Inaugural Session for the batch of 2024-2025. 'Julian Assange & Wikileaks: a new paradigm of journalism' In conversation: N. Ram & Sashi Kumar on July 01, 2024

The inaugural event of the Media Perspectives course at the Asian College of Journalism, for the class of 2025, was a discussion on the recent developments in Wikileaks founder Julian Assange’s case, and led by veteran journalists N Ram and Sashi Kumar.

The topic ‘Julian Assange and Wikileaks: A new paradigm of journalism’ discussed the important events in Assange’s incarceration as he was tried for various charges, including espionage by the US government, till his release following a plea deal with them last week.

Noting that Assange considered himself an ethical hacker, N Ram recounted his experiences of interviewing him during his stay at Ellingham Hall and the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. ‘He lost 14 years of his freedom,’ emphasized N Ram while detailing the constrained conditions of his stay in the Ecuadorian embassy, seeking asylum and evading arrest by the UK police. N Ram also spoke about The Hindu’s experiences of publishing sensitive documents as part of the India cables, given by Wikileaks, in its investigative work.  The session also included discussions on other investigations conducted by The Hindu in the Bofors and Rafale deal.