Guardian and WaPo Receive Pulitzers For Snowden Coverage 78
Late Yesterday, the Pulitzer Prize board announced (PDF) the 2014 Pulitzer Prize winners. The public service prize was awarded to the Guardian and the Washington Post. The Washington Post was given the award for its role in revealing widespread surveillance by the NSA, "...marked by authoritative and insightful reports that helped the public understand how the disclosures fit into the larger framework of national security," and the Guardian for sparking "...a debate about the relationship between the government and the public over issues of security and privacy." Snowden released a statement praising the Pulitzer board: "Today's decision is a vindication for everyone who believes that the public has a role in government. We owe it to the efforts of the brave reporters and their colleagues who kept working in the face of extraordinary intimidation, including the forced destruction of journalistic materials, the inappropriate use of terrorism laws, and so many other means of pressure to get them to stop what the world now recognizes was work of vital public importance.
This decision reminds us that what no individual conscience can change, a free press can. "
Good (Score:5, Insightful)
Snowden deserves a Nobel prize too. And Clapper and the other NSA leaders deserve prison time.
Re:Good (Score:5, Insightful)
Yeah, and Clapper and the NSA leadership probably aren't going to get prison time either. But they still deserve it.
Re:Good (Score:4, Insightful)
Well, it's called the peace prize, not the freedom prize or the opposed oppression prize.
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That is a splendid troll, but all I do is read the media (papers). Maybe you've noticed there is plenty of information there, including much classified information?
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If there are any new tactics at the KGB and the chinese Zhong Chan Er Bu, they surely will not tell the papers you are reading. And if any american intelligence agency detects new tactics of foreign spy agencies, they won'
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I think that what we have is you feigning ignorance when it suits your argument.
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source, please?
Or, as usual, are you just talking out your ass?
Most of the stuff Snowden has released concerns NSA spying on American citizens, not other countries. The few cases released that concerned spying on leaders of other countries were the US's own allies, not our foes. Just how in the hell is Putin gonna use that to strengthen their intelligence apparatus? Russia has made no secret of the fact that they routinely do this while America, of course, has routinely denied ever doing it.
As for who deser
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source, please?
Most of the stuff Snowden has released concerns NSA spying on American citizens, not other countries.
Wrong... Snowden released methods and means of foreign intelligence. People tend to overlook that.
Consider his release of information on intelligence gathering on China's Huawei and govt, Yep... he is a traitor.
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There are more people using Huawei telecoms hardware than just the Chinese government. I guess you think we should not discuss Cisco or Siemens SCADA vulnerabilities either.
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I guess you think we shouldn't discuss Iran's nuclear program or Chinese aggression against its neighbors and threats of nuclear war either.
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Sadat I can sort of understand. He did sign the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty (then got assassinated by someone who did not like it). The other guys (Peres, Arafat) signed the Oslo accords which might be horrible in several regards but at least they enshrined some sort of autonomy for the Palestinian Arabs. de Klerk released Mandela and allowed the ANC to run for elections. Kissinger... uh... perhaps the visit of Nixon to China and reopening that connection. I am not quite sure what he's supposed to have done.
O
Meanwhile, back on planet Earth (Score:2)
Snowden betrayed some corrupt officials for the benefit of his country. Those corrupt officials like to frame things in another way but they showed they are putting themselves before their duty to their country via actions such as lying to Congress.
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Snowden betrayed multiple intelligence operations of Australia. Are you cheering that on as well?
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My mistake, I thought you were an Australian.
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Since the NSA is such a shambles with outside subcontracting, civilians in roles that sho
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Putin's Russia, oddly enough where Snowden now lives, has already been exploiting the information Snowden revealed to strengthen their intelligence apparatus and exploit gaps in those of the West. Snowden doesn't deserve a Nobel but maybe the cover of Time magazine, a distinction he could share with various other notables of ill repute. (Was John Walker or Kim Philby ever on the cover?) On top of that Snowden deserves prosecution.
Maybe next time the NSA decides to go too far and aim for total surveillance of every connected person on the planet, they should remember the downsides of forcing someone to blow the whistle.
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Is there any chance that you could remember that thought should your country ever come under nuclear attack or occupation, or you find yourself caught in a terrorist WMD attack, or possibly on a hijacked airliner? Thanks.
Going to Congress would have been responsible. Snowden when far, far beyond being responsible. He betrayed his country in an anti-democratic fashion.
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One other thing, the US has started the effort to repair the damage from Snowden's betrayal. It is going to cost billions of dollars and take years. If you are a US citizen you will be paying for that. The US will be vulnerable for probably decades, as will US allies. Going to Congress would have avoided all of that.
Re:Good (Score:4, Insightful)
Snowden deserves a Nobel prize too.
Or at least a mention in the Pulitzer announcement. The way the announcement phrased it, you'd think the journalists dug out this information on their own, rather than having it dumped in their laps.
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The way the announcement phrased it, you'd think the journalists dug out this information on their own, rather than having it dumped in their laps.
This is particularly true in the case of The Washington Post. IIRC, Snowden provided all the raw info, Greenwald at The Guardian did all the journalistic legwork. And The Washington Post was just brought in at the last minutes and handed everything in finished form just to lend some U.S. credibility to the story. The Post's entire contribution was to basically say "Yeah, okay thanks, we'll publish it too." It's like giving a Pulitzer to a paper who just picked up the AP story and published it unaltered.
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No he doesn't. Nothing he did promoted any values associated with any current Nobel prizes. Perhaps you should learn what the Nobel prizes are about rather than just spewing 'give him an award' first. You can certainly argue that he deserves recognition if you want, but the Nobel prizes aren't things that just get thrown around ...
On that same note, nothing the Guardian nor WaPo did in this case makes them worthy of a Pulitzer. Someone else did all the work for them.
Oh shit, nevermind, I forgot that get
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This article is cute considering I was playing The Republia Times [dukope.com] yesterday.
Congratulations are in order. (Score:3, Insightful)
it is reassuring that the Press remains a thorn in the side of those who would oppress.
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Then why haven't they gone after the man who campaigned to stop all of this, but has done nothing?
You might remember him, Barak Obama(D).
Re:Congratulations are in order. (Score:5, Interesting)
They've gone after him -- for everything but actual offenses to the Constitution.
Benghazi, birth certificates, communism -- it's not his fault the alleged opposition party has bad aim.
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Well that's not really true, in the cases of both Benghazi and say F&F they're still on-going because the witnesses have either disappeared. Or the government itself has made the evidence disappear.
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... it is reassuring that the Press remains a thorn in the side of those who would oppress.
Unfortunately the Press is all too often no longer "equal opportunity bastards," they are far too partial to one side of the argument.
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But when you call out a lack of equal opportunity bastards in reference to a liberal whistle-blower, you sort of tip your hand.
Now you wouldn't want these liberal rat bastards (and don't kid yourself a rat bastard is an order of bastard more than mean) to suspect your intelligent reply is ridden with partisan nonsense.
You may stay true to your roots and remain cognizant that the problems with thi
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A very small, almost too small to notice, thorn. That's why they are allowed to live.
Re:Congratulations are in order. (Score:4, Insightful)
What have you done to make it more painful? Do you even vote? How about writing some letters? Or giving money to a candidate?
In the end it's simple. Apathy is the ultimate enemy of freedom.
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What have you done to make it more painful? Do you even vote? How about writing some letters? Or giving money to a candidate?
That is, of course, the wrong way to look at apathy. Voter/citizen apathy is like a gay man... how could you rationally hate him when he's making your priorities statistically more likely to occur?
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Well, we've only got two thorns for a fact at the moment -- it's kind of sad when you get a Nobel Prize for just doing your job. Kind of like Obama getting the Nobel Prize for Peace for just not being George Bush.
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I thought that guy in the Guardian recently had his computer, with the rest of the files he had, apprehended by British security forces who promptly destroyed all the remaining evidence. Oh right there it is [theguardian.com]. They 'voluntarily' destroyed the hard drives in front of the security forces.
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it still amazes and saddens me... (Score:5, Insightful)
...that almost everyone I speak to in real life thinks Snowden is a criminal.
he embodies everything people "say" they value in a democracy, yet they want to put him in jail and throw away the key because, basically, he embarrassed some allegedly criminal senior government officials.
clueless.
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... and were doing a lot of good.
Examples?
Remember just before Snowden happened, the US were routinely accusing the Chinese and the Russians of exactly the kind of thing, as it turned out, they were themselves doing. If those things are all legal and good, why the fuss?
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Don't bother trying to explain "rule of law" to an apologist.
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Even the ones that weren't illegal at all and that were doing a lot of good. Either you are being deliberately ignorant or...well I can't really see it any other way.
Well, how about you enlighten us with a [citation]. So far we know the NSA were spying on their own citizens, illegally spying on their allies and were being helped by GCHQ in yet more illegal spying. The only piece of vaguely positive news I heard from the whole thing was that at least GCHQ were charging the NSA for their nefarious activities
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Where is the law that makes it illegal to spy on our allies?
Citation needed
Re:it still amazes and saddens me... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:it still amazes and saddens me... (Score:5, Informative)
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He *is* a criminal. He is still right though.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/criminal
This is going to be tough but George Washington is considered a criminal too and Benedict Arnold is considered a patriot, in England. Because in that country under their laws they are.
Most people still believe in the fairness of our justice system. They probably do not realize the gov would make an example of him. Until there are a few hollywood style movies making him look like a super hero. Most people will
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Snowden is a hero, and now he is working to support Russia's effort to protect its people in Ukraine! Soon the Russian Army will complete the liberation of the Russian nationals in Ukraine and all with the help of Snowden! He has tremendously boosted the Russian security services! He is hero to the world!
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Happy.. Happy.. Joy.. Joy.. (Score:1)
hehe THAT has GOT to piss off the current US government..... Couldn't happen to a worse bunch of crooks...
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Why would it piss the government off? All it does is distract you from what they are doing while you dance around like you've scored some big win.
Its no different than Obamas' peace prize. Its stupid and shows just how much of a sheep people like you are.
Yay! Prizes for everyone ... even thought they haven't done anything.
Congratulations, you're EXACTLY the kind of person that causes these sort of problems to go so long without anything being done about it because you're more concerned with a pat on the b
Today's decision is a vindication... (Score:1)
That's nice (Score:3, Insightful)
What did Snowden get?
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What did Snowden get?
An enlargement of the target on his back.
collusion (Score:1)
collusion: secret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy, esp. in order to cheat or deceive others...
And that's what we have these days between the government and our so-called Public utilities,(notice I don't say OUR government,it isn't ours anymore)
Back when it was the "Bell System", J. Edgar would just "drop a dime" and get any info He needed from Ma Bell, ....on a case by case basis.
The government broke up the Bell System,In the name of "competition", SBC went around and bought all the Baby Bells, and put