HIGMoreNFY
The telephone conversation between Ian Hislop and Julian Assange reported in the Private Eye - see post dated 4 February 2011 - records the following fascinating exchange.
Julian Assange rang the editor of Private Eye to complain about the magazine's coverage of the WikiLeaks saga - with Assange trying desperately to distance himself from a controversial figure - Israel Shamir.
The report of the conversation continues:
Hislop: "Okay, I said, what about the leaked e-mail from Assange in September 2007 which appears to show him (Assange) approving Shamir's involvement? Assange told me the important thing to do was to work out who had leaked the e-mail and then to work out their motives for the betrayal."
Hislop: "Did it not strike him (Assange) funny that a man who ran an organisation called WikiLeaks was complaining about a leak?
Assange: "No"
Hislop: "Not even a little bit amusing?"
Assange: "No"
Hislop: Did he not think that the need for transparency might be applicable to himself as well as others?"
Assange: "Transparency is for governments. Privacy is for individuals."
Hislop: "What about individuals not in government who are still powerful?"
Hislop: "Suddenly I got the impression Mr Assange was bored. Bored of me. Bored of answering questions. The energy and anger seemed to have gone from his voice. He was almost weary when he told me he was not powerful, but had been crushed by powerful global interests and the least I could do was not support them by running pieces critical of him."
As they say - you couldn't make it up.
Julian Assange rang the editor of Private Eye to complain about the magazine's coverage of the WikiLeaks saga - with Assange trying desperately to distance himself from a controversial figure - Israel Shamir.
The report of the conversation continues:
Hislop: "Okay, I said, what about the leaked e-mail from Assange in September 2007 which appears to show him (Assange) approving Shamir's involvement? Assange told me the important thing to do was to work out who had leaked the e-mail and then to work out their motives for the betrayal."
Hislop: "Did it not strike him (Assange) funny that a man who ran an organisation called WikiLeaks was complaining about a leak?
Assange: "No"
Hislop: "Not even a little bit amusing?"
Assange: "No"
Hislop: Did he not think that the need for transparency might be applicable to himself as well as others?"
Assange: "Transparency is for governments. Privacy is for individuals."
Hislop: "What about individuals not in government who are still powerful?"
Hislop: "Suddenly I got the impression Mr Assange was bored. Bored of me. Bored of answering questions. The energy and anger seemed to have gone from his voice. He was almost weary when he told me he was not powerful, but had been crushed by powerful global interests and the least I could do was not support them by running pieces critical of him."
As they say - you couldn't make it up.
