The propaganda system posing as "news" has had its hooks into us for a long time. A century ago there was "yellow journalism", promoting wars. The cold war was built largely on false narratives. Fifteen years ago "weapons of mass destruction" were promoted without evidence to justify an invasion of Iraq. Dirty tricks by our American CIA around the world go unreported, while assassinations and terror attacks are grossly distorted in the telling.
Criminal disinformation has made our world a much worse place. A great deal of suffering would be avoided if our news services would report truthfully and thoroughly.
Wikileaks is at the center of our present struggle to maintain an independent press. The charge against Assange are ludicrous. The process of seizing him was illegal on many counts. The threats and billion-dollar bribes used to induce the sovereign state of Ecuador to relinquish its sovereignty were a chilling precedent.
In the larger picture, the whole "fake news" meme is merely an excuse to clamp down on the independent journalism that is so much more effective for exposing corruption than the traditional news services.
But even if Assange is tortured or imprisoned for life, there are other brave and independent journalists who will take his place. More of the ugly secrets embarrassing to the most powerful forces on the earth will continue to leak out. There is nothing they can do to stop it.
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