Blankfort interviews Prof. Ed Wasserman regarding his 4/27/19 op-ed in NY Times, âJulian Assange and the Woeful State of Whistle-Blowers,â in which Wasserman presents a nuanced view of Assange, noting that his faults make him âless a hero than a conundrumâ and faulting the media that once eagerly utilized what diplomatic secrets Wikileaks had received to win Pulitzer prizes âthat now find him distasteful.â
Wasserman points out the unfair treatment by the US of sources as compared to the legal protections afforded the journalists that use them and that, âfor all his sins, real and alleged, Julian Assange has been one of the most extraordinary sources of the new millennium.â
He also speaks about how more harshly the US treats sources, i.e. whistle-blowers than do America's allies, citing Edward Snowden, as an example, who was forced to seek asylum in Russia after exposing the NSA mass surveillance program, despite his revelations having been instrumental in implementing the law curbing it. And much more!