Audacy promotes Jeff Sottolano to chief programming officer from EVP and head of programming; he'll be responsible for content on radio stations and podcasts (Adam Jacobson/Radio & Television ...)

Mediagazer: Audacy promotes Jeff Sottolano to chief programming officer from EVP and head of programming; he'll be responsible for content on radio stations and podcasts (Adam Jacobson/Radio & Television …)

Top News:

Reuters:

SCOTUS declines to impose limits on the way Biden administration may communicate with social media platforms in the First Amendment case of Murthy v. Missouri— The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Wednesday to impose limits on the way President Joe Biden's administration may communicate …
Discussion: Variety, The Verge, MediaPost, Fast Company, Reason, SiliconANGLE, Ars Technica, @hugolowell, @ronfilipkowski, The Daily Beast, WHDH-TV, Slate, New Republic, @mjs_dc, Bloomberg, @mjs_dc, New York Times, Deadline, @repdanbishop, @ericgeller, Forbes, @karaswisher, Free Press, Washington Post, @mjs_dc, Los Angeles Times, STAT, The Wrap, Semafor, @brandyzadrozny, @willoremus, @drjbhattacharya, @mjs_dc, NBC News, @joshsorbe, @rebeccamkern, @frankfigliuzzi1, @mtaibbi, Engadget, Wall Street Journal, Reclaim The Net, Fox News and Washington Examiner, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Todd Spangler /
Variety: Supreme Court Strikes Down Republican Challenge to Biden Administration's Efforts Urging Social Media Platforms to Remove Disinformation

Lauren Feiner /
The Verge: SCOTUS: White House can keep yelling at Facebook about covid misinfo, for now

Wendy Davis /
MediaPost: SCOTUS Scraps Restrictions On Biden Admin's Communications With Social Platforms

Issie Lapowsky /
Fast Company: The Supreme Court sides with Biden administration in social media ‘jawboning’ case

Will Baude /
Reason: The Lack of Standing in Murthy v. Missouri

Maria Deutscher /
SiliconANGLE: Supreme Court rules US officials can continue communicating with social media companies

Ashley Belanger /
Ars Technica: SCOTUS nixes injunction that limited Biden admin contacts with social networks

Ron Filipkowski /
@ronfilipkowski: So, the whole ‘Twitter Files’ hoopla resulted in two clown show hearings with Jim Jordan that resulted in nothing, the main investigative journalist getting blocked by Musk after he hired him, he then quit the platform, now the Supreme Court tossed the lawsuits. Nice work.

Jay Michaelson /
The Daily Beast: Supreme Court to MAGA: Your Social Media Conspiracy Dreams Are Bunk

Dakota Antelman /
WHDH-TV: Supreme Court allows White House to press social media companies to remove disinformation

Mark Joseph Stern /
Slate: The Supreme Court Gave Biden a Chance to Fight Disinformation. It's Too Little, Too Late.

Mark Joseph Stern /
@mjs_dc: Alito dissents, joined by Thomas and Gorsuch. He calls it “one of the most important free speech cases to reach this Court in years” and embraces the lower courts' claim that the Biden administration censored users of social media companies by promoting removal of disinformation.

Mark Joseph Stern /
@mjs_dc: Justice Barrett's opinion has sharp words for both the 5th Circuit and Trump Judge Terry Doughty, who imposed the original “sweeping” injunction. Barrett says many of Doughty's factual findings “unfortunately appear to be clearly erroneous.” https://www.supremecourt.gov/ ... [image]

Adam Liptak /
New York Times: Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Biden Administration's Contacts With Social Media Companies

Ted Johnson /
Deadline: Supreme Court Sides With White House In Case Challenging Government Efforts To Curb Social Media Disinformation

Rep. Dan Bishop /
@repdanbishop: Alito's dissent is spot-on. The doctrine of standing is necessary to keep the judiciary within its bounds. Here, it constrains SCOTUS to leave unaddressed “arguably the most massive attack on free speech in US history.” That means it falls to Congress and the President to stop [image]

Eric Geller /
@ericgeller: This win for the Biden administration will likely come as a huge relief to the FBI and CISA, as it dispels a shadow that had gathered over the agencies' work to combat election misinformation. We might see tech companies open back up to this kind of collaboration now.

Alison Durkee /
Forbes: Supreme Court Won't Stop Biden Administration From Working With Social Media Companies

Kara Swisher /
@karaswisher: Correct decision. The GOP has lost the narrative here: Supreme Court allows White House contacts with social media firms https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...

Amy Kroin /
Free Press: Supreme Court Ruling on Social Media Affirms the First Amendment and the Government's Responsibility …

Mark Joseph Stern /
@mjs_dc: The Supreme Court's first decision of the day is Murthy v. Missouri, the social media “jawboning” case. By a 6-3 vote, the court holds that the plaintiffs lack standing. Big win for the Biden administration. Another loss for the 5th Circuit. https://www.supremecourt.gov/ ... [image]

David G. Savage /
Los Angeles Times: Supreme Court dismisses Republican suit claiming Biden officials censored social media

Sarah Owermohle /
STAT: Supreme Court rejects challenge to Biden's use of bully pulpit to fight Covid misinformation

Natalie Korach /
The Wrap: Supreme Court Rules Feds' ‘Misinformation’ Talks With Social Media Platforms Did Not Violate First Amendment

Caroline Anders /
Semafor: US Supreme Court rules in favor of government in social media jawboning case

Brandy Zadrozny /
@brandyzadrozny: Alito argues in the dissent that the federal government's coercive social media censorship campaign was just so sophisticated and its threats so subtle ... it's almost as if there never was a government conspiracy to censor people in the first place. https://www.supremecourt.gov/ ... [image]

Will Oremus /
@willoremus: SCOTUS rules in the social media “jawboning” case to re-allow contacts between Biden admin and tech firms, overturning a lower court. Notably, they ruled the plaintiffs lacked standing, rather than deciding on merits. Live blog w/ reactions & analysis: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...

Jay Bhattacharya /
@drjbhattacharya: The Supreme Court just ruled in the Murthy v. Missouri case that the Biden Administration can coerce social media companies to censor and shadowban people and posts it doesn't like. Congress will now need to act to enforce the Constitution since the Sup. Ct. won't.

Mark Joseph Stern /
@mjs_dc: Here is Barrett listing a bunch of mistakes that Trump Judge Terry Doughty made in his notorious July 4 opinion of last year banning millions of federal employees from “encouraging” social media companies to moderate any content. https://www.supremecourt.gov/ ... [image]

Lawrence Hurley /
NBC News: Supreme Court tosses out claim Biden administration coerced social media companies to remove content

Josh Sorbe /
@joshsorbe: Justice Barrett saying “I don't care about your rebrand, Elon” LOLOL [image]

Rebecca Kern /
@rebeccamkern: Cool to see my @politico reporting cited in the Supreme Court dissent to Murthy v Missouri decision today - https://www.politico.com/... [image]

Frank Figliuzzi /
@frankfigliuzzi1: This is a win for national security and a loss for adversaries posting disinformation and propaganda: Supreme Court allows White House to press social media companies to remove disinformation | CNN Politics https://www.cnn.com/...

Matt Taibbi /
@mtaibbi: Well, this massively sucks, not that it was unexpected. Buckle up for Big Brother, folks https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

Karissa Bell /
Engadget: Supreme Court ruling may allow officials to coordinate with social platforms again

Jan Wolfe /
Wall Street Journal: Supreme Court Rules for Biden Administration in Covid-Era Speech Case

Dan Frieth /
Reclaim The Net: Supreme Court Sides With Biden Administration Over Accusations of Social Media Censorship Pressure

Wall Street Journal:

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich appears in a Russian Court for the start of his closed-door trial on espionage charges, which he denies— Proceedings lack due process, at a time of heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow — Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich appeared …

Discussion:
Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, CNN, The Hill, Associated Press, Reporters Without Borders, The Daily Beast, @maxseddon, Paul Berger on LinkedIn, Mediaite, Fox News, Newser, Al Jazeera, New York Times, Politico, Al Jazeera, Financial Times, Semafor, Committee to Protect …, CBS News, Talking Biz News and Voice of America

Discussion:

Francesca Ebel /
Washington Post: Closed-door espionage trial of U.S. journalist kicks off in Russia Reporters Without Borders: Evan Gershkovich trial moves forward despite lack of evidence supporting Russian espionage charges

Max Seddon /
@maxseddon: Evan Gershkovich's trial has begun in secret in Ekaterinburg, the city where Russia's FSB arrested him last year. Beyond surreal to see Evan, a superb journalist, in the defendant's glass cage on these ludicrous charges, for which Russia has not provided any evidence. [video]

Paul Berger /
Paul Berger on LinkedIn: “When his case comes before a judge this week, it will not be a trial as we understand it, with a presumption of innocence and a search for the truth. …

Isaac Schorr /
Mediaite: Trump Observes Start of Evan Gershovich Trial in Russia By Preemptively Boasting That He Will Free the WSJ Reporter: ‘Fear Not, Evan’

Kate Seamons /
Newser: The Secret Trial of Evan Gershkovich Has Begun

Virginia Pietromarchi /
Al Jazeera: Russia starts US journalist Evan Gershkovich's trial: What's next for him? Financial Times: Live news: Russia-held journalist Evan Gershkovich appears in court on espionage charges Committee to Protect Journalists: US journalist Evan Gershkovich faces 20-year sentence as trial begins in Russia

Chris Roush /
Talking Biz News: Closed-door trial of WSJ's Gershkovich begins

Financial Times:

Sources: YouTube is in talks with Sony, Warner, and Universal to license their songs for AI music generation tools coming in 2024 that mimic artists' music— Licensing negotiations come as music industry wrestles with legal and creative impact of artificial intelligence

Discussion:
The Information, Music Business Worldwide, @annaknicolaou and Media Play News, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Sahil Patel /
The Information: YouTube Is Reportedly in Talks with Record Labels to License Music for New AI Tools

Daniel Tencer /
Music Business Worldwide: YouTube in talks with Sony, Universal, Warner to license music for AI tools (report)

Anna Nicolaou /
@annaknicolaou: scoop: Youtube is offering music labels lump sums of cash to get more artists to allow their songs to train AI. currently, only a handful of artists have signed on to an earlier test phase, including Charli XCX. Youtube wants to expand this to dozens of artists. more here: [image]

Erik Gruenwedel /
Media Play News: YouTube Reportedly in Talks With Record Labels to License Songs for A.I.

The Hollywood Reporter:

Dish offers customers who sign up for a two-year contract a new bundle with Netflix's ad-supported tier for free, or its ad-free tiers at a $7/month discount— The satellite TV company is giving its customers access to Netflix's ad-supported tier at no cost, or its ad-free tiers at a discount.

Discussion:
Variety, Next TV, The Desk and About DISH

Discussion:

Todd Spangler /
Variety: Dish Bundles Netflix for Free With New Two-Year Offer

Vanity Fair:

Will Lewis should be held accountable as a powerful executive and not simply seen through a parochial US lens that views UK journalists as having lax ethics— Will Lewis's ethical imbroglio has led to caricatures of British editors. But the Washington Post publisher should be held accountable …

Discussion:
MediaPost, The Daily Beast, @bgrueskin, @jon_allsop, @mlcalderone, TVNewsCheck and Financial Times

Discussion:

Ray Schultz /
MediaPost: Will Lewis Saga Continues With A New Allegation And A Newsletter Suspension

Harry Lambert /
The Daily Beast: Cop: Jeff Bezos' WaPo CEO Deceived Police, Framed U.K. Prime Minister

Bill Grueskin /
@bgrueskin: “Swap in Fox News on the US side of the equation and the BBC on the other, and suddenly the US is the country that appears to have the ethics problem.” https://www.vanityfair.com/...

Jon Allsop /
@jon_allsop: Delighted to be asked to share some further thoughts on this for @VanityFair. With links to good stuff by @jamesrbuk and @TomMcTague, among others. https://www.vanityfair.com/...

Michael Calderone /
@mlcalderone: The view from London: @Jon_Allsop on the moral panic around the “British Invasion” of US newsrooms https://www.vanityfair.com/...

Financial Times:

Independent film company A24 raised $100M led by Josh Kushner's Thrive Entertainment at a $3.5B valuation, up 40% from its first fundraising in 2022— The movie house that produced ‘Uncut Gems’, ‘Lady Bird’ and other critical hits is suddenly a favourite with investors too

Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, IndieWire, The Information, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, The Wrap, @kateclarktweets and Deadline

Discussion:

Samantha Masunaga /
Los Angeles Times: A24 valuation jumps to $3.5 billion with new funding round

Jennifer Maas /
Variety: A24 Raises Funding Round Led by Josh Kushner's Thrive Capital, Valuing Studio at $3.5 Billion

Lucas Manfredi /
The Wrap: A24 Raises New Funding Led by Josh Kushner's Thrive Capital

Kate Clark /
@kateclarktweets: New: Thrive Capital invests in film studio A24. Josh Kushner is joining the board. https://www.theinformation.com/ ...

The Verge:

NBCU says an AI-generated voice of legendary sportscaster Al Michaels is going to give daily, personalized recaps of the Paris Olympics on its streamer Peacock— Legendary sportscaster Al Michaels is going to give daily, personalized recaps of the Paris Olympics on Peacock — well, an AI-generated Al Michaels voice will.

Discussion:
CNN, The Hollywood Reporter, New York Times, NBCSports.com, Awful Announcing, The Wrap, TVLine, Variety, Forbes, al.com, USA Today, TVNewsCheck, Los Angeles Times, Deadline, CNET, Engadget, TechRadar, Vanity Fair, @tomkludt, @nestruck, Cord Cutters News, @brandonmillman, @craighorlbeck and Digital Trends, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Samantha Murphy Kelly /
CNN: NBC to use AI version of announcer Al Michaels' voice for Olympics recaps

Alex Weprin /
The Hollywood Reporter: NBC Brings A.I. Al Michaels to Peacock for Customized Paris Olympics Recaps

John Koblin /
New York Times: Now Narrating the Olympics: A.I.-Al Michaels NBCSports.com: PEACOCK UNVEILS PERSONALIZED OLYMPIC RECAPS FEATURING THE VOICE OF LEGENDARY SPORTS ANNOUNCER AL MICHAELS GENERATED WITH A.I.

Joe Lucia /
Awful Announcing: An AI recreation of Al Michaels' voice will be part of Peacock's Olympics coverage

Matt Webb Mitovich /
TVLine: Olympics: Peacock to Offer Personalized Daily Recaps Featuring A.I.-Generated Voice of Al Michaels

Brian Steinberg /
Variety: AI-Generated Version of Al Michaels' Voice Will Deliver NBC's Paris Olympics Recaps

Brian Bushard /
Forbes: A.I. Al Michaels? NBC Will Use Legendary Broadcaster's A.I.-Generated Voice For Paris Olympics

Robert Zeglinski /
USA Today: NBC will use A.I. Al Michaels for Olympic recaps and the video example is, as he said, ‘frightening’

Brian Steinberg /
TVNewsCheck: AI-Generated Version Of Al Michaels' Voice Will Deliver NBC's Paris Olympics Recaps

Stephen Battaglio /
Los Angeles Times: Al Michaels returns to the Olympics — as the AI voice of Peacock

Dade Hayes /
Deadline: NBCUniversal Believes In A.I. Miracles, Sets Tech-Assisted Al Michaels As Virtual Host Of Daily Paris Olympics Recaps On Peacock

Eli Blumenthal /
CNET: Peacock Will Use an AI Version of Al Michaels To Create Personalized Olympic Recaps

Will Shanklin /
Engadget: Welcome to the future, where AI-generated Al Michaels reads you personalized Olympic recaps

Jacob Krol /
TechRadar: Peacock subscribers will soon have custom Olympic updates delivered by an AI version of an iconic broadcaster

Tom Kludt /
Vanity Fair: “It Was Astonishing”: How NBC Convinced Al Michaels to Embrace His AI Voice for Olympics Coverage

Tom Kludt /
@tomkludt: NEW: NBC is recreating Al Michaels' voice using A.I. for this summer's Olympics coverage. I talked to Michaels, who was skeptical but gave the project his blessing: “Frankly, it was astonishing. It was amazing. And it was a little bit frightening.” https://www.vanityfair.com/...

J. Kelly Nestruck /
@nestruck: Every time I see an article about an Al these days, I think it's about AI. As it happens, this one is about an Al and AI.

Luke Bouma /
Cord Cutters News: Peacock Will Use AI-Powered Announcers Using The Voice of Al Michaels For The Olympics

Brandon Millman /
@brandonmillman: I'm sorry... what? Today in “Things Absolutely Nobody Is Asking For In Any Capacity, Ever.”

Craig Horlbeck /
@craighorlbeck: I'm nearing old man yells at cloud territory but this is the most nauseating use of AI. Michaels is so deep in his cashing checks era that he's going to kickstart the AI broadcasting takeover. Who needs this! At least call him “A.I. Michaels”. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...

Phil Nickinson /
Digital Trends: AI-powered Al Michaels will provide daily recaps from the Paris Olympics

Nieman Lab:

Q&A with Melody Kramer about the Triangle Blog Blog, a progressive all-volunteer group blog she founded covering civics and news in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, NC— To what extent can, and can't, a well-researched progressive civics blog serve as local news?

Discussion:
@localnewsini

Discussion:

The Keyword:

An overview of China's Dragonbridge multiyear disinfo campaign that uses AI-generated content and spans several social networks to target geopolitical rivals— The most prolific PRC-linked influence operator continues to lean into US social wedge issues, Taiwan and major news events …

Discussion:
SC Media, SiliconANGLE, @billyleonard, @mel_lombardi, Gianluca Varisco on LinkedIn and @royalhansen, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Shaun Nichols /
SC Media: Google details nightmare whack-a-mole scenario with Dragonbridge disinfo campaign

Duncan Riley /
SiliconANGLE: Google intensifies efforts against wide-reaching China-linked influence operation

Billy Leonard /
@billyleonard: 🔥 new research and analysis from @Google TAGs @AZakButler on the most prolific 🇨🇳 IO actor, DRAGONBRIDGE 🐉🌉 a short 🧵 https://blog.google/...

Melanie Lombardi /
@mel_lombardi: This year in Q1, @Google TAG has disrupted 10,000+ instances of activity from the Chinese linked DRAGONBRIDGE influence network. Read more in TAG's new blog: https://blog.google/...

Gianluca Varisco /
Gianluca Varisco on LinkedIn: Today we are sharing updated insights about DRAGONBRIDGE, the most prolific IO actor Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) tracks. … @royalhansen: Great update from @google TAG's Zak Butler on the Chinese linked DRAGONBRIDGE influence operation + how we've continued to track pursuits, techniques + engagement. In Q1, @Google disrupted 10,000+ instances of activity, read more about those details here: https://blog.google/...

Radio & Television Business Report:

Audacy promotes Jeff Sottolano to chief programming officer from EVP and head of programming; he'll be responsible for content on radio stations and podcasts— Thanks to a new deal that sees him agreeing to a multi-year contract extension, the individual who has served as Executive Vice President …

Discussion:
Inside Radio

Reuters:

Seven content-licensing sellers of music, image, and other AI training datasets form the Dataset Providers Alliance to advocate for “ethical data sourcing”— OkSeven content-licensing sellers of music, image, video and other datasets for use in training artificial intelligence systems …

Discussion:
Alex Bestall on LinkedIn and Android Headlines, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Alex Bestall /
Alex Bestall on LinkedIn: Proud to be launching the Dataset Providers Alliance (DPA) today! — The DPA brings together an international group of dataset providers …

Columbia Journalism Review:

Nonresponses from sources to requests for comment in news stories are rife, and growing rapidly; some PR reps defend the silence, depending on circumstances— As the author of CNN.com's daily newsletter about the news and entertainment industries, Oliver Darcy regularly reports …

Discussion:

Ben Deutsch /
Ben Deutsch on LinkedIn: Rarely in my days a company spokesperson did a media call go unreturned. Thankfully I had mentors like Rob Baskin who taught me the importance of engagement, the foundation of good media relations. …

C. Mark Brinkley /
C. Mark Brinkley on LinkedIn: This knife cuts both ways. Do you know how often I read stories about our aircraft where no one even attempted to ask me to comment? Daily. …

Daniel McFadden /
Daniel McFadden on LinkedIn: This is a bad trend. As a spokesperson, you should consider it an obligation to engage with the press regardless of the story. … @rachelmlenzi: “Aside from a potential loss of accuracy, there's a more fundamental issue in all the DNRRCs: Can a story really be fair, or at least complete, without a principal subject's perspective and comment?”

Joseph O'Sullivan /
@olympiajoe: A Nexis database search of hundreds of news sources for the term “did not respond to a request for comment” returned 728 mentions in May 2014. The same search for May 2019 produced 1,590 hits. In May of this year, the number had grown to 3,616...

Aries Dela Cruz /
@adelacruznyc: Oh glad they pointed this out at the end: “There are, of course, simple logistical reasons why spokespeople don't return calls to reporters...One is that the sheer volume of requests can overwhelm recipients. Another is that requests sometimes arrive after business hours, or

Aaron Blake /
@aaronblake: Among the many Trump effects. Used to be that not defending yourself was viewed as meaning you *couldn't* defend yourself (at least more so than today). Trump camp routinely wouldn't respond, just shouting “fake news,” and now pols/others try to follow suit.

John McPhee /
@halijohnmcphee: Often followed by a vague statement alleging inaccuracies in the published piece.

Jason Alderman /
@jbalderman: Excellent piece by the always insightful Paul Farhi. BUT he misses the biggest reason I deploy the tactic of not responding in difficult circumstances: it plays better. “Did not respond” is 10x better than “non comment” and 2x better than corporate pablum.

Corbin Bolies /
@corbinbolies: almost wish i could use “DNRRC” in my stories from now on, courtesy of this great piece @floorcharts: Good moment for a throwback to when @sarahwhitmire and I ran a regular Tumblr on this as part of our journalism gigs @publicintegrity https://couldntbereached.tumblr.com/

Robert Fisher /
@rf_journo: The comment toward the end from the PRSA is telling. “Working together is really important.” This connotes that reporters & companies are in partnership to craft a cohesive message. Very much not the case. Esp where it's a sensitive matter & no reply is received.

Associated Press:

Julian Assange pleads guilty to a conspiracy charge as part of a deal with the US, letting him go free after spending five years in a British prison— A plane believed to be carrying WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange arrived in Bangkok on Tuesday. Assange will plead guilty to a felony charge …

Discussion:
@wikileaks, Gizmodo, ComingSoon.net, @stella_assange, The Guardian, ABC7, @thomasreporting, NPR, Reuters, Mediaite, @thomasreporting, The Register, New York Times, Irish Examiner, US District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, Fox News, Engadget, @jimwaterson, @robertkennedyjr, @jamesrbuk, @jack, @jamesrbuk, @jeffjarvis, @jeremyscahill, Dr. John Bruni on LinkedIn, Washington Post, New York Times, Fox News, Associated Press, ABC News, BBC, Semafor, CBS News, The Hill, Vanity Fair, Bloomberg.com, The Atlantic, Committee to Protect …, Ars Technica, ScheerPost.com, The Reporters Committee …, @mbrauchli@threads.net, @naughtfollowers@threads.net, The Intercept, The i Paper, 9to5Mac and Al Jazeera

Discussion:
@wikileaks: JULIAN ASSANGE IS FREE Julian Assange is free. He left Belmarsh maximum security prison on the morning of 24 June, after having spent 1901 days there. He was granted bail by the High Court in London and was released at Stansted airport during the afternoon, where he boarded a

Matt Novak /
Gizmodo: Julian Assange Receives $500,000 Bitcoin Donation as He Officially Becomes a Free Man

Nikita Mahato /
ComingSoon.net: Julian Assange's Oldest Son: Who Is Daniel Assange? @stella_assange: Julian is free!!!! Words cannot express our immense gratitude to YOU- yes YOU, who have all mobilised for years and years to make this come true. THANK YOU. tHANK YOU. THANK YOU. Follow @WikiLeaks for more info soon... [video]

Helen Davidson /
The Guardian: Julian Assange walks free after pleading guilty to US espionage charge in Saipan court

Thomas Mangloña II /
@thomasreporting: @kuamnews Assange Atty said, “I think the court is aware that Mr. Assange has already suffered significant consequences including as we discussed his time in Belmarsh..we believe...no further incarceration is warranted and sentence for time served is appropriate.”

Carrie Johnson /
NPR: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange strikes plea deal with the U.S.

David Gilmour /
Mediaite: WATCH: Wikileaks' Julian Assange Reunited With Wife On Arrival In Australia After Accepting Plea Deal

Thomas Mangloña II /
@thomasreporting: Assange added in Saipan court, “ I believe the First Amendment and the Espionage Act are in contradiction with each other but I accept that it would be difficult to win such a case given all these circumstances.”

Thomas Mangloña II /
@thomasreporting: Judge asked Assange what Assange did to constitute crime charged: “Working as a journalist I encouraged my source to provide information that was said to be classified in order to publish that information. I believe that the First Amendment protected that activity... ”

Simon Sharwood /
The Register: Julian Assange pleads guilty, leaves courtroom a free man

Minwoo Park /
Irish Examiner: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange heads to Australia after US guilty plea US District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands: General Allegations — Conspiracy To Obtain and Disclose National Defense Information ) ) …

Jim Waterson /
@jimwaterson: All international news stories eventually become Flight Radar stories. Looks as though news organisations still have a few hours to get someone to the Northern Mariana Islands. https://fr24.com/... [image]

Robert F. Kennedy Jr /
@robertkennedyjr: Julian Assange struck a plea deal and will go free! I am overjoyed. He's a generational hero. The bad news is that he had to plea guilty to conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense info. Which means the US security state succeeded in criminalizing journalism and

James Ball /
@jamesrbuk: The practical choice Assange faced after years in jail and years in the embassy before it was to take a ‘bad’ deal or face trial and detention in the USA. For the US, this was a chance to save face given Assange's sentence would likely be shorter than time served.

James Ball /
@jamesrbuk: Many journalists - myself included - and many who are no fans of Assange said the prosecution was a risk to press freedom. A plea deal doesn't change that, and is something Assange would only agree through sheer necessity. @jeffjarvis: A proper outcome involving a difficult case and person, I think: Julian Assange expected to plead guilty to US charge in deal that could end his imprisonment - court filing https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

Jeremy Scahill /
@jeremyscahill: Julian Assange has finally been freed. Until yesterday, there was a strong possibility he would have died in prison and this deal no doubt will anger some very powerful people. He shouldn't have had to plead to any charges but nonetheless his liberation is a moment to celebrate.

Dr. John Bruni /
Dr. John Bruni on LinkedIn: Whatever you think of #JulianAssange, ALL Australian nationals caught doing the wrong thing internationally should be immediately extradited to Australia and tried in Australian courts. …

Associated Press:
WikiLeaks's Julian Assange pleads guilty in deal with US that secures his freedom and ends legal fight

Patrick Reevell /
ABC News: Julian Assange to reunite with family that has only known him in prison

Eric Lutz /
Vanity Fair: Julian Assange, Glorified and Vilified Founder of WikiLeaks, to Be Set Free

Jon Brodkin /
Ars Technica: Julian Assange to plead guilty but is going home after long extradition fight

Diego Ramos /
ScheerPost.com: Julian Assange Is (Nearly) Free: Live Coverage

Amelia Kennedy /
The Reporters Committee …: Reporters Committee statement on Julian Assange plea agreement

Marcus Brauchli /
@mbrauchli@threads.net: Assange has many odious qualities . But the U.S. government's attempt to prosecute a foreign national for persuading a U.S. citizen to give up classified documents that never should have been in a low-level soldier's hands was plainly a failure of U.S. secrets handling more than a case of spying. … @naughtfollowers@threads.net: People have super weird blindspots over Assange. Even very smart people who supposedly believe in ethics and morals. Ethics don't mean sh*t if you're willing to jettison them in furtherance of what you think is a higher import. What Assange exposed was important in some instances. …

Kyriakos Petrakos /
The i Paper: ‘Rest, recreation and an autobiography’: Assange's former lawyer on what happens next

Ben Lovejoy /
9to5Mac: Julian Assange freed after plea deal agreed with US DOJ

RELATED:

The Guardian:
Assange's plea deal doesn't create an official precedent, but he still had to plead guilty to violating the Espionage Act for a “crime” outlets commit regularly

Discussion:

Brady Knox /
Washington Examiner: Republicans split on Assange plea deal

Eva /
@evacide: The Espionage Act continues to be bad and I hope to never have to care about anything Julian Assange is doing again.

Frank Bajak /
@fbajak: In pleading guilty to violating the Espionage Act, Assange allows that encouraging sources to obtain classified documents for him may have overstepped First Amendment protections. Julian clearly decided he doesn't want to risk dealing with a Trump DOJ. https://apnews.com/...

Chris Hedges /
ScheerPost.com: You Saved Julian Assange

Rob Quinn /
Newser: Assange Deal Sets a ‘Chilling Precedent’

Associated Press:
WikiLeaks' Assange pleads guilty in deal with US that secures his freedom, ends legal fight @rchusid@med-mastodon.com: It is great that Assange is out of prison but by demanding a guilty plea, as opposed to dropping the charges, the Biden administration is damaging First Amendment rights and hindering the ability of the press to report on matters such as war crimes. — https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

Michael Day /
The i Paper: Assange release a bold move for Biden after leaks helped Trump win in 2016

David Greene /
Electronic Frontier Foundation: EFF Statement on Assange Plea Deal

Katharine Gemmell /
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