A group of guerrilla artists' lofty, albeit controversial, goal of enshrining whistle-blower Edward Snowden among the ranks ofAmerican heroes was thwarted on Monday as New York City Department of Parks & Recreation officials promptly removed a bust of Mr. Snowden that the artists had installed atop a war memorial in Brooklyn, N.Y.

The group of artists, whose identities have not been confirmed, had fastened a custom-made bust of the former National Security Agency contractor to part of the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument, a memorial to Revolutionary War soldiers. The parks department quickly covered the unsanctioned bust with a tarp and removed it shortly thereafter.

But while the dance of discord played out by the activist artists and park officials may haveamused local spectators, it is representative of a divide within American society: the split between those who view Snowden as a national hero and those who believe he is a traitor.

According to a January 2014 poll by the Pew Research Center, while public opinion is divided over whether the Snowden leaks served the public interest, most young Americans are supportive of Snowden.

57% of 18- to 29-year olds said the leaks haveservedrather than harmed the public interest .... These youngest adults were the only age group without majority support for prosecuting Snowden they split 42%-42% on whether the former NSA contractor should be tried,Drew DeSilver wrote for Pew.

The Snowden case has been polarizing since the beginning. In 2013, Snowdens leaks, originally reported by former Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald and documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras, exposed an extensive, covert surveillance program that spied on US citizens, residents, and foreigners alike. But while some painted Snowden as a hero dedicated to transparency, others labeled him a national traitor.

"For society to function well, there have to be basic levels of trust and cooperation, a respect for institutions and deference to common procedures,"David Brookswrote in The New York Timesin 2013. "By deciding to unilaterally leak secret N.S.A. documents, Snowden has betrayed all of these things."

The artists disagree.

Fort Greenes Prison Ship Martyrs Monument is a memorial to American POWs who lost their lives during the Revolutionary War. We have updated this monument to highlight those who sacrifice their safety in the fight against modern-day tyrannies. It would be a dishonor to those memorialized here to not laud those who protect the ideals they fought for, as Edward Snowden has by bringing the NSAs 4th-Amendment-violating surveillance programs to light. All too often, figures who strive to uphold these ideals have been cast as criminals rather than in bronze,theywrote in a statementpublished by the New York-based online news publication Animal.

Meanwhile, some argue that rather than just demonstrating support for Snowden, the bust would help raise awareness about the issue of surveillance, as most Americans dont even know who Snowden is.

Read this article:
Snowden statue points to divide in US society: Is he hero or traitor? (+video)

Artists installed this bust of Edward Snowden at the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument in Brooklyn on Apr. 6, 2015. Aymann Ismail/Animal New York

NEW YORK -- A monument has grown in Brooklyn.

CBS News New York reports that photos and video posted on AnimalNewYork.com show a massive bust of Edward Snowden has been illicitly erected on one of the four columns of the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument in Fort Greene.

According to the report, the sculpture weighs 100 pounds and was attached in a way that will make it easy to remove.

According to the report, the artists called the bust "Prison Ship Martyrs Monument 2.0."

"It would be a dishonor to those memorialized here to not laud those who protect the ideals they fought for, as Edward Snowden has by bringing the NSA's 4th-Amendment-violating surveillance programs to light," the artists behind the installation told Animal New York. "All too often, figures who strive to uphold these ideals have been cast as criminals rather than in bronze."

The bust is made of a plaster-like substance called hydrocal. It took about six months and thousands of dollars to produce the bust, according to the report.

"We look at this as a gift to the city, but, you know, gifts are sometimes not accepted," one artist says in a video about the project.

The installation also includes Snowden's name at the base of the column.

The original Prison Ship's Martyrs Monument commemorates more than 11,500 men and women who died as captives aboard British prison ships during the Revolutionary War.

Read the original:
Edward Snowden bust illicitly mounted at NYC war monument

And just like that, it was gone. New York City park officials spent Monday dismantling an anonymous artists' installation at Brooklyn's Fort Greene Park

New Yorkers on their morning walks today were surprised to see a monument to controversialNational Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowdeninstalled in a Brooklyn park.

The guerrilla artists fastened the carefully crafted bust of Mr. Snowden in Fort Greene Parkon the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument, which is dedicated to 11,000 prisoners of war who died as captives aboard British ships during the Revolutionary War. The choice of location was not a coincidence.

"We feel that Snowden's actions really continue that story," the artists anonymously told Mashable. "It is built upon a set of ideals to live freely, not be confined or surveilled or monitored by your government. You cant have freedom of expression to pursue liberty if you feel like you're doing it under a watchful eye."

The artists think Snowden will in time come to be seen as a hero, despite being characterized as a criminal by many, like many of America's revolutionary Patriots.

"All too often, figures who strive to uphold these ideals have been cast as criminals rather than in bronze," the artists told Animal.

The statue appeared in the park the morning after HBOs aired comedian John Olivers interview with Snowden, which was filmed in Russia where Snowden has been in hiding since fleeing the United States in 2013.

The artists, two of whom concocted the idea and a third who created the sculpture, spent nearly a year on the project. The bust was designed specifically for the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument and weighed 100 pounds. Their hope was that the city would leave the statue in place and allow the conversation about Snowden, security and transparency to continue. However, this plan has already failed.

The letters at the bottom of the pedestal, which spelled out Snowdens name, were removed and the statue was covered with a tarp upon discovery this morning. Later in the day the bust was removed because, according to park officials, the installation of unapproved artwork in city parks is illegal.

Twitter was quick to notice the irony of the transparency advocate's statue being concealed from the public.

Continued here:
Guerrilla artists install Edward Snowden sculpture in ...

Brooklyn hipster artistsstrike again?

A public monument to Edward Snowden was unveiled at a New York park early Monday only to be covered up by park officials later in the day. The work of art included a sculpted bust of the National Security Agency document leaker, according to photographs posted on blogs and news sites.

A group of unidentified artists revealed the monument at the Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn. An onlinevideo from the site Animal New York appears to show the individuals working late at night and into the morning to place the Snowden bust on top of a column.

It appears that the shrine was created on the site of an existing park structure that features a bronze eagle. A voice on the video says the bust of Snowden was mounted in a fashion that it could be removed "without doing permanent damage to the structure."

The video says that the Snowden bust was placed on top of the park's Prison Ship Martyrs Monument, a memorial to Revolutionary War soldiers.

Park officials later covered up the bust with a blue tarp-like sheet. Some photos posted on Twitter show officials removing the covered Snowden head from the monument.

A representative for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation confirmed that the Snowden art work was taken down.

"Parks and NYPD have removed the sculpture. The erection of any unapproved structure or artwork in a city park is illegal," said Maeri Ferguson of the Parks' press office.

Snowden worked as a contractor for the NSA before he leaked a trove of classified documents that revealed extensive government cyberspying on American citizens. Currently a fugitive from U.S. officials, Snowden is believed to be in Russia, where he has been given asylum.

Twitter:@DavidNgLAT

Read more:
Edward Snowden monument unveiled, then covered up, in Brooklyn park

Edward Snowden didn't leak this picture.

On Monday, Open Road Films released a promotional photo of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Shailene Woodley in director Oliver Stone's highly anticipated biopic, Snowden, via its social media accounts.

The first look at the pair together shows Gordon-Levitt, who plays Edward Snowden, and Woodley, who plays the whistleblower's girlfriend, Lindsay Mills, walking near the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. Stone's thriller tells the story of Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor who leaked sensitive documents that revealed U.S. government surveillance information.

Last month, the studio released the first promotional still of Gordon-Levitt dressed in army gear.

"This is gonna be Oliver's twentieth film," Gordon-Levitt tweeted at the time. "And I feel so sincerely privileged that he asked me to play this part."

Stone is a three-time Academy Award winner as well as a military veteran. He is best known for directing Born on the Fourth of July, Platoon and Midnight Express.

NEWS: Shailene Woodley is not a "total pothead"

Last month, while promoting Insurgent, Woodley called Snowden "a hero."

"I define a hero as somebody, who against the judgment of other people, if they believe something will positively impact the world and they choose to do it and honor their integrity, that's what I sort of consider a hero, no matter how big or mall a feat they create," the actress told E! News. "And in that light, absolutely I think that Edward Snowden is a hero."

Woodley hasn't been able to meet Snowden, but she'd like the chance.

See more here:
Snowden First Look: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Shailene Woodley Film on Location in Washington, D.C.

British comedian travelled to Moscow to interview the whistleblower Questions why the former CIA systems administrator leaked the files Gets him to explain the security threat in the context of nude pictures Describes Snowden as America's most famous 'hero and/or traitor' Snowden, at moments, is stunned into silence by the line of questioning

By Ian Drury And Daniel Bates For The Daily Mail

Published: 01:03 EST, 6 April 2015 | Updated: 05:22 EST, 7 April 2015

582 shares

1k

View comments

Traitor Edward Snowden has revealed he did not read all the top-secret intelligence documents he leaked a move which put lives at risk from terrorists.

In a television interview the fugitive squirmed as he admitted only evaluating the files stolen from GCHQ and the US National Security Agency.

The former US spy also acknowledged there had been a f***-up when newspapers that were handed the classified material failed to redact sensitive details exposing operations against Al Qaeda.

Scroll down for video

Read the original:
Edward Snowden didn't even read all the top-secret files he leaked

A monument to Edward Snowden was erected in Fort Greene on Monday morning.Photo: Justine Williams

Even a fake Edward Snowden cant spend a day in NYC before getting carted away by authorities.

A 100-pound bronze bust of the infamous whistleblower was erected early Monday morning on top of Fort Greene Parks Prison Ship Martyrs monument, which pays homage to Revolutionary War soldiers.

Two anonymous artists took it upon themselves to modernize the monument by sneaking into the park at 4 a.m. and adhering Snowdens plaster head to the top of a pillar.

We have updated this monument to highlight those who sacrifice their safety in the fight against modern-day tyrannies, the artists wrote in a statement to ANIMAL New York.

It would be a dishonor to those memorialized here to not laud those who protect the ideals they fought for, as Edward Snowden has by bringing the NSAs 4th-Amendment-violating surveillance programs to light, they added. All too often, figures who strive to uphold these ideals have been cast as criminals rather than in bronze.

The artists worked with a West Coast sculptor for a year to create the 4-foot-tall replica. They devoted a lot of time to matching the monuments original aesthetic and figuring out a way to seamlessly adhere it in case city officials removed it.

Their attention to detail proved invaluable to the Parks Department, who raced to the scene and immediately covered the statue with a blue tarp.

Workers spent at least two hours strategizing how to remove the $30,000 statue and a plastic plaque bearing Snowdens name in block letters before taking both down just after 2 p.m, leaving behind a thin layer of glue on the monument.

The Parks Department didnt immediately respond to questions from The Post as to the statues future, but the NYPD did confirm it was investigating the incident.

The rest is here:
100-pound Snowden bust appears in NYC park

Since its debut nearly a year ago, "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver" has been steadily gaining awareness among viewers for going "The Daily Show" one better by taking complex subjects and tackling them in a comedic way. But on Sunday's show, Oliver seems to have taken the show to the next level, both in comedy and audience respect with his surprise interview with NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.

The longer episode, at 45 minutes, included a 33-minute discussion of the upcoming renewal of the Patriot Act and its implications for the American public. It turns out, at least according to Oliver's random sampling of Americans in New York City's Times Square, that the public is ill informed about the controversy surrounding Snowden and the implications of the information that he leaked.

Snowden, the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary "Citizenfour" is in Russia, so Oliver traveled to Moscow to sit down with the computer specialist and explain to him, with video assist, that the American public has no real idea who he is or what he's trying to tell them.

Oliver also demonstrated the problem with a clip from MSNBC in which host Andrea Mitchell interrupted a congresswoman discussing a key part of the Patriot Act to bring viewers "breaking news" on Justin Bieber's arrest.

Oliver's interview with Snowden was not a comedy puffball. Though he started off with jokes about Hot Pockets, he quickly began pressing Snowden about his responsibilty for some of the more sensitive information he leaked getting mishandled by the media.

And when Snowden tried to argue his points about unchecked government surveillance, Oliver brusquely waved him off, the same way people would get bored by an IT guy droning on about computer stuff.

Instead, Oliver gave Snowden an easily graspable way for the public at large to understand the things he's talking about. Forget surveillance of charities or overseas phone calls. Can the government look at our own private nudie pics?

The answer, not surprisingly, is yes. And Snowden discussed all the various ways the government could access our nudie pics, all while sitting with a folder containing a nudie pic of Oliver himself on his lap.

The interview walked a tightrope between comedy and actual journalism; the reaction on Twitter has been overwhelmingly positive.

With the public's privacy fears boiled down to just one subject very close to home, it seems as if Snowden's message may start to resonate.

See the original post here:
Viewers react to John Oliver's Edward Snowden interview

NEW YORK Has incisive investigative journalism, sharp-eyed cultural criticism, and engaging news-related interviewing found its most contemporary television voice with John Oliver?

Just about to mark its first-year anniversary, HBOs Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, version 2.0 of the so-called fake news genre popularized by the likes of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert over the past decade, surprised its growing number of viewers on Sunday with an unannounced taped interview with the most famous hero and/or traitor in recent American history, Edward Snowden.

And with the interview, Mr. Oliver, with an even more aggressively lewd and profane brand of HBO-permitted humor, once again upped the ante for the liberal-leaning comedy genre. He has transformed traditional satire and news parody into what some are calling some of the most effective civic journalism on television today.

Hes trying to make abstruse policy relatable in a way that closes the loop for citizens to participate actively in the process, says Aram Sinnreich, professor at Rutgers Universitys School of Communication and Information in New Brunswick, N.J. And he did it in a way that was rigorous, nonsensationalistic, and surprisingly nuanced.

Indeed, many credited the British-born comedian with changing the national debate over net neutralitylast year, introducing Title II of the hoary Federal Communications Act to many viewers and causing millions of them to inundate the Federal Communications Commission with pro-net neutrality comments. The agency eventually decided to regulate the Internet as a utility under said Title II a move few ever thought politically feasible.

Its been nearly two years since Mr. Snowden, the exiled former National Security Agency contractornow living in Russia, infamously leaked top-secret government documents, exposing the stunning scope of the American governments massive domestic surveillance operations, authorized by the post-9/11 USA Patriot Act in 2001. He faces espionage charges in the United States.

And this time, Oliver has reintroduced Section 215 of the Patriot Act, the part of the law that has given the federal government a virtual carte blanche to spy on US citizens and is set to expire on June 1.

Refresh your memory: Section 215, which Im aware sounds like an eastern European boy band, Oliver said during Sundays telecast. Then, with a Slavic-tinged accent: We are Section 215; prepare to have your hearts throbbed. Theres the cute one, the bad boy, the one who strangled a potato farmer, and the one without an iron deficiency. Theyre incredible!

Yet jokes decidedly not aside, Oliver has brought a civic earnestness and unabashed advocacy to the news that his staff researches thoroughly, observers note.

A lot of people have been critical ... that the younger generation gets its news this way, and that they dont know the difference between comedy and the news, says Paul Levinson, media critic and professor of communications and media studies at Fordham University in New York. But I always thought the criticism itself was nonsense, because whoever was getting their news that way was getting real news.

Original post:
Did John Oliver just trump Jon Stewart with Edward Snowden interview?

Video will begin in 5 seconds.

Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden sat down with comedian John Oliver to chat about US government surveillance debate in terms all Americans can understand.

Former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, who blew the whistle on mass government surveillance, has dodged questions about whether he had read all the classified documents he leaked to the public and explained the practical realities of the mass data collection in terms most internet users clearly understand: how easily the government can access your "dick pics".

Snowden made the rare face-to-face interview with comedian and host of satirical program Last Week Tonight John Oliver, who proved once again he does journalism better than many professional journalists. Oliver travelled to Moscow a week ago to speak to Snowden, who sought asylum in Russia after going public with the material.

Oliver, who has fiercely resisted being labelled a journalist in the past, pushed Snowden with a direct and challenging line of questioning in parts of the interview about whether he had actually read all the documents he leaked, asserting that there had been "f...-ups", as Oliver termed them.

Edward Snowden opened up in an interview with John Oliver.

Snowden replied that he had evaluated and "understood" all the documents, but would not confirm that he had actually read them.

Advertisement

The British host and his subject also provided perhaps the simplest explanation yet for how the surveillance program actually worked, using the nude pictures people send to each other online as an example.

"This is the most visible line in the sand for people," said Oliver, "can they see my dick?"

Originally posted here:
Snowden tells Oliver how the government is collecting 'dick pics'