Protesters outside the Old Bailey in London in October 2020
DOZENS of human rights and press freedom organisations are urging a British judge to decide against extraditing Julian Assange to the United States to face 18 charges under the Espionage Act.
The WikiLeaks co-founder is set to appear at the Old Bailey on Monday where District Judge Vanessa Baraitser will deliver her judgment.
Whatever the judgment, an appeal by the losing side is likely.
Media Lens at 25: David Cromwell and David Edwards reflect on a quarter-century of media criticism, explaining why independent journalism is more important than ever
US Justice Department says the ‘reporters are not the targets, those leaking classified information are’. But media freedom advocates warn that Trump's ‘war on the press is looking for another victim’
![[Pic: Andrew Wiard]](https://msd11.gn.apc.org/sites/default/files/styles/desktop/public/2026-01/19860330_a_wiard_0001JPG.jpg.webp?itok=nkzZbinE)
As advertising drains away, newsrooms shrink and local papers disappear, MIKE WAYNE argues that the market model for news is broken – and that public-interest alternatives, rooted in democratic accountability, are more necessary than ever