I was going to say that looking at it through a more cynical lens it's to discredit him, but I'm not sure such a lens is required. The difference in reported in

I was going to say that looking at it through a more cynical lens it's to discredit him, but I'm not sure such a lens is required. The difference in reported income, the firing, the criminal investigation, and his job being re-listed as a junior level position are tools to do this. The reason for this smearing could be a PR stunt to shore up investors' confidence (and therefore the stock price), or it could be character assassination and to make casual readers think this was a low-level employee with problems telling the truth and holding down a job. The article that's linked half way through paints Booz Allen as a wonderful, benevolent employer that was gracious enough to hire someone without formal credentials (in this job climate, no less!). It's most certainly to bolster its reputation on Wall Street and also to make people think Snowden was an ungrateful chump for giving up such a cushy position. I've seen it reported in other articles, but I didn't see mention in this article about him not finishing HS. Was this original article edited?