Ask a person on the street about Assange and assuming they know who you're talking about their image of him will most likely be: scary criminal sociopath nerd rapist who leaked important military state secrets and doesn't wash himself. "Coincidentally" that's the opinion in the best interest of the US elite who's egos where hurt by Assange.
This is to say: the consent which the political US manufactures is extremely effective outside of the US as well. It seems to me the US has full control over media in any Western country for any issue that matters to the US.
At school we where/are actively taught that this sort of manipulation only happens in evil dictatorships and can never ever happen "here". The majority of people seem to believe this strongly.
I find all of this mind blowing and tragic.
When Assange gets sent to the US the feelings of the vast majority of people in the Western world will be "ah, good, that's another bad guy out of the way". And guess what: they'd think the same about Snowden if he ever gets suicided/dissapeared/extradited/used as political change.
Let's not delude ourselves: he's not complaining that they have a slant, he's complaining that their slant doesn't always go his way. He also complains when Fox News reports facts he doesn't like.