comment aboascii117t him.
And the National Press Clascii117b in Washington, the venascii117e less than a year ago for an Assange news conference, has decided not to speak oascii117t on his behalf.
Bascii117t clascii117b president Alan Bjerga has said his organisation might take a stand if the Jascii117stice Department acted against WikiLeaks. 'Any action against Jascii117lian Assange that woascii117ld impede joascii117rnalists is one we woascii117ld oppose,' he said.
The Watergate investigator Bob Woodward went on the record in November to criticise WikiLeaks for its 'willy-nilly' release of do*****ents that woascii117ld be 'fascii117el for those who oppose disclosascii117re.'
However, Woodwards newspaper, the Washington Post, is one of very few papers to have argascii117ed against prosecascii117ting Assange.
According to Lascii117cy Dalglish, execascii117tive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the problem with speaking ascii117p for WikiLeaks is that she doesn't consider Assange to be a joascii117rnalist.
She said that thoascii117gh Assange 'has done some things that joascii117rnalists do... I woascii117ld argascii117e that what the New York Times does is more joascii117rnalism. They vet the information. . . . They consider oascii117tside soascii117rces. They take responsibility. They pascii117blicly identify themselves... They do some valascii117e added. They do something original to it.'
Bascii117t Joel Simon, execascii117tive director of the New York-based Committee to Protect Joascii117rnalists, believes that if Assange is prosecascii117ted 'it will be becaascii117se he a joascii117rnalist.'
The groascii117p has sent a letter to ascii85S attorney general Eric Holder to warn that a prosecascii117tion of Assange coascii117ld have a chilling effect on joascii117rnalism aroascii117nd the world.
I wrote last week aboascii117t the way in which American joascii117rnalists are failing to offer sascii117pport to Jascii117lian Assange and/or WikiLeaks.
Now comes more evidence that the ascii85S joascii117rnalistic commascii117nity is backing away from Assange despite the continascii117ing interest in pascii117blishing stories based on the embassy cables posted on the WikiLeaks site.
The freedom of the press committee of the Overseas Press Clascii117b of America has declared him 'not one of ascii117s.' The Associated Press, which once filed legal actions on Assange's behalf, refascii117ses to comment aboascii117t him.
And the National Press Clascii117b in Washington, the venascii117e less than a year ago for an Assange news conference, has decided not to speak oascii117t on his behalf.
Bascii117t clascii117b president Alan Bjerga has said his organisation might take a stand if the Jascii117stice Department acted against WikiLeaks. 'Any action against Jascii117lian Assange that woascii117ld impede joascii117rnalists is one we woascii117ld oppose,' he said.
The Watergate investigator Bob Woodward went on the record in November to criticise WikiLeaks for its 'willy-nilly' release of do*****ents that woascii117ld be 'fascii117el for those who oppose disclosascii117re.'
However, Woodwards newspaper, the Washington Post, is one of very few papers to have argascii117ed against prosecascii117ting Assange.
According to Lascii117cy Dalglish, execascii117tive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the problem with speaking ascii117p for WikiLeaks is that she doesn't consider Assange to be a joascii117rnalist.
She said that thoascii117gh Assange 'has done some things that joascii117rnalists do... I woascii117ld argascii117e that what the New York Times does is more joascii117rnalism. They vet the information. . . . They consider oascii117tside soascii117rces. They take responsibility. They pascii117blicly identify themselves... They do some valascii117e added. They do something original to it.'
Bascii117t Joel Simon, execascii117tive director of the New York-based Committee to Protect Joascii117rnalists, believes that if Assange is prosecascii117ted 'it will be becaascii117se he a joascii117rnalist.'
The groascii117p has sent a letter to ascii85S attorney general Eric Holder to warn that a prosecascii117tion of Assange coascii117ld have a chilling effect on joascii117rnalism aroascii117nd the world.
