Whistleblowing

Trump Says He Will "Take a Look" at Pardoning Snowden, Ultimately Does Not Grant Pardon

| Importance: 7/10

At a press conference at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf club, President Donald Trump told reporters he was considering a pardon for Edward Snowden, stating “Many people think he should somehow be treated differently, and other people think he did very bad things, and I’m going to take a …

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Edward Snowden Publishes Memoir "Permanent Record"; DOJ Immediately Sues for Proceeds

| Importance: 8/10

Edward Snowden published his memoir “Permanent Record” on September 17, 2019 (Constitution Day), through Metropolitan Books, an imprint of Henry Holt and Company. The book provided Snowden’s first-person account of his life, his work in the intelligence community, his decision to …

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Oliver Stone's "Snowden" Film Brings NSA Whistleblower Story to Mainstream Audiences

| Importance: 7/10

Director Oliver Stone’s biographical thriller “Snowden” was released in U.S. theaters, bringing Edward Snowden’s story to mainstream audiences through a Hollywood dramatization starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the NSA whistleblower. The film chronicled Snowden’s journey …

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U.S. Charges Edward Snowden with Espionage and Theft of Government Property

| Importance: 9/10

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a sealed criminal complaint against Edward Snowden on June 14, 2013, charging him with three felonies: unauthorized communication of national defense information, willful communication of classified communications intelligence information to an unauthorized …

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Edward Snowden Reveals Identity as NSA Whistleblower in Hong Kong Video

| Importance: 10/10

Edward Snowden publicly revealed himself as the source behind the explosive NSA surveillance leaks in a 12-minute video interview filmed at the Mira Hotel in Kowloon, Hong Kong, and published by The Guardian. The 29-year-old former NSA contractor and CIA technical assistant had flown to Hong Kong on …

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Snowden Reveals NSA Mass Surveillance and PRISM Program

| Importance: 10/10

Edward Snowden leaked classified NSA documents to The Guardian and Washington Post, exposing the massive PRISM surveillance program that collected electronic communications from major internet companies without warrants. The revelations showed the NSA was systematically collecting phone and internet …

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Guardian Publishes First Snowden Leak on NSA Verizon Phone Records Collection

| Importance: 10/10

Glenn Greenwald published the first article in The Guardian based on documents leaked by Edward Snowden, revealing a top-secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) order requiring Verizon to hand over all telephone metadata to the National Security Agency on an “ongoing, daily …

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New York Times Exposes NSA Warrantless Surveillance Program

| Importance: 10/10

James Risen and Eric Lichtblau published a groundbreaking front-page New York Times article revealing the NSA had been conducting warrantless surveillance of Americans since 2001 under President Bush’s secret authorization. The story exposed that the NSA, traditionally focused on foreign …

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Gary Webb's "Dark Alliance" Exposes CIA-Contra-Crack Cocaine Connection

| Importance: 10/10

Investigative journalist Gary Webb publishes his explosive three-part “Dark Alliance” series in the San Jose Mercury News, examining connections between the CIA, U.S.-backed Nicaraguan Contra rebels, and the crack cocaine epidemic that devastated African American communities during the …

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