Julian Assange Reputation Case Study

500+

Pieces of national, print and broadcast media coverage

£400k

Legal funding secured through Crowdjustice

8

Key court dates attended, managing media relations

How we reshaped the media narrative by educating the public about the fundamental issues at stake

We were engaged in 2020 by Wikileaks and non-profit organisation, the Wau Holland Foundation, to lead a strategic communications campaign on behalf of Julian Assange, addressing common misconceptions about his case.

At the time, Julian Assange was fighting extradition to the US for publishing confidential documents that exposed war crimes and human rights abuses relating to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. He was charged under the US Espionage Act by the Trump administration. It was the first time a publisher had ever been indicted and Press freedom groups around the world denounced it as a dangerous attack on journalism.

Assange’s case has always been divisive, so from the beginning our strategy was to re-shape the narrative by educating journalists and commentators about the fundamental issues at stake. Working closely with Julian’s wife, Stella, we reshaped perceptions in the UK media through high-profile interviews; private briefings with editors; thought leadership; and keeping the spotlight on the protracted legal battle.

Generating widespread exposure and winning international support

We secured and managed interviews in every influential media outlet, including stand-out publications such as The Times, Sunday Times and Telegraph magazines; BBC’s Today program, Newsnight and HARDtalk; ITV’s Good Morning Britain; and Piers Morgan Uncensored. Stella has been featured across all leading publications, including the Mail on Sunday, the Guardian, The Observer, Independent, Mail Online and the Financial Times.

Our media outreach was not limited to the UK, and we worked extensively with broadcasters and publications globally, including in Australia, the US, China, Germany, France and Spain. We worked with the Foreign Press Association, setting up briefings for correspondents based in the UK.

We set up, organised, and promoted a crowd justice legal fundraising page to explain the issues and to secure funding for the campaign. This has been a key source of information for supporters and secured more than £400,000 of funding for the legal team to continue fighting extradition.

Media management and court hearing attendance

Throughout Julian Assange’s legal battle, we attended every court hearing to manage media relations. We provided a clear narrative to explain complex legal proceedings to journalists; delivered strategic counsel to Stella on statements she made outside court; as well as organising and hosting press conferences in the aftermath.

As a result of this media management on court hearing days, interviews with Stella would regularly feature in flagship BBC, ITV, Sky, LBC & Channel 4 News and quotes from press conferences appeared in national newspaper reporting.

Guerrilla projections and creative videos

Our work has also encompassed securing and designing above the line advertisements in media publications such as the Times, Metro, Evening Standard and the Guardian. At key moments in the campaign, we commissioned guerrilla projections around London that showed supportive videos for the Assange campaign and highlighted his continuing incarceration in Belmarsh Prison.

During the campaign we successfully challenged assumptions about the case, changed perceptions, kept the case in the public eye through our media outreach and ultimately, helped free Julian Assange.

Victory

Assange was offered a plea deal in June 2024, securing his immediate release after increased media scrutiny and mounting political pressure made the US government’s position untenable.