An upcoming memoir by snowden may provide more insight into his motives, or may just provide more attention to his status as a pop culture icon. Edward snowden a global hero introduction edward snowden made headlines in after revealing high profile information on nsas surveillance. Of course, nothing is so simple, but snowden s actions have definitely divided people. Yesterday we asked you if you thought edward snowden was a hero, a traitor or both. Edward snowden spositionisthathemadethedisclosuresinordertoinformthepublicaboutaseriousviolationofthefourthamendmenttotheu. It works to the answer with a discussion of each of the following. However, one persecuting him as a traitor would say that his very actions made us vulnerable and now the enemy has the ability to. More people on twitter describe edward snowden as a hero than a traitor.
Snowden has been working at the national security agency for the last four years as an employee of various outside contractors, including booz allen and dell. They will say that he illegally broke an oath to his government to protect classified information, and that he should be prosecuted to. But, one thing that is felt among citizens who feel betrayed and helped alike is that edward snowden s revealing of classified nsa documents was no small feat. In 20, computer expert and former cia systems administrator, edward snowden released confidential government documents to the press about the existence of government surveillance programs. If you commit a murder, even for the right reasons, and you are found guilty of murder, but then you are pardoned, you still committed murder. So far as i can tell, all has been incidental to the actions one in snowden s context would take if he wanted to uphold the individuals right to be free from a coercive state, but not martyr himself completely in the process.
Section 499 of the army field manual states, every violation of the law of war. Edward snowden and the nsa spying program case study tackles the controversy of the nsas program which was gathering telephone records of millions of verizon customers in the u. People better be thankful that there are young people like snowden and manning who have the courage to make critical decisions, and act on them. Advertisement story continues below snowden is a hero hero the government is violating our constitutional rights. May 23, 2016 the constant argument after june 20 regards whether edward snowden is a hero or a traitor. Despite the events of this week, it is beyond dispute that snowden is guilty of treason. Edward snowden may be a traitor or a hero, but whats important isnt how hes labeled but what comes from his revelations about nsa surveillance and intelligence abuses. The points of view of people today will vary widely. Snowden s leaks of secret surveillance data split the nation in half. National security agency contractor edward snowden blew the lid off u. Edward snowden is a national hero and should be immediately issued a full, free, and absolute pardon for any crimes he has committed or may have. With those programs now under attack, debate is growing about whether or not snowdens actions were justifiable. Edward snowden s actions of revealing americas secrets to the enemy falls under the classification of treason and according to a wallstreet journal article by seth lipsky on june 16th.
Wikileaks founder julian assange said in an interview with britains skynews that edward snowden is a hero who has informed the public about one of the. More people on twitter describe edward snowden as a hero. Senator and edward snowden, the infamous betrayer of washington secrets. For more on snowden as hero or traitor, listen to leonard peikoffs podcasts here, here and here. Overall it remains in a persons opinion whether or not edward snowden s actions is seen as heroic or as a traitor. Many americans feel that edward snowden is a traitor who sold the united states secrets aiming to harm the nation. When the edward snowden story first burst on the scene early this.
Edward snowden is a human rights hero, yet he faces decades in prison under charges that treat him like a spy who sold secrets to enemies of the usa. When the news broke identifying nsa whistleblower edward snowden, the tweets calling him a hero outweighed those calling him a traitor nearly 301, according to data from topsy. This is a name that will be in the history books for ages. Paul farhi, lynn sweet and howard kurtz on how the media has characterized nsa leaker edward snowden. The debate that followed his bold actions revolved around whether snowden should be treated as a hero or a traitor. After a onemonth ordeal in which he remained in legal limbo, snowden was granted temporary asylum by the russian. Aug 14, 2014 james bamfords longish piece on edward snowden in wired is well worth a read. Most of the public debate since that summer has been over whether snowden is a hero or a traitor, a whistleblower or a spy. Start writing about edward snowden hero or traitor essay with this example essay. Please sign our petition, which we have launched in partnership with the american civil liberties union aclu and the pardon snowden campaign. Snowden sat down in moscow with bamford, the veteran journalist who covers spycraft and the nsa, for an. Edward snowden is a hero, not a traitor amnesty international. The discursive enactment of edward snowden by alessandro r.
But it is the breach of trust that makes him a traitor im afraid. Ever since edward snowden leaked documents containing classified us intelligence in 20, hes been called both a traitor and a hero. Jul 31, 20 asking the wrong questions about manning and snowden. He will be branded a traitor or a whistleblower depending on where you look. The constant argument after june 20 regards whether edward snowden is a hero or a traitor. That was the question posed to all of the democratic presidential candidates during the partys first debate on tuesday. Edward snowden can be classified as a hero in so many ways. Remote work advice from the largest allremote company. Oct 14, 2015 is former national security agency contractor and whistleblower edward snowden a hero for revealing the american governments massive surveillance program or a traitor who betrayed his own country.
Technology has made it easier than ever for our governments. Edward snowden was not successful in joining the us armys elite special. Hero or traitor word count 4, 993 abstract this paper offers. Sep 15, 2016 house report slams snowden as disgruntled traitor who harmed citizens, national security snowden has long portrayed himself as a truthseeking whistleblower whose actions were designed solely. According to recent polls, most americans consider snowden to be more of a whistleblower than a traitor. Thousands of editorials have been penned hailing the likes of edward snowden, chelsea manning, and julian assange as defenders of democracy. Snowden is a whistleblowing hero for providing evidence of what. Many will say that edward snowden is a traitor whose leak jeopardizes our national security. Are whistleblowers really the silver bullet for governmental and corporate accountability.
Snowden s refugee document lets him stay in russia for one year. While snowden is a hero to some and a traitor toothers, his. James bamfords longish piece on edward snowden in wired is well worth a read. Edward snowdens whistleblowing on the national security agency. In a recent online poll 51 percent of americans viewed snowden as a hero, and 49 percent of thought of him as a traitor. The story was the first of many top secret revelations about the nsa s spying programs, leaked by edward snowden, a former nsa contractor. This paper offers a contemporary view on edward snowden, rejecting the hero traitor dichotomy. He took one for the team, he will have to wear that badge, there is no taking it off, even with a pardon. So in a sense wethe majorityare meeting in agreement. However, the same polls indicate more americans believe snowden s actions were mostly bad for the u. Edward snowden is an anarchist and traitor max hastings.
He is a hero for revealing the full extent of nsa spying and the extreme methods used by intelligence agencies worldwide, while he is a traitor for revealing these same things as it allows criminals including terrorists to avoid surveillance and possibly commit atrocities and. An interesting question, for which i do not think there is an absolute answer. Media coverage of national security agency document. This poll is now closed, but the debate continues in the comments section.
This case study chronicles the life of edward snowden, focusing on his. Participants will deliberate whether snowden is a hero or a traitor as well as. May 20, 20 the getaway snowden flew to hong kong, carrying four computers and digital copies of the classified n. In my judgment, based on what i know from the media thus far, snowden is neither a hero nor a traitor, but he is most certainly a criminal who. Thus, this essay will discuss the issue of edward snowden through an. Snowdens refugee document lets him stay in russia for one year. Environmental education resources to commemorate earth days 50th anniversary. May 22, 2014 harvard kennedy school lecturer chris robichaud takes us through a new case study exploring the question of whether nsa whistleblower edward snowden was justified in leaking classified materials exposing the breadth of the u. Edward snowden, the former defense contractor who blew the whistle on the national security agencys massive domestic surveillance program, is being hailed as a hero by many for exposing the governments controversial spy operations. Snowden turned over thousands of classified documents. Edward snowden, daniel ellsberg and the power of media celebrity anthony moretti associate professor, school of communications and information systems, robert morris university, 6001. His revelation of illegal us government activity sparked a global debate.
Hero to every human being on the planet outside the tendrils of no such agency. As we find out more,i think public sentiment is turning against him. On thursday a federal appeals court said that the governments bulk collection telephone records of millions of americans. Here are three arguments why edward snowden is a hero and three why hes a traitor.
History will determine your answer the snowden affair reflects the realities of the cyber age. That being said,some of the information he released has everyone angry at government over reach. Edward snowden speaks in 2015 via a video link from russia, which granted him asylum after he fled the united states in 20. His revelations about government surveillance programs shocked many americans. The question everybody asked was, is edward snowden an american hero or a villainous traitor to his country. Edward snowden represents the worst traits of the millennial generation. Instead, through an american perspective, seeks to examine the structural flaws within the fourth estate, media establishment that has created the.
Jun 10, 20 is edward snowden, the twentynineyearold n. But, one thing that is felt among citizens who feel betrayed and helped alike is that edward snowdens revealing of classified nsa documents was no small feat. Is edward snowden a traitor or a hero whistleblower. In 20, computer expert and former cia systems administrator, edward snowden released confidential government. South china morning post reporter lana lam, im neither traitor nor hero. And dick cheney not only denounced snowden as a traitor but also suggested that he might have shared information with the chinese. Edward joseph snowden born june 21, 1983 is an american whistleblower who copied and. House report slams snowden as disgruntled traitor who. His girlfriend relocated, joining him there burrough et al. Many pundits are calling him a traitor, while others call him a hero for alerting americans to an unconstitutional privacyviolating program. Theres no in between which runs counter to every experience i ever had as a reporter with a. The story was the first of many top secret revelations about the nsas spying programs, leaked by edward snowden, a former nsa contractor.
Do more americans view edward snowden as a hero or. Epsteins answer is both but more spy than whistleblower. Jun 04, 2018 whistleblower or traitor, leaker or public hero. Its time for this fool to take a side and explain why. Dec 21, 20 when the edward snowden story first burst on the scene early this year, one of the central debates that ensued was whether snowden should be considered a whistleblower or a traitor. Edward snowden has so raised the hackles of members of congress and. Snowden has been nominated for a potential nobel peace prize, that should tell you volumes. Jun 26, 20 yesterday we asked you if you thought edward snowden was a hero, a traitor or both. The case examines snowden s actions and motivations and asks students to consider the repercussions of whistleblowingleaking on the general public, the u. May 07, 2015 edward snowden is a criminal, that seems pretty obvious. While some believe he was heroic for showing americans that their government was illegally spying on them, others maintain that what he leaked and the way he did so prove his.
Snowden sat down in moscow with bamford, the veteran journalist who covers. Is snowden a hero whistle blower,or is he a traitor. Snowden is both a hero and a traitor business insider. When he turned against the war, it was as a powerful insider joining his. One who defends him as a hero would argue that the public had a right to know and that snowden was doing a public service. With those programs now under attack, debate is growing about whether or not snowden s actions were justifiable. Read this essay sample on edward snowden hero or traitor essay. Last week tonight host john oliver flew to moscow to grill edward snowden about the leaking of harmful documents and asks him to explain why he did it at a stroke, the traitor thus stripped away. Edward snowden, a 29yearold former technical assistant for the cia and current employee of the defence contractor booz allen hamilton. Before he became the worlds most famous whistleblower, edward snowden enjoyed a privileged position in an important government agency. When the edward snowden story first burst on the scene early this year, one of the central debates that ensued was whether snowden should be considered a whistleblower or a traitor. Its been nearly four years since former contractor edward snowden spilled some of the most deeply held secrets of the national security agency, emerging from obscurity to. Whistleblowers have gained unqualified hero status in american popular culture. Jun 11, 20 edward snowden is a national hero and should be immediately issued a full, free, and absolute pardon for any crimes he has committed or may have committed related to blowing the whistle on secret.