Snowden: NSA Spies On Nude Photos
John Oliver, known more for his comedy than serious interviewing, did a very good job interviewing Edward Snowden in Russia.
Click here for reuse options!Oliver’s surprise, unannounced sit-down, which aired Sunday night, features an extended point-by-point discussion on what capabilities, precisely, the NSA has to spy on Americans’ naked photos taken of themselves. But Oliver also asks Snowden several aggressive questions about his motives and the potential damage caused by his disclosures…
“How many of those documents have you actually read?” Oliver asks Snowden.
“I do understand what I turned over,” Snowden replies. But Oliver pushes back: “There’s a difference between understanding what’s in the documents and reading what’s in the documents.”
When Snowden tries to argue that journalists now have his trove of documents and are deciding what to publish, Oliver again doesn’t let him off the hook. “Those are journalists with a lower technical skill set than you,” he notes skeptically.
“In journalism, we have to accept that some mistakes will be made,” Snowden says defensively at one point. “This is a fundamental concept of liberty,” Snowden said.
“You have to own that, then,” Oliver shot back. “You’re giving documents with information you know could be harmful, which could get out there.”
Snowden, surprised at the pointedness of the question, is briefly stunned into silence.
Copyright 2015 Liberaland
14 responses to Snowden: NSA Spies On Nude Photos
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granpa.usthai April 6th, 2015 at 15:23
to fill in the silence,
yes, Edward, you F’d up, big time.
Suzanne McFly April 6th, 2015 at 16:18
I seen part of the interview this morning and Oliver conducted an interview press should be conducting and should of conducted since they have been on the job. Sad thing a comedian can come in and show the press how to do their job.
Larry Schmitt April 6th, 2015 at 16:49
That’s been the case with Stewart and Colbert since they had their shows. The “fake news” shows have more truth than the “real news” shows. Which doesn’t include Fox, which isn’t news at all.
Suzanne McFly April 6th, 2015 at 17:09
I love Colbert and Stewart, but Oliver really questioned Snowden hard and I haven’t seen anyone interview a person the way he did. He asked questions that needed to be asked, he did not care if Snowden was uncomfortable and that is how an interview should be conducted.
rg9rts April 7th, 2015 at 07:49
How do you think the current generation gets their news…I had to rely on Soupy Sales
Suzanne McFly April 7th, 2015 at 20:30
I read a lot of different websites and watch MSNBC and local news daily, but I watch Jon Stewart every night and come away with a better understanding of the news. I love Maddow also, but Stewart takes some of the sting out of the news and makes you smile.
rg9rts April 8th, 2015 at 01:16
Round it out with the BBC on PBS weeknights
Suzanne McFly April 9th, 2015 at 07:26
I do watch PBS every so often.
rg9rts April 9th, 2015 at 10:52
Look for the BBC broadcast..often stories ignored by the american press and asking insightful questions to the DC bunch…5:30 by me…I wish I had Al Jazzera
William April 6th, 2015 at 22:42
It’s a bit sad that the first real in depth interview with Snowden where hard ball questions were thrown, was done by a comedian.
CHOCOL8MILK April 7th, 2015 at 01:39
Deleting my D pics, didn’t know NSA was watching.
Warman1138 April 7th, 2015 at 05:24
Got to keep an eye on naked people to keep America safe. Every right wing anal head hider knows that.
rg9rts April 7th, 2015 at 07:46
We still need his bust in Brooklyn…gothamist for details
Roctuna April 7th, 2015 at 07:52
Possibly some of the best TV journalism ever. Hard questions with an ironic edge. I got the feeling he made Snowden think about his actions from a new angle.