Earlier quoted context omitted.
He did significant help in showing a major war crime that was covered up. That is, without doubt, more important. 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.
it is also worth noting that julian didnt jump any fence. He received and published data full stop. The only espionage was on part of the whistleblowers.
> 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.