The Leak that Changed the World

As Julian Assange came on the screen, he was met with overwhelming applause from his fellow journalists.

“One year ago today, we were on the final 24-hours away from releasing the largest intelligence leak this world has ever seen,” he said.

This leak featured more than 248 million words of previously confidential documents.

“The last year has been a tremendous success, but not only a journalistic success story,” he said. “That material (coming out) has shaped elections and changes all over the world, from Peru to Tunisia.”

Assange Not Surprised By Negativity

Assange said that the overwhelmingly negative response to WikiLeaks did not surprise him.

“When we published something about the past, it not only says something about that time in the past,” he said. “But the reactions to us, and reactions to what we did, are happening right now, every day.”

Pentagon To Assange: “must destroy everything”

“The Pentagon said we must destroy everything we published and were going to publish,” Assange said.  ”And if we didn’t, we would be ‘compelled to do so.’”

He said he had never heard such a claim from a Western government organization toward the media.

“That was the throwing down of the gauntlet for us,” he said.

Assange and WikiLeaks refused to capitulate to American government demands.

“Over the past five years,” he said, “we have never retracted or buckled in response to censorship pressure.”

“A new McCarthyism”

Assange said that WikiLeaks faced a “new McCarthyism” in regard to their work.

“I wondered if the negative response was a representation of the geo-political relationship already in existence, or if it was something media engaged in previously.

“When I heard people calling for my assassination,” he said, “that told us something about the closeness of American media to the government.”

From there, Assange painted a rather pessimistic picture concerning the motivations for professionals entering the field.

“That is why most journalists get into journalism: to crawl up the ladder of power to sit at the table with the powerful people we’re meant to hold into account.”

Assange: “crisis of legitimacy” For Mainstream Media

“There is, without a doubt, a crisis of legitimacy within the mainstream press,” Assange said, “especially with the constant unmediated posting going on.”

Assange said that this occurred in part because the mainstream press has failed in its endeavor to be its own gatekeeper.

“The media is a powerful organization and powerful organizations need to be held into account,” he said. “We must hold ourselves into account, or we’ll lose legitimacy.”

Assange said he feels like the scrutiny of media’s actions has never been higher.

“I see this as a tremendously good thing,” he said. “When we publish something to such a strong reaction, it shows that we’re getting there, especially when the organization gets frightened at what we’re producing.”

Assange believes WikiLeaks’ most recent release of documents was a success, sayinging that “it takes a lot to scare American fiscalized structures into reform.”

Assange: “We must publish freely and aggressively”

Assange insisted repeatedly that journalists must maintain not only their integrity, but their solidarity.

“We must hold together in mutual self-interest and in the interest of the public,” he said.

When asked about the legality of his actions, Assange delivered a reasonable, well-timed response: “Well, there are always considerations. You can’t shoot yourself in the head and publish at the same time.”

To defend his point further, he reminded the audience that, though they have been repeatedly harassed, neither he nor his colleagues have been charged or convicted of espionage crimes.

He concluded with an exhortation to those intrigued by the prospect of following in his footsteps.

“If you’re serious about publishing serious information, you should structurally organize your publication so that you can maximize your ability to publish.

“We must be serious about our moral obligation to communicate truth and keep the powerful in check,” he said. “Then, we must publish freely and publish aggressively.”