The plea deal that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange reached with prosecutors is bad for American press freedom. But the outcome could have been even worse.
The deal, finalized Wednesday in a courtroom in a remote U.S. commonwealth in the western Pacific, cleared the way for him to walk free after more than five years in British custody, most of which he spent fighting extradition to the United States. In return, he pleaded guilty to a single count of violating the Espionage Act.
The result is an ambiguous ending to a legal saga that has compromised journalists’ ability to report on military, intelligence or diplomatic information that officials consider classified. The role of the free press in uncovering information beyond what those in power approve for release is enshrined in the First Amendment. This is a fundamental principle of American self-government.
