New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller explains why the paper decided to publish the classified dispatches and cables from WikiLeaks, the effect those documents had in Tunisia and Egypt, and why he came to regard WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as indifferent to the people whose lives were at risk.

On June 26, 2024, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange stepped foot on home soil in Australia after a 14year legal battle came to a close. He had pleaded guilty to one charge of violating U.S. espionage laws. In exchange, U.S. District Judge Ramona Manglona sentenced Assange to time served, noting how long he already spent incarcerated in a highsecurity prison in London.⁠

This interview originally aired February 1, 2011.

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