This time, one of the best news I just picked up online recently is the open letter released by 5 global media organizations, namely, The New York Times, The Guardian (UK), Le Monde (France), Der Spiegel (Germany) and El Pais (Spain) strongly urging the United States under the Biden administration to end its prosecution of Julian Assange, the Wikileaks founder. Where did I pick up this eye-opener? From one of the YT channels I often follow – Redacted by Clayton and Natali Morris, the indefatigable husband and wife team whose views and reporting I find, most of the time, makes sense in this confusing and stressful world today.
12 years ago, there was a series of revelations made by the same 5 media outlets in cooperation with Wikileaks that made headlines globally. It was known then as “Cable gate”, and to quote The Guardian, it was “a set of 251,000 confidential cables from the US State Department which disclosed corruption, diplomatic scandals and spy affairs on an international scale”.
Sounds like a treasure-trove of fodder for a blockbuster movie, if you ask me.
Seriously though, some operative parts of the open letter were –
“This indictment sets a dangerous precedent and threatens to undermine America’s First Amendment and the freedom of the press”
“Holding government accountable is part of the core mission of a free press in a democracy”. Take note I said in a democracy. And the U.S. is a democracy, am I right? Take note as well, that there are other countries that are not democracies.
But with the indictment against Assange and the extradition approved by the UK, the same 5 media organizations has recently released an open letter with the title and ending with that same statement – “Publishing is not a crime”. You may want to research it online and read the self-same open letter signed by the editors and publishers of the 5 groups. After all, if the US did that, they would have to prosecute hundreds of other journalists and publishers as well.
But my question to this heartening though eyebrow-raising move by these 5 major media groups, who were the same ones. 12 years ago, that published these revelations — why only now?
Nevertheless, late as it is, it is a relief to know that there is a glimmer of justice in the horizon. Hopefully, that glimmer turns to something more concrete and less ephemeral. This bit of welcome news came when I was seriously contemplating on wearing a “Free Assange” T-shirt. I was already poised on looking for one on Amazon or maybe printing one myself. Perhaps I will proceed since this could be a sign for me to forge on.
This is a press freedom issue worth its weight. Not the one that a Nobel prize winner of dubious Filipino origin is harping about. Take note Amal Clooney. “Dito mo ibaling ang human rights cause mo.”
Even the President of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has given a letter to Joe Biden, to quote Al Jazeera, “in defence of Julian Assange after the United Kingdom approved the Wikileaks founder’s extradition to the United States.” More than that, the President of Mexico has also renewed a previous offer of asylum to Assange. This is a clear case of putting your money where your mouth is. “Okay ka!”, President Lopez Obrador of Mexico.
With that out of the way, for now, that is, I turn my thoughts to the coming holidays.
PEACE AND PROSPERITY AND HAPPY NETFLIX (OR WHATEVER OTHER SITES) VIEWING TO ALL!
With that I can’t help but be delighted that Netflix has a lot of new releases and most of them are 2022 content. And you have a gamut of content from all parts of the globe. I commend their programming and content people. I look forward to the winter holidays for ‘tis the season for feasting (albeit a bit inflation-conscious), family and friends bonding, and hunkering down on your comfy, cozy sofa (or your warm, duvet cocooned bed, if you wish) and marathon binge on great videos – documentaries or movies or television series.
Here are some videos I would recommend –
On Netflix, there are 2 series which I find well-produced and worth your while. One of them is “Under the Queen’s Umbrella”, a costume period drama which had me waiting eagerly for the next week’s episodes. Normally, I prefer to wait till all the episodes are released but then I made a mistake of watching the 1st week of 2 episodes (Sat and Sun). Well, I was hooked. I just had to be patient and wait for the next week. But it was well worth the wait. The 16 episode series just ended last weekend though I wish there were more episodes. The Korean actress Kim Hye-Soo , who portrayed the Queen was outstanding. I loved her acting complete with her one-eyebrow-raising look. She did a great job as well in the drama series “Hyena” (2020), also on Netflix. She would be what we would call, in TV lingo, a “character” actress.
Another series is “Behind Every Star” which is still ongoing on Netflix. I found it a bit slow in the beginning but found the series very charming and engaging as the weeks went on. In fact, I found myself laughing out loud in many parts. So true to life. It reminded me of my days in television producing shows, developing talents and dealing with writers and directors. The actors are not so well known or popular but are perfect for their roles. It is fun and light-hearted and as one reviewer wrote “the show takes the spotlight from the public-facing actors and shines it on the unsung heroes of Seoul’s illustrious entertainment industry”. Who are these unsung heroes? – these are the off-cam talents, like writers, agents, handlers, producers, directors, technical staff and a host of others. Memories!!! (Sigh!)
You may want to check these out while home-bound during the holidays and as the song says,
“Oh, the weather outside is frightful
But the fire is so delightful
And since we’ve no place to go
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!”
And while it’s snowing outside, get cozy, bring out the popcorn and watch these great videos. And they are quite wholesome and family-friendly. While you’re at it, you may also want to watch some NHK documentaries, one of them, I found very interesting. This was a documentation of an ordinary person’s (like you and me) climb to the summit of Mt. Fuji. It made me really seriously contemplate on doing just that the next time I make a trip to Tokyo, which I plan to do next spring. Insh’allah!
Meanwhile, back here in snow country, I wish you all peace and prosperity for all time!
Tessie O. Taylor