Coffee-spitting American journalism

Wikileaks has gotten hold of maybe a quarter million internal communications of the Syrian Assad government. The communications will be released over the coming months by the organization, and its spokesperson has emphasized that none of the actors on that stage are telling us the truth. The first batch is about an Italian firm that sold high-security communications equipment for use by the Syrian police.

This, from Jim Maceda of NBC news:

However, this release is striking in its broader, more neutral approach, without the trenchant ideology or politics associated with previous data sets.

Translation: It’s about one of our official enemies, and not about the United States government or its corporations. That makes it “neutral” and free of “ideology.”

Maceda is not aware of his ideological bias even as it is as plain as a football field-size American flag. The reason for his lack of self-awareness is easy to ascertain: It fits within the boundaries of American “journalism.” He blends so well that he doesn’t stand out. So he has no need to self-reflect.

The release is suspicious, as it is aimed at an American enemy at a time when the American government wants regime change in that country. It could be above board, but more likely, American agents facilitated the hack, and revelations about American activities will be sparse, just enough to confer legitimacy. That’s my suspicion.

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Julian Assange is apparently not involved in this release. He is being protected from extradition to Sweden in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. He claims that the Swedes are merely American agents seeking to deliver him here for imprisonment.

American journalists pooh-pooh this notion – the Washington Post wrote a sneering editorial calling Assange’s suspicions delusional, since

… no U.S. charges or extradition case are open against him is irrelevant to this fantasy.*

Of course, it would help it Post editorial writers would read the Washington Post, which reported on a leak of private intelligence firm Stratfor communications that the US already had a secret grand jury indictment of Assange ready to go upon his capture and incarceration here. And, of course, though the Post claims no US interest in Assange via Sweden, it does hold that it should impose sanctions in Ecuador if it shields Assange from … apparently, nothing. Does anyone there proofread this stuff?

All Sweden has ever had to do with Assange is question him, as they have not charged him with any crime. He has made himself available in Britain for that purpose, but the Swedes insist be be delivered to them cuffed. (Once questioned, he must be either charged or set free. If they have evidence to support charges, they should have no problem questioning him.) Assange’s attorneys have asked that Sweden guarantee that they will not extradite him to the US. They refused. They asked the American government to promise that they are not going to extradite Assange from Sweden. They refused.

Yes, Washington Post, Assange is having a fantasy.

American pundits have been doing potshot attacks on Assange ever since he broke the rules, and began to report on the US. We don’t do that here. But as journalist Merceda reminds us, it’s OK to report on Syria. That is “neutral.” And as the Washington Post exhibits daily, the crime of journalism is not common in this country.
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*More coffee-spitting verbiage from the Post:

…Mr. Correa’s campaign got a boost from WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who opened a sycophantic interview for a Russian state propaganda outlet…

An American government propaganda outlet is upset about rt.com? Priceless!