WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should be assassinated were not merely "ill-considered" or "regrettable," but were, in fact, criminal and should be

Tom Flanagan's remarks that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should be assassinated were not merely "ill-considered" or "regrettable," but were, in fact, criminal and should be prosecuted.

So far this year, 39 journalists have been killed trying to bring the truth to light. Flanagan's words, if acted upon, would bring it to 40. Every year, journalists around the world live in fear of death or threats to their livelihoods.

But those threats don't just exist in countries with corrupt regimes or totalitarian states. They occur in Canada regularly and, unfortunately, they have been acted upon.

Brian Smith was leaving the newsroom after a shift one night when he was gunned down. Michel Auger survived a near-fatal shooting the day after his Montreal newspaper published his article about the Hell's Angels. Tara Singh Hayer's journalism career was ended by gunfire a decade after he was left paralyzed from the first attempt on his life.

Then there are threats that don't always make the news. The subtle suggestion by police to "be a good driver" after a critical story is printed; the use of public dollars to financially punish a newspaper critical of local government; or the threat of jail time for journalists who don't give up sources.

Flanagan's comments are just the tip of the iceberg. That they come from a university professor and someone with considerable influence in the upper levels of government make them all the more reprehensible.



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