How is this not the Onion? It is completely logical for media outlets to not want Assange prosecuted.

The US legal system is based on precedent. There's a reason why the Obama administration chose not to prosecute Assange despite really wanting to - they called it "the New York Times Problem", in other words, if Assange can be prosecuted for publishing government documents that were given to him by a third party, so could every major press outlet that has reported on documents leaked to them by whistleblowers.