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- 19 February - Is Julian Assange a journalist or a criminal?
19 February - Is Julian Assange a journalist or a criminal?
The place to go for conversations about the news
The place to go for conversations about the news
G’day and welcome to News Club
This week there is a 2-day hearing happening for Julian Assange in the UK’s High Court. What it is about is determining whether he should be granted a full appeal to challenge his extradition to the United States. If he wins, then a date will be set for a full appeal hearing. But if he loses, he will have exhausted all avenues and will face charges in America for espionage and hacking. If found guilty, he could face 175 years in prison.
It’s a big one. And there’s a lot to it - we haven’t even got to the part where he is an Aussie, a father, and our federal MPs last week passed a motion in support of his release.
So, to help you understand what all this is about and figure out where you might stand on it, it’s our News Club topic this week. And across the week, we will be posting updates on Instagram (@thesquiznewsclub), so make sure you give it a follow.
Our Club Picks are below, and they cover:
an easy way to get across Assange and WikiLeaks,
the Australian lawyer who has been working for Assange,
and why Hilary Clinton is one of his harshest critics.
As always, we hope this helps.
Your friends in news,
Claire Kimball and Kate Watson
Club Picks
To read This article from Time is a good overview to get up to speed on who Julian Assange is, why the US is pushing for his extradition, and the arguments put forward by his supporters/defence team. | To read This Sydney Morning Herald/Age profile from 2022 on Jennifer Robinson. She’s an Aussie human rights lawyer who works with Assange’s legal team. She says it’s absurd he could face extradition for publishing truthful information in the public interest. |
To watch Hillary Clinton’s interview with Sarah Ferguson on ABC TV’s Four Corners (skip to the 25-minute mark for her views on Assange). Clinton was the US Secretary of State when WikiLeaks published the classified information in question, and she has been one of the loudest voices on why he should be called to account. |
We’re all ears…
Julian Assange is...We want to know what you think - click to cast your vote. |
Got questions?
Hit reply with everything you’re dying to know. You can also DM us on Insta @thesquiznewsclub - we’re all ears.
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