It's important that we elevate and primarily focus on the rights of American citizens, but it's also important that we don't forget, 95 percent of the world's population lives beyond our own borders.
Edward SnowdenRead
After 9/11, many of the most important news outlets in America abdicated their role as a check to power - the journalistic responsibility to challenge the excesses of government - for fear of being seen as unpatriotic and punished in the market during a period of heightened nationalism.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the failure of media to hold government accountable after 9/11 due to fear of backlash.
In this quote, Edward Snowden reflects on how the aftermath of the September 11 attacks created a culture of heightened nationalism in America, which led many major news organizations to abandon their critical role in scrutinizing government actions. This shift was driven by a fear of being perceived as unpatriotic, suggesting that these outlets prioritized their market interests over their journalistic integrity, thus compromising the essential democratic function of the press as a check on power.
Themes
JournalismGovernmentNationalismAccountabilityMedia
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on media ethics, to illustrate the importance of journalistic integrity.
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I don't see myself as a hero because what I'm doing is self-interested: I don't want to live in a world where there's no privacy and therefore no room for intellectual exploration and creativity.
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