Danny Schechter, the editor of Mediachannel.org, says that the US government is targeting journalism in the wake of American whistleblower Edward Snowdenâ„¢s leakage of massive spying programs by the National Security Agency.
Å“A new attack (is) coming on journalism from the government in connection with this whole Snowden case and spying scandal,” Schechter told Press TV on Sunday.
Two months after Snowdenâ„¢s revelations to The Guardianâ„¢s journalist Glen Greenwald, David Miranda, Greenwaldâ„¢s partner was arrested in London Heathrow Airport.
Schechter said the arrest of Greenwaldâ„¢s friend and the call from British authorities on The Guardian to destroy the data it received from Snowden, a former NSA contractor, is an attack on Å“free press.”
That is why Å“The Guardian has reached out for support” from the New York Times, he noted. By aligning itself with The Guardian, the Times is Å“trying to be on the right side of this issue which is the freedom of press issue,” Schechter added.
Miranda was detained on August 18 and informed that he was to be questioned under Schedule 7 of Britainâ„¢s Terrorism Act 2000.
Greenwald said Mirandaâ„¢s detention was Å“clearly intended to send a message of intimidation to those who have been reporting on the NSA and GCHQ (Britain’s eavesdropping agency).
Mirandaâ„¢s detention comes after British Prime Minister James Cameron pushed the paper to destroy the classified documents it received from the former NSA contractor.
Snowden provided Greenwald with secret documents showing that the NSA is collecting communications of all Americans and other nationals throughout the world.
AT/ARA
Republished from: Press TV