Silence About JULIAN ASSANGE Exposes Journalists HYPOCRISY
The Jimmy Dore Show (November 23, 2020)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CZ_U2-7IEE

Jimmy Dore: "going on there's a war on actual journalism. Not fake journalism like Jim Acosta, where you're being a jerk. there's a real journalist, Julian Assange, and people don't realize what Julian Assange -- I have to remind you what Julian Assange is being prosecuted for. Not for anything to do with the 2016 election or Russia or Trump. No. What is Julian Assange being prosecuted for? For revealing war crimes of the United States. That's what this is about. It's not about Russia. It's not about Wikileaks emails with the Trump campaign. Nothing. It's got nothing to do with that. This is about prosecuting Julian Assange for printing articles that expose war crimes."

[0:44] "Just like the government of the United States under Barack Obama tortured Chelsea Manning, over the same thing. They're doing the same thing to Julian Assange right now. So now they're prosecuting him. [shows screenshot]

"And the hearing is farcical. The way The Press is being prosecuted by governments and The Press won't even cover it. Why? Because The Press is owned by the oligarchs who are prosecuting him. The same people prosecuting him own the media. Why are they prosecuting him? Because he upsets The War Machine, which is worth trillions of dollars every year. They also own the news media. So that's why they're giving him horrible coverage." [shows and reads from screenshot]

[shows and reads from two more screenshots]

That's what's happening. The United States and the UK are violating their own laws to prosecute a journalist. And journalists aren't even fucking saying anything. That's how the United States gets into the position we're in. That's how I get to have a popular show. Because guys like Jake Tapper will never tell you the truth about Julian Assange and Wikileaks. Ever." [shows screenshot]

[2:33] Jimmy Dore: "That's when the BBC does this. So the entirety of Western media does complete smears of an actual journalist because the media is bought. And then someone from the BBC goes to interview the president of Azerbaijan and accuses them of not being fair and having fair and free press. Watch what happens:

Azerbaijan's President: "Why do you think that people in Azerbaijan do not have free media and opposition?"

BBC interviewer: "Because this is what I'm told by independent sources in this country."

Azerbaijan's President: "Which independent sources in this country?

BBC interviewer: "Many independent sources."

Azerbaijan's President: [laughing] "Tell me which."

BBC interviewer: "I certainly couldn't name sources.

Azerbaijan's President: "Oh, you couldn't name sources?"

[3:14] Jimmy Dore: "Let's stop. So she's accusing them of not having a free and independent press. And he says: 'Who tells you this?' And she goes: 'Sources." And [Azerbaijan's President adds]: "If you couldn't name [these sources], that means you're just inventing this story."

BBC interviewer:"So you're saying the media is not under state control?"

Azerbaijan's President:"Not at all. It is allowed."

[3:42] BBC interviewer: "I mean, NGOs are the subject of a crackdown. Journalists are the subject of a crackdown. Critics are injured. None of this is true?"

Azerbaijan's President: "Absolutely fake. Absolutely. We have free media. We have free Internet."

[3:55] Jimmy Dore: "Just so you know. Everything she just accused this guy of doing -- and I don't know if Azerbaijan, I don't know the inner workings of their country. Maybe he's doing that, maybe he's not -- I don't know. But I do know this. Everything she's acccusing him and his government of doing to journalists, the United States and UK have done. That's exactly what they're doing right now. That's exactly what Barack Obama did to journalists. He cracked down on critics of the government. That's what she's accusing Azerbaijan of doing right now. That's exactly what the United States did. and watch how he catches her."

Azerbaijan's President: "The number of internet users in Azerbaijan is more than 80%. Can you imagine the restriction of media in a country where Internet is free, there is no censorship under 80% of Internet users. This is, again, a biased approach. This is an attempt to create a perception in Western audiences about Azerbaijan. We have opposition. We have NGOs. We have free political activity. We have free media. We have freedom of speech. But if you raise this question, can I ask you also one?"

[5:11] "How do you assess what happened to Mr Assange? Is that a reflection of free media in your country? Let's talk about Assange. How many years did he spend in the Ecuadorian embassy? And for what? And where is he now? For journalistic activity. You kept that person hostage. Actually killing him. Morally and physically. You did it. Not us. And now he's in prison. So you have no moral right to talk about free media when you do these things."

[5:40] BBC interviewer: "Returning to the conflict."

Azerbaijan's President: "Yes. Better return to the conflict because this is not what you like. You like only to accuse. Only to attack."

Jimmy Dore: "Now, the point of this, of me showing you this, isn't to show you what a good guy he is, or what a great government they have in Azerbaijan. The point is to show you that the exact thing that the West accuses other people of doing, we have done in spades and are currently doing. The worst thing in the world. Prosecute and persecute journalists and critics of the government. That's what we do in the United States and Britain. That's what they do. That's what they do."

[6:36] "They got no leg to stand on. Do you understand that now? Do you understand how we can't call -- so when somebody in the United States calls Putin a thug for the way they treat journalists, you go: What? You guy's have been prosecuting journalists since forever. What are you doing to Julian Assange? Didn't you torture Chelsea Manning? What about all those whistleblowers that Barack Obama used the Espionage Act against. You don't want to talk about that. You want to talk about -- you got no moral leg to stand on to point the finger at Azerbaijan and the way we treat journalists. You guys are currently torturing a guy and trying to kill him. For doing journalism. And you're going to come to my country and tell us how we should do it?"

[7:40] Jimmy Dore: I want to go back to [an earlier screen shot] "Julian Assange: Campaigner or attention seeker." That's from the BBC. Yeah, totally. That's what this is all about. He wants attention. Can I just tell you? People who want attention start a podcast, or an instagram, or a Tic Toc. They don't spend years in prison, in solitary confinement for doing their jobs. But then, again, Julian Assange did defend a Royal Navy whistleblower who exposed security problems at Britain's Trident nuclear base. So I guess that's kind of a Tic Toc."

[8:26] "You've heard of 'shoot the messenger'? The Julian Assange case is imprisoning the messenger, torturing the messenger, smearing the messenger so the public isn't outraged, and then make the messenger vulnerable to Covid."

[[9:17] Jimmy Dore: "The NFL players stood up for Colin Kaepernick more than journalists are standing up for Julian Assange. And nobody put Colin Kaepernick in solitary confinement. The corporate media's complicity around Julian Assange proves that they will be complicit in covering [up] anything for the elite. Anything. It's a sad state of affairs when those who steal from the working-class get rewarded, and those who publish things to expose the get put in jail."

[10:05] "So, it's just, here we are. This is totally about Julian Assange wanting attention.

[replays video of Azerbaijan's President schooling BBC interviewer about press freedom]

Jimmy Dore: "That's what happens when the BBC tries to point the finger at another country's leader about the way they deal with the press. How easy it is to humiliate and embarrass a western journalist. How easy it is. It's super easy. I do it here on a daily basis. How easy is it to do a better job than a Western journalist? Super easy. Even the ones who are the good journalists are willing to do propaganda at the drop of a fucking hat.

[11:57] "Guys like Glenn Greenwald have the guts to walk away from a cushy job to tell the truth, to not be part of censorship in the aid of the oligarchs. And, of course the YouTube shows that screamed the loudest Russia-gate which made the censorship environment possible are, I'm going to guess, wrong about Glenn Greenwald. I'm going to guess. Thanks for the lane, I guess. It would be nicer if we had allies fighting on the Left, but the people who consider themselves on the Left, if you side with the Intercept over Glenn Greenwald and you're a Russia-gater and you attack Trump from the Right, I've got news for you. You're not on the Left. You're not on the Left. I've got news for you. You might say you are, but your actions betray you. You're a right-winger when it comes to foreign policy. You're a right-winger when it comes to freedom of the press. You're a right winger when it comes to censorship. You're a right-winger when it comes to the Democratic party. You're for them. They're a right-wing party. You're a bunch of fucking right-wingers. It's easy to out-Left those people. I do it on a daily basis over here. That's why we get a lot of hate. Because whenever you out-Left someone, [you] drive some fucking nuts. And, of course, we do it in a more entertaining way than they do."

[13:38] Steph Zamorano: "This is from Action for Assange. 'Thank you for covering Julian Assange's extraordinary rendition. The judge concierge, the state department, is scheduled to rule on his extradition January 4th. Soon we'll be announcing our protest plans for January 3rd and 4th. Keep it up.'

"Thank you, and keep us informed about those actions. We really appreciate you. Thank you so much."