Just because it's tragic, and maybe one might not like 'the war' etc. doesn't make it a 'war crime'.
It was a glimpse into the horrors of war for many and that can be enlightening, but doesn't necessarily justify whistelblowing, even if the information does materially shape our views.
The issue with Assange boils down a bit to whether or not Assange 'published' or 'stole' the information along with Manning, there's a material difference there.
I'll gather he was on the side of publishing, not stealing, but I have not seen the evidence.
> In addition, the broadened hacking conspiracy continues to allege that Assange conspired with Army Intelligence Analyst Chelsea Manning to crack a password hash to a classified U.S. Department of Defense computer.
10 seconds of perusing the indictment against Assange alleges he actively did things other than merely publish data that was given to him.
Is this the same hacker who has gone on public record that he got paid by the FBI to lie , and as a result was later redacted from the court documents?
Paying for false witnesses is such a classic and really makes for a strong case.
As a journalist, you sometimes have to jump a fence - that is generally, and legally, accepted. Else writing 'do not view or publish' on your crime diary would be sufficient to conceal it.