Whistleblower or Traitor: Edward Snowden, Daniel Ellsberg and the

January 18, 2018 | Author: Anonymous | Category: Arts & Humanities, Writing, Journalism
Share Embed Donate


Short Description

Download Whistleblower or Traitor: Edward Snowden, Daniel Ellsberg and the...

Description

Whistleblower or Traitor: Edward Snowden, Daniel Ellsberg and the Power of Media Celebrity Anthony Moretti, Ph.D. [email protected] Robert Morris University, Moon Township, PA (USA)

2013 Moscow Readings Conference Moscow State University, Moscow, Russian Federation

Snowden and Ellsberg  Polarizing figures – hero and villain (but to whom?)  Interested in publicizing a (perceived or real) government mistake  Endured the wrath of that government  Operated in a different media and political environment

Daniel Ellsberg  RAND Corporation employee who photocopied and then handed over to multiple news agencies a 7,000-page assessment of the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War  TIME magazine: Nearly a day went by before the networks and wire services took note [of the initial set of “Pentagon Papers” published by the New York Times]. The first White House reaction was to refrain from comment so as not to give the series any greater "exposure.“  Democrats: Publication underscored the “deception” taking place in Washington and affecting both parties  Republicans: How dare the New York Times make its own rules about what is national security  Media never offered a “label” for him

Edward Snowden  CIA contractor who sent thousands of documents to The Guardian and other newspapers about NSA surveillance of Americans, and foreign governments

 Democratic and Republican politicians: traitor  Sharp criticism directed at journalists, especially Glenn Greenwald  Instant labeling of Snowden by media: whistleblower, source, leaker, implied traitor

40 Years Is a Long Time  Explaining the differences in the media and political environment  Corporate Ownership More media owned by fewer groups

Cutting news staffs; shrinking news holes; declining emphasis on investigative reporting; the “homogenization” of news coverage; demanding ever-higher profits; and emphasizing people/celebrities as newsmakers 1970s: Who Ellsberg is/what makes him tick irrelevant in a national conversation about serious reporting and analysis about serious issues 2010s: A kind-of pop psychology about why Snowden did what he did; how social media reacted to it; drama about deportation/extradition

40 Years Is a Long Time  Explaining the differences in the media and political environment  Technology Fenton: “Speeding it up and spreading it thin” Opinion seeping into news coverage Boczkowski: “A journalist spends more time learning about other media than ever before, and this information increasingly influences editorial judgments Carr: an emerging Fifth Estate of leakers, activists and bloggers Mainstream media losing their prestige, audiences 1970s: What is happening here answered by fewer media, reaching larger audiences and journalism standards clear and enforced 2010s: What is happening here answered by MSM, social media, opinion programs; focus on the individual becomes easy

40 Years Is a Long Time  Explaining the differences in the media and political environment  Changing and weakened government policies FCC and its “public interest” raison d’ etre Ownership of newspaper/broadcast entity and audience reach Shaffer and Jordan: “Members of Congress have sponsored legislation aimed at severely limiting – and even stripping – FCC regulators of their power to review acquisitions” Supreme Court ruled in favor of New York Times in 1971

So What?  Should media reporting and analysis be on the actors and their motivations, or their actions?  If fewer voices are involved in conversation, then which sources enter media discourse?  If a journalist injects himself/herself into an issue, then what industry standards has he/she violated? And who is defining those standards?

 In a deregulation modus operandi for government, should we be surprised that lax policies exist in media?

View more...

Comments

Copyright � 2017 NANOPDF Inc.
SUPPORT NANOPDF