I guess the US wants to deter journalism that they don't like. An even more apt comparison is Assange vs Donald Trump - Trump allegedly tried to overturn democracy in the US from a position of trust, inciting events that killed people, and stole classified documents for his own private benefit. Assange just worked with whistleblowers as a journalist to try to serve the public interest. And yet Assange is locked up ahead of the US wanting to try him, as he has been for years now, and Trump is free.