Bonum Certa Men Certa

Trial by Media and Revisionism

Video download link



Summary: A quick (unscripted) rebuttal to this awful article from Reuters, whose journalists were killed by the US government, which then lied about it (until Wikileaks exposed the truth)

SOME RECENT articles of ours spoke about the Assange verdict before and after the decision. The "Trial by Media" aspects, however, have rarely been addressed here. That's mostly because we try to focus on technology and patents, not politics and journalism which is politically-connected. We don't avoid politics because it's not important but because many sites out there already cover many facets of politics all around the world (we link to these in Daily Links) and we've never specialised in politics and laws, which vary across countries and cultures.



"Edward Snowden once explained that as the state (and corporations that feed the state) collects a lot of data on people it can construct false narratives and rewrite sequences of events in a way that embarrasses just about everything/everyone, giving it tremendous coercive power (public shame, private blackmail and so on)."The above video was done without preparation because nevertheless it's a subject that's easier for me to address, having watched Wikileaks since its early days (Wikileaks is almost the same age as Techrights, give or take a month/couple of months).

Weaponisation of the media is very interesting. A pattern we've long witnessed (one among many) is that the media will personify a subject or site, then attack/shoot the messenger. Infiltration tactics and provocateurs are another pattern, but they're separate from the character assassination tactics, which typically target leaders or perceived/potential leaders (charismatic outliers). It is done a lot by union-busting professionals and we've seen that at the EPO countless times.

Under the guise of "facts", corporate media (owned by plutocrats) is distorting the record of Wikileaks and paints Assange as some sort of perverse serial offender. This sort of narrative has been perpetuated for 10 years now, having been partly supported by misleading coverage that makes it seem like Assange is wanted for crimes against women as opposed to exposing war crimes, putting an empire at risk/peril (harder to run the world when someone airs some 'dirty laundry').

Wikileaks quotesWikileaks has published many leaks, ranging from business crimes to political crimes and war crimes. These publications came from many countries and have often led to accountability for the real criminals, not those who merely 'embarrassed' them by exposing their crimes.

The video may seem cluttered, my voice isn't benefiting from sub-zero temperatures (we never use the heating here), but it is attempting to explain -- from start to finish -- what's wrong with one of many articles (or so-called 'timelines') about Julian Assange. It's not so much about what they say but what they do not say and the way they frame/present things. Edward Snowden once explained that as the state (and corporations that feed the state) collects a lot of data on people it can construct false narratives and rewrite sequences of events in a way that embarrasses just about everything/everyone, giving it tremendous coercive power (public shame, private blackmail and so on).

Recent Techrights' Posts

Microsoft's Windows is a Niche Operating System in Africa
African nations aren't a large contributor to Microsoft's income, but if many African nations move away from Windows, then the monopoly is at risk
Gemini Links 19/06/2025: Unix Primitivism, Zine Club, and Gemini Protocol Turns 6 at Midnight
Links for the day
 
Mastodon and the Fediverse Have an Issue: Liability for Content (Even in Other Instances) and Costs
self-hosting is the only logical path forward
Why Microsoft and Its 'Hey Hi' (Slop) Frenzy Fail While Sinking in Deep, Growing Debt
Right now, like Twitter around the time it was sold to MElon, "open" "hey hi" is a big pile of debt with a lot to pay for that debt (interest payments)
Europe is Leaving Microsoft, the Press Coverage Isn't Sufficiently Helpful
The news is generally positive, but the press coverage leaves so much to be desired
Slopwatch: Linuxsecurity, BetaNews, and Linux Journal
slippery slope
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, June 19, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, June 19, 2025
Gemini Links 20/06/2025: Gemini Protocol Turns 6!
Links for the day
Links 19/06/2025: Ghostwriting Scam and Fentanylware (TikTok) Buying Time
Links for the day
Links 19/06/2025: WhatsApp Identified as Assassination 'Crosshairs', Patreon Now Rips Off People Even More
Links for the day
"Told You So": Another Very Large Wave of Microsoft Layoffs Now Confirmed in Mainstream Media
So we were right to believe the rumours, based on the credibility of prior such rumours
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, June 18, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Gemini Links 18/06/2025: Magit and Farming
Links for the day
Slopwatch: BetaNews is Now a Slopfarm (Like Linuxsecurity) and Google News is Overwhelmed by Slopfarms
The Web is bad
Links 18/06/2025: SCOTUS Decision on Fentanylware (TikTok) Still Ignored, 4.5-Day Work Weeks
Links for the day
Links 17/06/2025: Windows TCO and G7 Rifts
Links for the day
The Right to Know and the Freedom to Report on Crime (at the Higher Echelons)
I'd like to do the same thing for the next 20 years
BetaNews Appears to Have Fired All Of Its Staff
Even serial sloppers
After the Web Becomes Slopped to Death
A lot of people are rightly fed up with the "modern" Web
Gemini Protocol Turns 6 on Friday
Active (online) Gemini capsules are estimated by Lupa at over 3,000
Like Most Social Control Media, Microsoft LinkedIn is Collapsing
One reason for Microsoft acquisitions is debt-loading, i.e. offloading and burying its debt
Microsoft is Losing Its Richest Clients
Unlike some very poor countries, Germany and the EU are a considerable source of income to Microsoft
Proprietary Means Not Secure
Proprietary software tends to rely on secrecy, not good design
Slop in 'AI' Clothing is a Passing Fad, We'll Get Past It (Like Blockchain Before That)
Many people cheat in exams using slop and there are professionals that try using slop as a "shortcut"
GNOME Does Not Campaign Against Microsoft, KDE Does
It's good to see that KDE is still active in promotion of Free software - a term that it uses
Slopwatch: BetaNews, Linuxsecurity, and Other Prolific Slopfarms
name and shame the sites that establish such proliferation of slop
Gemini Links 18/06/2025: Birch Lake and Loon Pond
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, June 17, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, June 17, 2025