I: Mr Assange
A: Julian, please…
I: Julian, what does the future hold for you?
A: We’ll have to wait and see. We always thought that the conditions circumscribing our work would become tougher and we have been making preparations for that for a long time.
I: Amongst other things you wanted to show that the US government is keeping certain truths from its people. Are you satisfied?
A: There has been a large echo in the media.
I: You wanted to hit the US government with respect to their morality. Now, the complaints and accusations from the international arrest warrant are aiming in the same direction.
A: We have accomplished a great deal.
I: How do you explain that the so-called whistle-blowers trust you and avoid the traditional print media?
A: The major newspapers have an important task. Through the material they publish, they demonstrate that freedom of opinion is more important than other considerations: How was the data obtained? Is the material secret and is its publication prohibited?
I: It is striking, however, that there were hardly any such indiscretions before Wikileaks came on the scene.
A: The editors of a daily newspaper can’t always act as they would like to. It also depends on the publishers.
I: …who tend to be conformist, who maintains a modus vivendi (consensual cooperation, author’s note) with the authorities?
A: I don’t want to say any more on that topic.
I: When Wikileaks came on the scene, the print media had to take action. They had to publish the offered material to show that they too defend freedom of opinion?
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© 2011 Hans-Jürgen John