As the Obama DOJ Concluded, Prosecution of Julian Assange for Publishing Documents Poses Grave Threats to Press Freedom

http://theintercept.com/2018/11/16/as-the-obama-doj-concluded-prosecution-of-julian-assange-for-publishing-documents-poses-grave-threats-to-press-freedom/
Date Written:  2018-11-16
Publisher:  The Intercept
Year Published:  2018
Resource Type:  Article
Cx Number:  CX23090

Democrats and Republicans both seem willing to curtail freedom of the press when an outlet publishes work against their interests, however, prosecuting Julian Assange/Wikileaks would create a precedent that would criminalize the core function of investigative journalism.

Abstract: 
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Excerpt:

Prosecuting Assange and/or WikiLeaks for publishing classified documents would be in an entirely different universe of press freedom threats. Reporting on the secret acts of government officials or powerful financial actors - including by publishing documents taken without authorization - is at the core of investigative journalism. ...Some of the most important journalism over the last several decades has occurred because it is legal and constitutional to publish secret documents even if the sources of those documents obtained them through illicit or even illegal means.