Snowden and American Drama

The American public is infatuated with drama.  It's almost impossible to check out of a grocery store without seeing some celebrity's 'kankles,' the royal baby's mug, or one of Bieber's Meltdowns.  But as if trash magazines aren't enough, flipping through the channels will surely provide that daily dose of 'reality.' With shows like 'Jon & Kate Plus 8,' 'The Jersey Shore,' and 'The Real Housewives of <insertyourcityhere>,' television provides the altercations, tension, and celebrity drama that the people crave.  Unfortunately, it seems that news providers across all stations are falling in love with drama, or at least the ratings that it gives them.

This Summer I was able to follow the NSA Scandal pretty closely and what surprised me more than the leaking of the confidential documents and their content was how the story was presented by the media. The major news providers, including NBC, ABC, and CBS appeared to be in a constant battle of 'one-upping' one another with details, not regarding the document leaks, but details focused on Edward Snowden as an individual.  Many of the stories revolved around the leaker instead of what was leaked.  During one week of the developing story, segments pertaining to the physical whereabouts of Snowden greatly overshadowed the more important matter at hand: the contents of the leaked documents.  On the social networks, individuals tended to be more concerned with the status of the former NSA employee and less with the debate on Americans privacy rights.   The sudden spotlight of world wide media coverage made Snowden an instant celebrity, and in the eyes of America, it was Snowden who was captivating.  Debates on whether Snowden was a hero or traitor filled my homepage.  Many times I would open an article only to find that it was mainly about Snowden's dancer girlfriend or his dad's letter to the president.

It concerning how the American public is so intrigued by celebrity status. What's more concerning is the fact that U.S. media news sources are catering to the starry-eyed citizens in order to boost ratings and capture another demographic of television watchers.  I would be wrong to say that every news story focused on lesser aspects of the scandal.  Many stations discussed the balance between privacy and security, the constitutionality of the matter, and the future course of action for America.  Unfortunately, it seemed these topics were weakened by the attention given to Snowden.

Many are calling this the greatest leak in American history while others claim that there was no revelation in the release of classified documents.  Regardless, this is an important time for American privacy rights and public awareness is of the utmost importance when attempting to achieving the best interest of the people. One can only hope that most citizens know and care enough about privacy rights to make informed decisions.  This awareness starts with news media and and the information they choose to broadcast.

~A. Mason