Although Julian Assange is famously difficult to work with, he will be ironically best remembered for transforming investigative journalism into a collaborative field
Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, was freed from prison last week, which is expected to end a decade-long legal saga over the publication of US military secrets in 2010.
He stands to walk away a free man if he takes the guilty plea deal on the table, given the time he already spent in the UK prison.
The question now is: what is the legacy that WikiLeaks leaves behind for investigative journalism and how will this case shape international journalism?
In a LinkedIn Live Q&A this week, we spoke about this with James Ball, who worked for three months on Cablegate, the publication of those 250,000 US embassy cables. He is now the first political editor of The New European and has previously written for The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, the Guardian, the Washington Post and BuzzFeed.
He played a key role in the Pultizer-Prize-winning coverage of the NSA leaks by Edward Snowden, as well as the Offshore Leaks and the HSBC files.
One key message from Ball: Julian Assange might have been difficult to work with, but he was a catalyst - even if not deliberately - for greater collaboration in investigative journalism that is still enduring.
From our archives:
If you like our news and feature articles, you can sign up to receive our free daily (Mon-Fri) email newsletter (mobile friendly).
Sign up to receive job alerts of your choice by email, or manage your subscription
Featured recruiter: click to view its vacancies
Not-for-profit campaign organisation that uses the law to hold power to account and fight for a fairer, greener future seeks a lead investigator with a track record of powerful investigative journalism to probe 'Dark Money'
Subscribe to our newsletter for latest news, tips, jobs and more
End that deadline stress today and find help in our freelance directory
Personal trainer James Hilton has launched a podcast 'Jim's Gym - Inspiring Movement'. James, a specialist in biomechanics and injury recovery from the Cotswolds, runs Jim's Gym, a virtual online space supporting people over 55 to be more active
Our next Newsrewired conference will be in May 2025, London.
Our community of experts gives a heads-up on the most important shifts your newsroom needs to prepare for this year
Conferences and study weeks are fantastic opportunities to get the latest updates on the industry and network with your peers
If you find your social feeds a tad too heavy on men's voices, follow and connect with these fantastic women experts on indie media
How do you move print readers to digital? Are there other ways to hold on to subscribers besides a last-ditch deal?
