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Shoot the messenger! No, nuke the messenger! Torture the messenger! Message, what message?

by speeder 13y ago

mtgx 13y ago
It's getting worse. Now we're turning the story from Snowden to Greenwald. It's sad to see that even the media doesn't want to protect itself anymore. Well I hope they won't count on our support later, when they come arresting more of them for publishing any sort of leak and "harming national security".
- eightyone 13y ago
  It is definitely getting worse. I had MSNBC on last night as background noise and heard several pundits speculate that Snowden may have sold or given information to China or Russia.
  - pyre 13y ago
    That's what they do though. They have to fill the air time with something so they fill it with wild speculation. Unfortunately, this ends up leading the public discussion around by the nose.
    - griffordson 13y ago
      Yes, by why are they speculating about the crimes that Snowden and Greenwald may have committed rather than the crimes that members of the Establishment may have committed? They could just as well fill that time with wild speculation about what people with access to the data could be doing with it. In fact, that would be even more entertaining and given the bipartisan disdain for these secrete laws among the proletariat, it would likely improve ratings even more. In fact, normally that is what they fill their time with. MSNBC speculates wildly about members of the GOP while Fox speculates wildly about members of the Democratic party. Why is this case different? What should that difference tell us?
- RyanMcGreal 13y ago
  The traditional media are pissed off that Greenwald, a blogger, broke this story from under their noses.
eli 13y ago
HN is just as guilty as everyone else. People are interested in the messenger because it's a genuinely interesting story -- a real life spy thriller! The fact that the NSA spies on internet communications, on the other hand, has been known (at least in principle) for years.
- ihsw 13y ago
  Spying isn't a problem, hypocrisy is. While the USG decries terrorists and unfriendly state-actors as a major source of cyber-warfare, the US are most certainly at the heart of it as well. This seems like the build-up to a war and the United States government has mobilized unimaginable resources devoted to offensive capabilities, and there's an eerie sense of escalation that's reminiscent of the Cold War.
  - LoganCale 13y ago
    Spying is a problem too.
- wslh 13y ago
  I see two stories, both valid. The story about the messenger is a lesson of the times to come where few people can make a lot of difference. I am not talking about whistleblowing, I am talking about a more radical approach like hacking country facilities around the world to uncover and discover crimes and unethical actions. It's obvious that this power can be used for good or bad. Do you remember the last time in history where a single person without any weapons or military training has such big impact? You don't even need followers. I am really excited! (uh, NSA is reading HN too).

Shoot the messenger! No, nuke the messenger! Torture the messenger! Message, what message?

by speeder 13y ago

Shoot the messenger! No, nuke the messenger! Torture the messenger! Message, what message?

mtgx 13y ago

It's getting worse. Now we're turning the story from Snowden to Greenwald. It's sad to see that even the media doesn't want to protect itself anymore. Well I hope they won't count on our support later, when they come arresting more of them for publishing any sort of leak and "harming national security".

eightyone 13y ago
It is definitely getting worse. I had MSNBC on last night as background noise and heard several pundits speculate that Snowden may have sold or given information to China or Russia.
- pyre 13y ago
  That's what they do though. They have to fill the air time with something so they fill it with wild speculation. Unfortunately, this ends up leading the public discussion around by the nose.
  - griffordson 13y ago
    Yes, by why are they speculating about the crimes that Snowden and Greenwald may have committed rather than the crimes that members of the Establishment may have committed? They could just as well fill that time with wild speculation about what people with access to the data could be doing with it. In fact, that would be even more entertaining and given the bipartisan disdain for these secrete laws among the proletariat, it would likely improve ratings even more. In fact, normally that is what they fill their time with. MSNBC speculates wildly about members of the GOP while Fox speculates wildly about members of the Democratic party. Why is this case different? What should that difference tell us?
RyanMcGreal 13y ago
The traditional media are pissed off that Greenwald, a blogger, broke this story from under their noses.

eli 13y ago

HN is just as guilty as everyone else. People are interested in the messenger because it's a genuinely interesting story -- a real life spy thriller! The fact that the NSA spies on internet communications, on the other hand, has been known (at least in principle) for years.

ihsw 13y ago
Spying isn't a problem, hypocrisy is. While the USG decries terrorists and unfriendly state-actors as a major source of cyber-warfare, the US are most certainly at the heart of it as well. This seems like the build-up to a war and the United States government has mobilized unimaginable resources devoted to offensive capabilities, and there's an eerie sense of escalation that's reminiscent of the Cold War.
- LoganCale 13y ago
  Spying is a problem too.
wslh 13y ago
I see two stories, both valid. The story about the messenger is a lesson of the times to come where few people can make a lot of difference. I am not talking about whistleblowing, I am talking about a more radical approach like hacking country facilities around the world to uncover and discover crimes and unethical actions. It's obvious that this power can be used for good or bad. Do you remember the last time in history where a single person without any weapons or military training has such big impact? You don't even need followers. I am really excited! (uh, NSA is reading HN too).