Episode 40: The Pathology of Government Secrecy, the Value of Wikileaks, and the Realities of Julian Assange's Case with Kevin Gosztola

The gravest threat to press freedom right now is the US government's attempt to prosecute Julian Assange. The work of Assange, and more broadly Wikileaks has been a great service to the world. Through their work, they  removed some of the cloud of secrecy that allows the most powerful figures in the US empire to commit crimes with immunity. Matt was joined by Kevin Gosztola to discuss the US persecution of Julian Assange, the value of Wikileaks and their revelations, and the plight of whistleblowers more broadly. Kevin is a Journalist who writes at Shadowproof. He is also the host of Dissenter Weekly and the Co-Host of the Unauthorized Disclosure podcast with Rhania Khalek Discussed in this Episode: Kevin's professional background and his interest in leaks and whistleblowers Wikileaks' origins and purpose Wikileaks greatest hits including the Afghan War logs, the Iraq War logs, the State department cables, the Guantanamo Files, and the Vault 7 leaks The realities current Julian Assange case, common misconceptions, and why everyone should be concerned about this grave threat to press freedom Kevin's thoughts about why so few journalists are covering this case, even as it could have major implications for their own journalism Our Work: Read our "In the Context of Empire" blog with corresponding and expanded posts to this content! Matt's related article concerning the recent history of Iran and the United States Social Media: Twitter- @JonTheContrary and  @Mattylongruns.