When Chicago Tribune publisher, Col. McCormick, played Julian Assange to FDR

 

When Chicago Tribune publisher, Col. McCormick, played Julian Assange to FDR

It didn’t take long for the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board to weigh in on Julian Assange’s guilty plea for violating US espionage laws, getting a stiff sentence, then being released for time served awaiting extradition to America for trial.

This is a critically important issue concerning free speech, protected journalism and need for the public to be informed on matters of war and peace. But the Chicago Tribune’s editorial ‘Julian Assange is going home to Australia. Good. And good riddance.’ failed to address all those concerns. Instead, it was a masterful exposition of character assassination, refusal to address the US foreign policy mendacity Assange exposed, and a reprehensible abandonment on its role as guardian of protected journalism.

The character assassination started early and continued thruout. The Trib accuses Assange of “sleaziness.” for youthful hacking activities as if that has any relevance to exposing American war crimes in Iraq and compulsive lying  about our unnecessary, failed war in Afghanistan.

Regarding a very suspicious Swedish sexual assault charge that conveniently surfaced when Assange’s war crimes revelations brought America extreme embarrassment, the Trib saw fit to characterize that Assange “famously claimed asylum, rarely took showers, and holed himself up with his cat.” Not satisfied with Assange cuddling with his cat while stinking, the Trib informs us that his asylum included visits by Pamela Anderson and Lady Gaga. Nice tawdry touch, Trib.

The Trib strongly implies Assange released those classified US documents, not to expose secrets of war crimes and extending endless senseless war, but simply in furtherance of his being “a lousy vessel for his own agendas”. The Trib does not even mention the explosive revelations concerning those wars which needlessly killed over 5,000 Americans, hundreds of thousands of Afghans and Iraqis, and tuned both countries into failed states. That would be akin on the Trib editorializing on Daniel Ellsberg’s 1971 revelations without mentioning the Pentagon Papers.

But it’s the Trib’s abandonment of supporting the journalistic profession that is most troubling. To do that, the Trib had to attack the journalistic messenger who simply uses different journalistic tools than the Trib to provide the public the information it requires to push back when our government lies and propagandizes us to engage in unnecessary wars.

A free press depends on leaked secret information to reveal the truth about government wrongdoing the publication of which has never been punished till Julian Assange angered Uncle Sam. That it's never punished is not out of government reverence for a free press but simple expediency. The US government doesn't want to frog march revered NY Times, Washington Post or Chicago Tribune publishers into federal court.

Hold the presses. Back in 1942, FDR tried to do just that to Col. Robert McCormick and his 'World's Greatest Newspaper' the Chicago Tribune. Col. McCormick used purloined classified Navy information on Japanese plans to attack Midway in his June 7, 1942, page one scoop 'Navy had word on Jap plan to strike at sea', while the Battle of Midway was still raging. The article strongly implied the US had broken the Japanese code to get that critical info, a leak the Navy feared jeopardized future code breaking revelations. FDR threatened to send in the Marines to occupy the Tribune Tower. He ordered the Navy to convene a federal Grand Jury to consider espionage charges against the Trib reporter, editor and the Colonel himself. The Trib escaped prosecution when the military decided that further state secrets would likely be revealed in prosecuting the offending exemplars of the free press and responsible journalism.

McCormick lived another thirteen years to rail editorially against his bete noir FDR and his hated New Deal. Maybe if Col. McCormick could be granted another reprieve, this time for an earthly visit to the Trib Editorial Board, he might remind them that "What's good for the journalist McCormick...is good for the journalist Assange".

Walt Zlotow

West Suburban Peace Coalition

Glen Ellyn IL