Patrick Cockburn in the Independent is spot-on with his comments about Wikileaks. Many in the corporate media have degraded themselves with petty criticisms and jealousy: As Julian Assange evades arrest by taking refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in Knightsbridge to escape extradition to Sweden, and possibly the US, British commentators have targeted him with shrill…
Wikileaks
Wikileaks is one of the biggest and most important stories in the world, challenging governments and journalists alike. I’ve been writing extensively about the group since 2006, featured an exclusive interview in 2008 with founder Julian Assange and examined the myriad of issues around the website. Assange himself asked me in the early days whether I wanted to be on the group’s board to vet incoming leaks and determine their veracity before publishing. I agreed but unfortunately this never eventuated.
Assange interviews Imran Khan, Tariq Ali and Noam Chomsky
The great The World Tomorrow series continues (past episodes here). A few weeks ago it was Pakistani politician Imran Khan and then this week Tariq Ali and Noam Chomsky. Find me another mainstream TV talk show that actually believes in seriously examining ideas, political philosophy and democracy:
My 2012 PEN Free Voices lecture on free speech and why it matters
The following is published today as the lead piece by ABC’s The Drum: The two-hour drive from Islamabad to Peshawar is along a surprisingly smooth road. Mud-brick homes sit amongst lush, green fields. Police checkpoints are set up routinely to stop unwanted visitors. I am asked why I want to see the troubled Pakistani town…
America’s drone war is both counter-productive and brutal
My following article appears in Lebanon’s Al Akhbar: America’s drone war has countless silent victims. Since President Barack Obama massively expanded his reliance on the weapon from 2009, the number of civilians killed in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia and Yemen have sky-rocketed, but we rarely hear about these murders. The Western corporate media is content rehashing…
Assange deepens interview with cypherpunks
Following last week’s first part of his The World Tomorrow interview with cypherpunks, this episode continues the conversation and discusses the growth of the military industrial complex and using the web’s architecture to keep the free flow of information alive:
Assange interviews cypherpunks
This week’s The World Tomorrow (previous episodes here) talks to three cypherpunks, individuals who challenge the ever-growing power of corporations to control the internet. Fascinating:
How Australia sees its responsibilities to Assange; ask Washington
Philip Dorling, Sydney Morning Herald today: …Ever anxious to demonstrate its loyalty to the US alliance, the Australian government has not uttered any objection to the prospect that Assange may be prosecuted for espionage.
Speaking in support of Julian Assange and Wikileaks
This week’s British Supreme Court decision over Julian Assange was yet another step in the farcical legal case against the Wikileaks publisher. Australian and American politicians have shown over the last years a disturbing desire to shut Wikileaks down. Let them try. They will fail. There was a large rally in Sydney this week in…