Exploiting Emotions about Paris to Blame Snowden, Distract from Actual Culprits who Empowered ISIS
"Whistleblowers are always accused of helping America’s enemies (top Nixon aides accused
Daniel Ellsberg of being a Soviet spy and causing the deaths of
Americans with his leak); it’s just the tactical playbook that’s
automatically used. So it’s of course unsurprising that ever since
Edward Snowden’s whistleblowing enabled newspapers around the world to
report on secretly implemented programs of mass surveillance, he has
been accused by 'officials' and their various media allies of Helping The Terrorists™....
...But now we’ve entered the inevitable 'U.S. Officials Say' stage of the 'reporting' on the Paris attack — i.e., journalists mindlessly and
uncritically repeat whatever U.S. officials whisper in their ear about
what happened. So now credible news sites are regurgitating the claim
that the Paris Terrorists were enabled by Snowden leaks — based on no
evidence or specific proof of any kind, needless to say, but just the
unverified, obviously self-serving assertions of government
officials. But much of the U.S. media loves to repeat rather than
scrutinize what government officials tell them to say. So now this
accusation has become widespread and is thus worth examining with just
some of the actual evidence."
Related Articles:
What Role did Encryption Play in Paris
Another Take on the Lessons of Paris Shootings for Encryption
Declaring War on Terror is Good Rhetoric, Bad Policy
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