Independent US Media?

[kblood]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/25/w...sa-surveillance-leak.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

See how different the perspective is in this article, when compared to other news papers? Especially The Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/jun/19/google-drummond-nsa-interview-leaks

The New York times writes:

what started as a dramatic escape story involving a self-described whistle-blower evolved into a diplomatic incident in which the United States faces an open rift with one major power and a tense standoff with another. Hopes for a quick resolution had faded by nightfall.

Notice how they phrase it. Self-described whistle blower.

The South China Morning Post reported Monday night on its Web site that in an interview, Mr. Snowden said he had specifically sought the job at Booz Allen so he could collect information about the N.S.A’s secret surveillance programs to release to news outlets.

This has later been refuted, but did the New York Times bother to correct their mistake? No. Not as far as I can tell.

In their defense, they do write about some interesting things as well.

Critics of the surveillance programs exposed by Mr. Snowden moved in Congress on Monday to curtail them. Senator Patrick J. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont and chairman of the Judiciary Committee, introduced legislation intended to bolster privacy safeguards and require oversight.

My question is, what actual oversight does the NSA have now and when does it ever get enforced, if a person like Snowden was to use the proper channels? Why could he not use the proper channels? Would the New York Times have done anything with NSA documents, if they had been Snowden's choice instead? He said he sent the documents to several news papers, so maybe they had already got them?

Remember to read up on these:
NSA whistleblowers: Thomas Andrews Drake, Mark Klein, William Binney, Thomas Tamm, Russ Tice

 

[kblood]

How independent is the US media exactly? Anyone care to comment?

 

[Minoosh]

What are you asking for? No media is objective. They all make decisions every day on how to place stories, what angles to pursue, etc. The NY Times and Guardian were reporting two completely different angle. One had to do with Snowden diplomatic fallout from the U.S. POV; one had to do with the extent of Google et al. cooperation with the U.S. government.

I've been in the media for a long time. There wasn't any orchestrated attempt that I was aware of to influence how stories were reported. Maybe there was and I missed it.

 

[Alferd_Packer]

There wasn't any orchestrated attempt that I was aware of to influence how stories were reported. Maybe there was and I missed it.

Sorry about that, I'll forward you a copy of the memo

 

[The_Animus]

According to a lawyer on Wisconsin public radio who has worked with people who try to go through the proper whistle blower channels, they just end up being charged with a crime and even have evidence fabricated against them towards that end. She gave a few examples though i.cannot recall their names.