A Pulitzer Prize, the main reward that can crown the work of American journalists, devoted Monday, April 14 the American edition of Guardian and The Washington Post. The jury welcomes their publication of the revelations about the surveillance system of the American National Security Agency (NSA), made possible thanks to the documents provided by Edward Snowden, a former consultant for the intelligence agency now a refugee in Russia.
Read our file dedicated to the revelations ofEdward Snowden
Icharged with Statesof espionage and theft of state documents, Edward Snowden on Monday hailed a Pulitzer who “concurs with everyone who thinks the public has a role in government.”
LIVELY DISCUSSION
In a statement, he praised the work of journalists “in the face of extraordinary intimidation, including the forcible destruction of journalistic materials or the improper use of laws counter-terrorism ».
“The award wasn’t really focused on Mr. Snowden »however, pointed out on Monday the administrator of the price Pulitzer at University columbia, sid Gissler. Mr. Gissler paid tribute to newspapers that have “helped stimulate this very important discussion about balancing privacy and security”.
A long debate animated the American press on the value of these revelations and the personality of the whistleblower Snowden. While the scoop’s journalistic significance was undisputed, its political repercussions, the need to publish state secrets and the “treachery” denounced by certain American elected officials remain in question within the profession.
Usual practice but not systematic, the jUry Pulitzer awarded newspapers, rather than journalists authors articles. The category in which the prize is awarded, “public service”, is symbolic.
“A POWERFUL MESSAGE”
Glenn Greenwald, for The Guardianand Barton Gellman, of washington posthave brought to light the extent of the NSA’s surveillance network after a long investigative work with Edward Snowden.
The publication in the press, from June 6, 2013, of this confidential information, embarrassed the American government and strained relations with allied countries furious to discover that Washington was even recording the private conversations of some of their leaders.
They have also sparked a lively debate in the United States on the merits, limits and morality of such programs. The reaction of the American administration against the two dailies, and against their source, had been virulent.
Read also: Obama accused of being an ‘enemy of press freedom’
On Twitter, the editor of the GuardianAlan Rusbridger, felt that this award sent a powerful message about the service rendered to the American public by the Snowden revelations.
Without these revelations, “We would never have known how far this country has moved away from the rights of the individual in favor of the power of the state. There would have been no public debate about the proper balance between privacy and national security. And even the president acknowledged that it was a conversation that needed to be had”added the editor-in-chief of the washington postMartin Baron.
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Edward Snowden revelations win Pulitzer Prize