The Long Shadow of Julian Assange’s Conviction

Warning: this episode contains strong language and audio of
war.


When the long legal saga of Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks
founder, came to an end this summer, it marked the first time
that the U.S. government had convicted anyone for publishing
classified material.


Charlie Savage, who covers national security and legal policy for
The Times, discusses what the conviction means for journalism and
government accountability in a world where publishing state
secrets can now be treated as a crime.


Guest: Charlie Savage, a national security and legal policy
correspondent for The New York Times. Guest host: Natalie
Kitroeff, Mexico City Bureau Chief for The New York Times. 


Background reading: 


Mr. Assange’s plea deal sets a chilling precedent on the
ability of journalists to report on military, intelligence or
diplomatic information that officials deem secret.

To some, Mr. Assange was a heroic crusader for truth. To
others, he was a reckless leaker endangering lives.



For more information on today’s episode, visit
nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made
available by the next workday.