Any American "standards" for what a journalist is or isn't isn't really applicable to an international defendent, which Assange is, yeah?
If so, then you must admit that America is imposing it's own (subjective and ever-changing, depending on the parties in power) view on the international theatre and that's where the concern starts to get exacerbated.
Assange broke US law, encouraging the theft of classified intel belonging to the US and then publishing it. It doesnt matter where Assange was geographically when he did so.
Example if I were to hack a foreign gov't or company's computers while residing in the US and being on US soil at the time, I would still be breaking that country's laws and could be arrested and extradited to that country.
This is an agreement many countries have with one another. Assange broke US law and therefore could be tried in a US court.
> encouraging the theft of classified intel belonging to the US and then publishing it.
Actually the order is the opposite: he received intel which had already been stolen - which is legal, see New York Times Co. v. United States - and then encouraged Manning to search for any more stuff, but never received anything more.
>then encouraged Manning to search for any more stuff
So, he did in fact encourage the theft of classified info?! Doesnt matter if it didnt produce any results. There was still intent. Secondly, do you think Manning is the first he tried that with? Don't be naive.
I could make you a huge list of US persons that have broken international laws and laws in other countries that have not been extradited and never will.
If so, then you must admit that America is imposing it's own (subjective and ever-changing, depending on the parties in power) view on the international theatre and that's where the concern starts to get exacerbated.