John Cusack Blasts Mainstream Media Coverage of Snowden, NSA
July 5th, 2013
Hollywood actor John Cusack is best known for his roles on the silver screen, but he also serves on the board of the Freedom of the Press Foundation. Though few famous actors and actresses have challenged the policies of President Obama, Cusack recently had some choice tweets for the President after Edward Snowden revealed that the National Security Agency has been conducting widespread, unwarranted spying operations on the American people.
On Tuesday, the Freedom of the Press Foundation hosted a conference call during which Cusack criticized the mainstream media for focusing on the vilification of Edward Snowden, rather than pursuing the very real crimes committed by the administration, which he had compared to Nixon’s in a previous tweet. Slate reported on the conference call, which also included members of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Restore the Fourth, and Stop Watching Us, groups committed to civil liberties.
Who Is the Real Criminal?
Talking heads on TV news channels have leveraged countless reasons as to why Edward Snowden should be considered a criminal or traitor, even though most admit that what he did was, in essence, the right thing to do. Some say he should have reported it to Congress or authorities at the NSA rather than leaking info to the media. However, everyone knows that government agencies are not the best at holding themselves accountable, and, in the intelligence community, whistleblowing carries greater risks than just losing one’s job.
Snowden went out of his way to obscure specific, operational information that could affect national security. The info that he released simply described the type of information taken from Americans, which is being done illegally. Those who claim that his whistleblowing could affect national security have yet to explain exactly in what manner. None of the information he released would in any way be useful to a terrorist.
John Cusack Wants the Media to Cover the NSA Scandal, Not Snowden
Media corporations are addicted to presidential access. Holding President Obama to account might result in the cancellation of a company’s invitation to the next White House presser. As such, reporters have been covering the NSA scandal by focusing on the demonization of Edward Snowden to help the administration shift the blame.
Said Cusack in the above-linked Slate article, “Why are the red and blue elites in the establishment press so afraid of an informed public? Why do they keep changing the subject? Have the establishment media been so co-opted by government access that they’ve lost all sense of proportionality?” He also referred to the media’s demonization of whistleblowers as “the oldest trick in the book.”
It’s certainly unusual to find a Hollywood movie star who isn’t afraid to hold a Democratic administration accountable. John Cusack believes in privacy, regardless which party is in the White House. Freedom of the press is an important part of America’s political system, and Cusack’s organization raised some important issues. Reporters shouldn’t be carrying water for any president. It’s time for the media to take the magnifying glass off Snowden and place it instead on the officials responsible for the NSA’s crimes.
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