John Pilger: The Betrayers of Julian Assange
Consortium NewsJUL 2023
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
Assange is an anti-establishment hero who has been victimized and punished for exposing American war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. His prosecution has been rife with procedural violations, and it criminalizes routine journalistic activity.
Pro-establishment narrative
Assange is not the free-speech champion he's often framed as, but rather a criminal whose publication of classified documents put lives at risk. He committed a serious crime and deserves a serious punishment.
Metaculus Prediction
There's a 50% chance that Julian Assange will be extradited to the US by September 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
