The bizarre, unhealthy, blinding media contempt for Julian Assange

[marmar]

The bizarre, unhealthy, blinding media contempt for Julian Assange
It is possible to protect the rights of the complainants in Sweden and Assange's rights against political persecution, but a vindictive thirst for vengeance is preventing that

Glenn Greenwald
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 22 August 2012


Earlier this week, British lawyer and legal correspondent for the New Statesman David Allen Green generated a fair amount of attention by announcing that he would use his objective legal expertise to bust what he called "legal myths about the Assange extradition." These myths, he said, are being irresponsibly spread by Assange defenders and "are like 'zombie facts' which stagger on even when shot down."

In addition to his other credentials, Green – like virtually the entire British press – is a long-time and deeply devoted Assange-basher, and his purported myth-busting was predictably regurgitated by those who reflexively grasp onto anything that reflects poorly on western establishmentarians' public enemy No1. It's really worth examining what Green argued to understand the behavior in which Assange detractors engage to advance this collective vendetta, and also to see how frequently blatant ideological agendas masquerade as high-minded, objective legal expertise.

But before getting to that, let us pause to reflect on a truly amazing and revealing fact, one that calls for formal study in several academic fields of discipline. Is it not remarkable that one of the very few individuals over the past decade to risk his welfare, liberty and even life to meaningfully challenge the secrecy regime on which the American national security state (and those of its obedient allies) depends just so happens to have become – long before he sought asylum from Ecuador – the most intensely and personally despised figure among the American and British media class and the British "liberal" intelligentsia?

In 2008 – two years before the release of the "collateral murder" video, the Iraq and Afghanistan war logs, and the diplomatic cables – the Pentagon prepared a secret report which proclaimed WikiLeaks to be an enemy of the state and plotted ways to destroy its credibility and reputation. But in a stroke of amazing luck, Pentagon operatives never needed to do any of that, because the establishment media in the US and Britain harbor at least as much intense personal loathing for the group's founder as the US government does, and eagerly took the lead in targeting him. Many people like to posit the US national security state and western media outlets as adversarial forces, but here – as is so often the case – they have so harmoniously joined in common cause. .................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/22/julian-assange-media-contempt

[xchrom]

1. oh Hell yes...

[madrchsod]

2. i thought this was about some of the posts here at du....

[marmar]

3. LOL. ..... Yep.

nt

[tama]

4. Sounds familiar also in regard to DU media

"Many journalists (and liberals) like to wear the costume of outsider-insurgent, but are, at their core, devoted institutionalists, faithful believers in the goodness of their society's power centers, and thus resent those (like Assange) who actually and deliberately place themselves outside of it. By putting his own liberty and security at risk to oppose the world's most powerful factions, Assange has clearly demonstrated what happens to real adversarial dissidents and insurgents – they're persecuted, demonized, and threatened, not befriended by and invited to parties within the halls of imperial power – and he thus causes many journalists to stand revealed as posers, servants to power, and courtiers.

Then there's the ideological cause. As one long-time British journalist told me this week when discussing the vitriol of the British press toward Assange: "Nothing delights British former lefties more than an opportunity to defend power while pretending it is a brave stance in defence of a left liberal principle." That's the warped mindset that led to so many of these self-styled liberal journalists to support the attack on Iraq and other acts of Western aggression in the name of liberal values. And it's why nothing triggers their rage like fundamental critiques of, and especially meaningful opposition to, the institutions of power to which they are unfailingly loyal."

[polly7]

5. The perfect heading and description for what they're doing. nt.

[struggle4progress]

6. Here's proof that David Allen Green is a "deeply devoted Assange basher"!

It is crucial to note that these are allegations. There have been no charges. There certainly has been no documentary or oral evidence published to support these allegations, and nor have these allegations been tested by cross-examination. Assange must be presumed innocent until proven guilty. However, the presumption of innocence does not mean such serious allegations should never be answered.

Why Assange lost: Explaining the extradition decision.
By David Allen Green Published 28 February 2011 17:05
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/22/julian-assange-media-contempt

See what he did there? He cleverly seems to say Julian is "innocent until proven guilty" but in fact what he actually means is that Julian is a blackmailer and montebank! It's the oldest weaselly lawyer trick in the book. What's the point of even reading anything he says, if he won't call for the charges to be dismissed?

[bemildred]

7. Of course, Assange is in fact what our "journalists" only pretend to be: a journalist.

So of course they resent him, and governments that are used to being in control of their "journalists" resent him too, and they both see him correctly as a threat to things as they are now.

[struggle4progress]

8. WikiLeaks claims responsibility for fake Bill Keller column, citing donation ban

Hoax including fake tweets and a counterfeit Times website dismissed as 'childish prank' by former editor Bill Keller
Ed Pilkington in New York
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 29 July 2012 14.18 EDT
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/jul/29/bill-keller-fake-column-wikileaks

Um ... professional journalists don't usually pull stunts like this

[bemildred]

9. Yep, but our "journalists" do, all the time. nt

[The Magistrate]

11. Mr. Greenwald Is Far From A Favorite Of Mine, Sir, But He Is Dead Right Here....

[bemildred]

12. Quite, Sir.

As with many one sees here, he tends to hyperventilate a bit; and one need not think Mr. Assange is without any faults either; Greenwald is correct here, this is getting strange now, over the top, disproportionate, etc.

[idwiyo]

10. K&R