From most accounts, Julian Assange as a human being leaves something to be desired. But despite what you hear from most of the U.S. press establishment, as an example of democratic journalism, he's doing just fine:

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has said that the 'hue and cry' caused by revelations of secret US diplomatic cables is a challenge for the internet generation, and added that he would continue to expose "abusive organisations".

Speaking in a recorded message to a public meeting in Melbourne on Friday, Assange said that he is desperately longing to go back to his hometown and urged his Australian supporters to take relevant action.

He further compared WikiLeaks' push for more transparent governance to the civil rights movement of the 1950s, the peace movement of the 1960s, feminism movements and the environmental movement, The Age reports.

"For the internet generation this is our challenge and this is our time. We support a cause that is no more radical a proposition than that the citizenry has a right to scrutinise the state," the paper quoted Assange, as saying.

"The state has asserted its authority by surveilling, monitoring and regimenting all of us, all the while hiding behind cloaks of security and opaqueness. Surely it was only a matter of time before citizens pushed back and we asserted our rights," he told the free speech rally.