Killing the Messenger

On the evening of Wednesday, May 28, 2014, NBC television aired Brian Williams interview with Edward Snowden who publicized NSA's global surveillance of phone and Internet communications. The National Security Agency of the United States collects this data on the premise that we are being protected from 'terrorism'.

NBC invited watchers of the interview to vote on Twitter whether Snowden is a Patriot or Traitor. The result, after the time allowed for voting ended, was 61% for being a Patriot against 39% being a Traitor.

Snowden Twitter Graph
White = Patriot / Blue = Traitor

Using the Twitter approval graph as a guide, I expected panel discussions on TV about the legality of data collection by NSA, but instead, I heard only criticisms of Snowden as a law breaker.

History has examples of killing messengers; in Plutarch's Lives, Tigranes, Emperor of Armenia, decapitated the messenger bringing news of a surprise attack by Lucullus, a commander of the Roman Republic.

One doesn't have to reach back in history to know messengers live in peril. We have a recent example of how derision and scornful criticism can lead to the death of a messenger.

Gary Stephen Webb, (Aug 31, 1955 – Dec 10, 2004) was an American investigative reporter. He authored the 1996 series of articles called “Dark Alliance” for the San Jose Mercury News. In a 20,000 word, three part series, he documented the CIA's knowledge that Nicaraguan drug traffickers sold and distributed large shipments of crack cocaine in Los Angels during the 1980's and that the profits were used to fund CIA supported Nicaraguan Contras. He charged the Reagan administration with shielding inner-city drug dealers from prosecution in order to raise money for the Contras after Congress passed the Boland Amendment prohibiting direct Contra funding.

“Dark Alliance” gained national attention and was the most talked about journalism in 1996. Immediate denials emerged. Backlash against Webb and his story came from media manipulation by the government thru the largest newspapers, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, The Washington Post, and later, by the papers editors. Further details concerning publication, documentation, retractions and denials can be read on numerous internet sites and on Wikipedia pages.

Because of the controversy, San Jose Mercury News backed away from the story, ending Webb's career as a mainstream media journalist. Continued denunciation and harsh critical attacks resulted in Webb's inability to financially support his family. He committed suicide December 10, 2004.

Webb's story, his work and talent has been vindicated by researchers resulting in retractions by the same newspapers that had criticized him. In recognition of his talent, a movie, “Kill the Messenger”, a Peter Landesman screenplay, based on the “Dark Alliance” series, directed by Michael Cuesta, starring Jeremy Renner, is due to open in October 2014.

Is it possible that we Americans would rather kill a messenger than deal with the content of the information that Snowden brought us?

"The first messenger that gave notice of Lucullus' coming was so far from pleasing Tigranes that he had his head cut off for his pains; and no man daring to bring further information, without any intelligence at all, Tigranes sat while war was already blazing around him, giving ear only to those who flattered him...".

Plutarch's Lives