The mainstream media has faced increasing scrutiny over the last year for its conduct, from both sides of the fence. Liberals allege that too much air time was given to President-elect Donald Trump, implying they legitimized a candidate who never should have taken off, let alone won the presidential election. Conservatives and libertarians suggest the media is still, as they long have been, biased against the right.

Despite the difference in allegations, both sides of the spectrum seem to agree there is a credibility issue with the mainstream media.

For all the allegations of pushing biased stories or overtly fake news, they have now topped themselves in a recent segment of “New Day.” Commentator and Former Central Intelligence Agency counterterrorism Phil Mudd stated Wikileaks’ founder Julian Assange is “pedophile who lives in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.”

Mudd made the allegations without any evidence to back up the claim.

The mainstream media has been pushing the official government narrative against Wikileaks for months, claiming that the pro-transparency organization is a Russian front. Having a member of the intelligence community come out against Assange with a smear on a mainstream news program is unsurprising.

Wikileaks responded, making it clear they would not be intimidated.

The official Twitter page has stated they have passed along instructions to sue CNN for defamation within 48 hours unless they aired an one hour segment about “the plot.” “The plot” alludes to the plot to frame founder Julian Assange with sexual assault allegations.

The political elite is clearly becoming more concerned with the battle to preserve power and secrecy.

Wikileaks has been stepping up in the months after the United States presidential election. Just recently, Sean Hannity interviewed Assange in person for a Fox News interview. Among the revelations is that 2017 will be a bigger year, implying that last year’s leaks will not compare to what’s to come

In addition, Wikileaks has also offered large sum of money in return for information exposing Obama Administration officials who have deleted information. The reward was initially for $20,000, but was increased today to $3o,000.

And now the lawsuit against the biggest name in cable news in the United States.

It’s time that Wikileaks take a stand for itself. Julian Assange is living in an embassy because the political elite is desperately trying to make his push for truth disappear. His continued existence has become a threat to the stability of the elite and their reign of secrecy. The United States government tortured Army Private First Class Chelsea Manning and has imprisoned her for providing information relating to the Iraq War to Wikileaks. Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden is living in exile for fear of his life and freedom after he massively exposed the depth of the surveillance state against the American people.

CNN apparently will play the game of trashing whistleblowers and being hostile to transparency. But if Wikileaks follows through on their threat to sue CNN, this could become a big moment for the organization.

Defend the truth and your integrity, Wikileaks.