Major news organizations have called on the US to drop its charges against Julian Assange
The New York Times, The Guardian, Le Monde, Der Spiegel, and El País are among the media outlets that have called on the US to drop its charges against Julian Assange. They say that the prosecution of Julian Assange under the Espionage Act "sets a dangerous precedent." Assange is accused of obtaining and disseminating sensitive diplomatic and military information. No request is made in the letter for the Justice Department to drop that element of the case. Merrick B. Garland, the attorney general, has been attempting to curtail Justice Department procedures that make it more difficult for journalists to perform their duties.
One of the most remarkable leaks in American history happened thanks to Chelsea Manning's revelations. They contained around 250,000 State Department cables, many of which exposed top-secret information from around the world. After a court-martial trial in 2013, Manning was found guilty and given a 35-year prison term. The majority of Manning's remaining sentence was commuted by President Barack Obama just before he left office.
There is no precedent in the US for prosecuting a publication of information under the Espionage Act, as contrasted to a spy or a government official who divulged secrets. The decision by the Trump administration to file such charges against Assange raises significant concerns about the interpretation of the First Amendment's guarantees of press freedom.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/28/us/politics/julian-assange-wikileaks-charges.html