Julian Assange: Readers' Choice for TIME's Person of the Year 2010

[kgnu_fan]

Source: Time News Feed

The man behind WikiLeaks has won the most votes in this year's Person of the Year poll.

Readers voted a total of 1,249,425 times, and the favorite was clear. Julian Assange raked in 382,020 votes, giving him an easy first place. He was 148,383 votes over the silver medalist, Recep Tayyip Ergodan, Prime Minister of Turkey.

But Assange wasn't the winner in all aspects -- Lady Gaga trounced him on Facebook, receiving 65,417 "likes" on Facebook to Assange's 45,643. See the top 10 readers' choices below, and view the full poll here.

1. Julian Assange
2. Recep Tayyip Ergodan
3. Lady Gaga
4. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert
5. Glenn Beck
6. Barack Obama
7. Steve Jobs
8. The Chilean Miners
9. The Unemployed American
10. Mark Zuckerberg




Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/12/13/julian-assange-readers-choice-for-times-person-of-the-year-2010/

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The site asks "Will Assange be named Person of the Year? The editors of TIME will unveil their choice on the TODAY show, Wednesday morning on NBC." I wonder which side is TIME on?

[tcaudilllg]

1. Bradley Manning deserves it more.

He's the one whose story will be discussed for years to come.

[Goldstein1984]

11. He's also likely to pay a higher price for his moral stand

I agree with what Assange has done, but Manning's act required far more courage.

[molly77]

25. Guess Joe Lieberman scared NYTimes

The Guardian comments are saying it is over for the Times covering WikiLeaks. The Guardian is the best anyway. Less spin.

[Pavulon]

55. Pollard and Ames are runners up to bradass?(nt)

[snooper2]

2. Lada gaga...JHFC

Might as well throw Bieber baby in the mix if you are going that route...

[LynneSin]

23. I'm not the biggest Lady GaGa fan but I will give her props

She goes out there and speaks up about issues that impact many people including civil rights for the GBLT community. She's hardly a 'Justin Bieber' - who knows what he stands for other than good hair products.

[qb]

3. It's been ages since I've bought a magazine, but I'm buying this one.

:bounce:

(That is... unless the State Department convinces Time that choosing Asssange represents a threat to national security)

[sabrina 1]

5. If they make him Man of the Year, I will buy it too. But

I doubt they have the courage to do that. Joe Lieberman will demand they be investigated for espionage as he has the NYT.

[saigon68]

18. YUK Douche Bag Joementum

[orbitalman]

39. Sooo Appropriate! n/t

[Renew Deal]

9. It's not a done deal.

He's just the "readers choice."

[molly77]

26. You know they will!

Compare the NYTimes coverage with The Guardian , for instance. It is over from the propaganda tool that the US has freedom of the press.

[donquijoterocket]

50. they'll probably be

Too busy trying to railroad Michael Moore for standing Bail for Julian Assange. or some such other truly worthwhile endeavor.

[Demeter]

4. TIME Wouldn't Go Out on a Limb and Pick Assange

They don't believe in freedom of the press at TIME, since they are so willing to give up their journalistic freedom, as well as anyone else's...

[redirish28]

6. VERY well done!

[onehandle]

7. He won their online poll? Really, their online poll? Amazing that he won their online poll.

Did I mention it was their online poll?

I'm surprised that a Palin didn't win.

[Renew Deal]

8. I think the people that voted would look at this differently now from when the vote took place.

And Assange would get even more votes. That list is interesting. I wonder what Israel thinks about it.

[RZM]

10. I bet they pick Assange

I'd say 'unemployed American' is the dark horse. If it's Lady Gaga, I shall lower my head in shame.

[AlbertCat]

12. Glenn Beck #5????

I thought you had to be "a man".... not a crying whining loony bird.

[LynneSin]

21. And Lady GaGa is?

doesn't have to be "a man"

[BobTheSubgenius]

38. That's the nominee that caught my attention, too.

It's hard to believe that anyone other than the lunatic fringe would give that.....whatever you want to call him.....any credence whatsoever. But making the Person of the Year list?

Good God.

[Creative]

13. Being Time's "Man of the Year" is not necessarily a good thing.

[fascisthunter]

29. In Assange's Case it would Be

whatever happens, he will be remembered as a hero! :hi:

[Creative]

46. Yes, osama bin laden is a hero to many as well.

Nevertheless, this book is not yet completed. There are still many chapter that have yet to be written.

[fascisthunter]

49. Are you equating Bin Laden to Assange?

... and of course there is nothing you can do about his releasing info to real Americans who actually give a shit about their country. Only someone who didn't care could defend those trying to cover up this embarrassing info and try to demonize Assange.

[Creative]

51. No, I am equating many of Assange's supporters to Bin Laden's supporters.

For many of them are one in the same--incapable of rational thought.

The only thing that matters to that group is "death to America."

[LanternWaste]

56. I imagine we often label those opinions we do not agree with as

I imagine we often label those opinions we do not agree with as "incapable of rational thought" and further minimize any rational conversation by equating the supporters of A with the wholly separate and irrelevant supporters of B.

I suppose being Creative is not predicated on being rational... :shrug:

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

14. Good!

he truly is.

[SugarShack]

15. TIME is full of CIA assets. Why would they do this? I would question the whole darn thing if they do

[katty]

16. truly radical if Bradly Manning is #1-but Time doing that or

even Assange? hmmmm... we'll see....

[man4allcats]

17. An excellent choice for TIME's Person of the Year 2010 award

Congrats, Julian. I'm sure there are other things you might rather have right now, but at least it's an acknowledgment that many folks, myself included, support what people like you and Bradley Manning are doing. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[LynneSin]

19. Maybe they'll pick "YOU" again instead of allowing Assange on the cover...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_(Time_Person_of_the_Year)

Additionally, the decision raised some criticism as it was described as ideological and even hypocritical. Some weeks before the announcement, Time decided to ask the users in a poll "Who Should Be Person of the Year?" After several weeks, the poll winner by a wide margin was Hugo Chávez, with 35% of the votes. However, Time decided to ignore those results and did not mention them in the announcement of the Person of the Year. Its critics underline that Time ignores its digital democracy among its readers. Time supporters argue that an online poll is not representative as it has no scientific value. Thus, such a decision should not be based on it.<11> In addition, Peter Sagal said on Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! that if "we" truly controlled the media, "we would have picked a much better choice for the Person of the Year issue."

[RoccoR5955]

20. They will not choose him.

Not after they lied about Wikileaks last week.

Read Glen Greenwald's expose here: http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/12/10/wikileaks_media/index.html

[Myrina]

22. ... as long as Caribou Barbie wasn't in any top 5, i'm happy.

:)

[Jefferson23]

24. WikiLeaks is the most fascinating player in todays politics period, hands down. n/t

[Spiderzumbie]

27. Anyone else think some folks voted #5, then refreshed the page to revote?

I'm not making an accusations against the whole of his voters, I'm just saying Its possible. I did it when I was 5 to vote Batman above Superman in a Cartoon Network Poll.

[LostInAnomie]

31. WHAT!!!? How dare you question the veracity of an INTERNET hero's win...

... on an online poll!!!

:evilgrin: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Spiderzumbie]

28. Anyone else think some folks voted #5, then refreshed the page to revote?

I'm not making an accusations against the whole of his voters, I'm just saying Its possible. I did it when I was 5 to vote Batman above Superman in a Cartoon Network Poll.

[fascisthunter]

30. The Unemployed American

should be on the front page. Then again, I want Julian's face everywhere to raise curiosity.

[Bjorn Against]

32. Assange deserves it hands down, but I would not be shocked if they chose Glenn Beck instead

I do not have much faith in TIME to give the award to the person who deserves it, I think they would rather award it to the person who is going to sell the most magazines.

[DeadEyeDyck]

33. K & R n/t

[DeSwiss]

34. K&R

[HEyHEY]

35. That list really sucks.

[NYMdaveNYI]

36. “I wonder which side is TIME on? "

The corporate media’s damn side. They won’t pick Assange; TIME’s editor likes money.

[laughingliberal]

37. K & R nt

[tomm2thumbs]

40. I think they are being clear that he was ranked #1 by voters to back up their choice

if they don't choose him, they aren't paying attention

[Cherchez la Femme]

41. Would be more impressive if

Time did it for admired people by the mojority (which, I hope he indeed IS),
but they include those who either impacted society to any certain degree, good or 'bad'
or those who are otherwise notorious.

Hitler was man of the year in the late 30's -- not when he was new, or prior to his writing Mein Kampf, or his evil plans were public enough for the world to see...

In other words, it is not necessarily a compliment
--in fact could well be far from it.



Personally I am rooting for Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert -- MEN of the Year!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

42. Please...Not Beck...

[gauguin57]

43. Chi chi chi! Le le le! Los mineros de Chile!

I'd love to see an inspiring, upbeat story behind Person of the Year. Everything was so depressing this year ... crown the miners, Time!

[1badjedi]

44. Gee, the unemployed american

comes in at a whopping #9. Guess that makes it official, no one does care. Celebrities, even pseudo celebs, matter more than real life. :(

[ooglymoogly]

45. If Julian is chosen, I will go out and buy 10 copies

Not only to make a statement but because these will be an incredible collectors Item. Julian is a history changer extraordinaire. The world is quaking by his presence. If Democracy is saved in its 11th hour, it will be because of this man.

[Uncle Joe]

47. On the corporate supremacist side.

The site asks "Will Assange be named Person of the Year? The editors of TIME will unveil their choice on the TODAY show, Wednesday morning on NBC." I wonder which side is TIME on?

That's why, I would be highly surprised if they chose Assange, Wikileaks; represents a threat against the business model of corporate domination over government.

Thanks for the thread, kgnu_fan.

[Matilda]

52. The "Person of the Year" doesn't have to be someone who has only done good

in the eyes of the world. It can be somebody who is considered to be a bad influence as well.

So the corporate, military, industrial, and intelligence supporters might regard him as evil, but how can they reasonably deny his influence? Everybody is talking about him; everyone has read something that Wikileaks has exposed; eveyone knows at least the bare bones of his Swedish court case.

I hope he gets the gong. Might give TIME some street cred.

[Uncle Joe]

53. I wasn't basing my belief on the issue of good or evil, I know

they made Hitler their "Man of the Year" at one time.

My post is based on whether someone or some connected issue/institution threatens the current state of "corporate supremacy."

They won't go so far as to deny Assange/Wikileaks' influence but I believe they will cite something else as having greater influence.

[Matilda]

54. I know ... they'll certainly try.

But wouldn't it be good if he proved too big to ignore?

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

48. He's my choice, I voted for him

and glad of it!