DoJ admits Assange case is doomed because WikiLeaks is a journalistic entity
Ever since WikiLeaks and its controversial leader Julian Assange first caught the eye of the U.S. Department of Justice several years ago, we and others — including NYU journalism professor Jay Rosen — have been arguing that the organization is effectively a journalistic entity, and therefore deserving of all the protections that the First Amendment and freedom of the press entail. Now it seems as though that message has finally gotten through to the DoJ.
According to a piece in the Washington Post that quotes unnamed officials close to the Obama administration, the department has decided not to pursue charges against Assange for releasing classified documents that were given to WikiLeaks because "government lawyers said they could not do so without also prosecuting U.S. news organizations and journalists." Justice officials apparently referred to this as their "New York Times" problem, according to the Post.
http://gigaom.com/2013/11/26/doj-admits-assange-case-is-doomed-because-wikileaks-is-a-journalistic-entity/
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