As I understand the guiding principle is, information that powerful people are trying to keep secret should be out in public view. Not about taking sides. "Tell the truth and shame the devil".

Sometimes that's going to help one side, sometimes it's going to help the other.
That's actually the principle that distinguishes ethical journalism from propaganda.

The odd thing about the Swedish sex case that I've never seen explained is why he appears to have believed that the Swedish authorities were more likely than the British to cooperate with the Americans, when it came to deporting him to America to get punished for enabling Manning to expose criminal activities by US armed forces.

Whatever he may have done I'd think that his self imposed imprisonment in that embassy for nine years more than covers it, and should be treated by any court as "time served".