WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange walks out on CNN interview

[kpete]

Source: Raw Story

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange walks out on CNN interview

By Stephen C. Webster
Saturday, October 23rd, 2010 -- 1:22 pm


.................

When Shubert first inquired about the allegations of internal turmoil at WikiLeaks -- claims leveled by former employee Daniel Domscheit-Berg -- Assange took a dry tone and emphasized that his purpose for appearing in front of the cameras was the publication of classified Iraq war documents.

Then she asked about the molestation charges being investigated by Swedish police. Her written report to CNN, which initially summarized that he refused to talk about it, is something of a polite understatement.

"This interview is about something else," he said. "I will have to walk if you are... If you are going to contaminate this extremely serious interview with questions about my personal life."

The reporter persisted, so Assange calmly got up, removed his mic, apologized and left.

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/10/wikileaks-founder-julian-assange-walks-cnn-interview/

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

1. good, more people need to shun these

asshats in the media

[saigon68]

25. The Corporate Rulers DON'T especially like "Boat Rockers"

So they send the usual Bimbo or Bimbett out to confuse the sheep who watch that drivel.

Got to love the internet--- learn a foreign language and read other views of "world news"



whatever.

[boppers]

2. The reporter was claiming that Assange was making himself the story...

...and she then continued to try to make the story about Assange.

[JohnnyCougar]

21. I noticed that irony

[Ticonderoga]

32. The Irony is:

she ended up making the story about HER.

[TheMadMonk]

3. Simple solution. Asked about sex life, respond with a quuestion...

...about the reporter's sex life. "Do you take it up the butt?" should be suitably crude.

[stray cat]

4. Nobody better leak anything about Julian - he publishes leaks but is protected from any scruitiny?

[donco6]

5. I would rather have heard about the documentation.

I can read about his personal life in The Star or The Globe.

[frylock]

6. don't you ever tire of being so consistantly off point?

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. I think he enjoys it

It's like a sick hobby.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

19. Another turd oozes from the stray cat.

There is some serious housekeeping that needs to occur. The fecal material is piling up.

[ronnie624]

22. I don't care about that.

Soap operas do not interest me in the least. I'm far more interested in learning about my government's policies and how they affect us all, and what they portend for the future of our civilization.

[Swagman]

23. It depends what he was invited to be interviewed about...if it was just an ambush to

get him to the studio on the false premise to talk about the latest wikileaks leaks and then discuss his private life (sensationlism and of no interest) he is entitled to tell the interviewer to fuck off.

Whoever made a law that paid yapping heads on the box dictate the rules?. Others are right-tell these overpaid talking heads where to go.

[rhett o rick]

27. So you are taking the side of CNN? What does his personal life have to do with

the issues he discusses. It is a sick attempt to shut him up and you seem to go along.

[Jennicut]

33. The questions were about what the former employee thought about his employer.

I don't think that was totally out of line. The sex stuff is stupid gossip. But with Daniel Schmitt there was criticism that Assange wanted to scrutinize the govt.'s actions but no one can scrutinize Assange. I think the man is a bit of a power hungry egotist but then again, the entire federal govt. is too and when you are fighting that you sort of have to be that type of person. Interesting stuff.

[girl gone mad]

39. No one wants to play your right wing 'attack the messenger' game.

We've all had our fill of that sleazy tactic.

[Ikonoklast]

41. When did you stop beating your wife?

[felix_numinous]

7. Refusing to play

is the only way to deal with them. He is right on, zero tolerance for bullshit.

[Downwinder]

8. K&R

[Warpy]

12. Right, I had little opinion of the man before now

although I have enormous respect for what he is doing in ripping open all the filthy secrets of Bush's wars.

I find now that I like him tremendously for his appropriate response to a totally bubble headed "journalist" who wouldn't know how to conduct a respectful interview if it was printed out on note cards in words of one or two syllables, only

[Catherina]

42. +1 n/t

[Posteritatis]

9. Stay classy, CNN. (nt)

[CLANG]

11. Boy she sure screwed that one up! Think they'll let her interview any one else?

[Posteritatis]

13. Probably - the dramafest stuff like that kicks up generates its own ratings

...and I'm pretty sure ratings are the point of the interview, and not its contents, in this case.

[ProudDad]

15. Sure. That's exactly what the tools of Empire are paid to do...(n/t)

[ProudDad]

14. Good for him

and a clear example of how the corporate media does the Empire's dirty work for them...

Fuck 'em...

[NeoConsSuck]

16. CNN is a MAJOR part of the empire

They were the biggest neocon defenders during the bush administration, much more so than faux news. When this story broke last night, CNN.COM had three links regarding Assange and the problems he was having, NOT ONE link went to the story about the leak.

That reporter interviewing Assange was just another water carrier for the neocons.

[corpseratemedia]

17. +100

I'm so glad he walked out and called them on it.



cnn= "rhymes with dissolute"

[ensho]

36. kick

nt

[Jumping John]

18. The *sound* technician should be fired immediately. n/t

[Jefferson23]

20. Good for him! n/t

[go west young man]

24. Link to BBC clip 9 minutes long. This is what Europeans

are seeing. Compare it to the American bubble which is absolutely shameful and ridiculous. Serious news requires a serious press.
http://www.antemedius.com/content/wikileaks-and-iraq-body-count-news-conference-follows-release-iraq-war-logs

[go west young man]

26. And another serious newsclip here.

http://www.antemedius.com/content/wikileaks-releases-iraq-war-logs

It seems America has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to real journalism.
We suck at it. In much the same way we apparently suck at war and truth telling.

[go west young man]

37. Now let's look at the NYTimes cover webpage today.

http://www.nytimes.com/ Is it any wonder we suck as a country.

And the Washington post. Not even a mention today. http://www.washingtonpost.com/

[go west young man]

38. The LA Times chooses to go with a pro U.S. military story about

how our soldiers treat the wounded in combat. Man can you say complicity?
http://www.latimes.com/

If anyone ever doubted the CIA infiltrated our own media years ago they need not doubt anymore.
All those Iraq War crimes exposed and our entire national media looks the other way. Shameful.

Der Spiegel, on the other hand, has great coverage. Including a story on U.S. indifference.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

35. -snip-

Following the release of the documents by Wikileaks, the UK Guardian reported that the United Nations is now calling for a war crimes investigation by the Obama Administration...

[zenprole]

28. Muy Bueno

This rejection of trashy reporting is even better than the other work that Wikileaks is doing. Assange appears more tired than in the past, which may be from working to hang out the empire's blood-stained laundry or withstanding the empire's attacks.

Either way, he's still rock solid. This 'reporter' clearly had her marching orders and didn't even have an issue-related question ready. One clue about this belligerence is her track record while working in CNN's Jerusalem bureau - I'm just barely guessing those assignments weren't handed to an unreliable functionary who might question power.

For her trouble, she's getting a ration of shit on her Facebook page.

[still_one]

29. Swedish authorities exonerated him, and Larry king wonders why Stewart is so hard on CNN

Obviosly CNN wasn't interested in the illegal war or what he uncovered, but there is a good reason for that, because CNN along with most of the media were lying to the public and tryin to push us into war with Iraq based on a lie

The media in the US is definitely at a low for real journalism

[Dr.Phool]

31. Stewart's reply to King.

"Because you suck".

[still_one]

44. so perfect /nt

[NuttyFluffers]

30. good. screw media message control and sandbagging.

K&R.

[The Uncola]

34. I care f**kall ...

... about the "shiny object" distractions WAR CRIME apologists try to float. If this creep of a "reporter" can't stick to the subject of the interview, then the asshat should be walked out on. PERIOD. Gaddamn corporate shills anyway.

[Enthusiast]

40. Nothing to see here....nt

[Edweird]

43. Do what verybody else does: answer a question they didn't ask.

Simply wait for them to quit talking and then proceed to speak about whatever topic you desire. As long as you can maintain your cool, you're good.

[jeanpalmer]

45. Kill the messenger

The documents indicate 100,000+ people killed, but the story is Julian Assange's sex life? No wonder we're in trouble.

[spanone]

46. cnn=tmz