By Situation Theatre 12/4/2019

Concerned our public discourse focuses too much on personality over policy, Australian media outlets have decided the key takeaway of Assange’s arrest overnight is that he seems like a bit of a narcissist.

Following the arrest of the Wikileaks founder, the ABC has foregrounded the heinous assault on democracy that is Julian Assange’s self-regard in their reporting on News Breakfast. The main SMH headline is ’Narcissist”: Assange found guilty of bail breach, faces extradition to US, and The Australian has gone with ‘Narcisst with selfish interest’.

Perhaps Slavoj ZIzek is onto something when he says Assange’s arrest is the “final step in a character assassination campaign”.

And maybe Dr Lissa Johnson could school a few Aussie journos with her detailed, insightful five part series on Assange in New Matilda.

Meanwhile, the self-image-and-celebrity-obsessed U.S. corporate media has also slammed Assange for being a bit into himself.

Asked if he had concerns about the possibility that an award-winning journalist might rot in prison for life for publishing the truth, NBC reporter Gavin Pokey spoke for most mainstream U.S. journalists when he said “Sorry, how does that affect me?”