The Moscow Times | The Interpreter
The head of the Russian Electronic Communications Association got permission to use Edward Snowden’s name for a new journalism award, Anna Dolgov reported in The Moscow Times, citing a story from Lenta.ru.
The announcement of the Snowden journalism prize came on the heels of a bill adopted by the State Duma that would require foreign Internet companies to release information about their users to Russian security services or face being banned from the country. Some commentators to point out the apparent irony of Snowden, seen by his supporters as fighting for the freedom of information, living as a political refugee in a country that suppresses such freedom.
But did Snowden actually give the OK?
On Thursday night, Ben Wizner, director of ACLU Speech and one of Snowden’s lawyers, tweeted that the news was not true.
Alleged Russian media award named after Snowden is a hoax. He knows nothing about it and certainly has not given permission to use his name.
— Ben Wizner (@benwizner) April 25, 2014
That led to some questioning by blogger and author Catherine Fitzpatrick and BuzzFeed’s Max Seddon. Here are some of those tweets.
@benwizner That’s not what Russian journalists who have researched this all day have said http://t.co/Sd279we3xj There is such an award.
— CatherineFitzpatrick (@catfitz) April 25, 2014
@benwizner The head of Russian Ass of Electronic Comms said he phoned him and got Snowden’s consent. He’s lying? http://t.co/Sd279we3xj
— CatherineFitzpatrick (@catfitz) April 25, 2014
@benwizner If Snowden really didn’t authorized, these awards, he’s free to announce that in Russia *himself* right? So why didn’t he?
— CatherineFitzpatrick (@catfitz) April 25, 2014
@benwizner Did Snowden tell you that? @aavst says you guys are out of the loop and that he did indeed give permission…
— max seddon (@maxseddon) April 25, 2014
@maxseddon @aavst Snowden is out of the loop? That’s a good one.
— Ben Wizner (@benwizner) April 25, 2014
@benwizner @aavst he told one of you it was false and another that it was true, then?
— max seddon (@maxseddon) April 25, 2014
@maxseddon @aavst He told no one that it was true.
— Ben Wizner (@benwizner) April 25, 2014
@maxseddon Alexey (@aavst) has no idea what he’s talking abt if he sez #Snowden‘s attorneys (me & @benwizner) are out of the loop #HoaxAward
— Jesselyn Radack (@JesselynRadack) April 25, 2014
@JesselynRadack @aavst @benwizner Just to get this clear: Snowden specifically denied to you that he was so much as aware of the prize?
— max seddon (@maxseddon) April 25, 2014
On Friday, Fitzpatrick wrote about the confusion for The Interpreter.
However this story turns out — whether Snowden didn’t keep his American supporters in the loop or whether Russian Internet professionals didn’t really reach Snowden somehow (but one of his minders?), this episode is a reminder for us of an interesting and troubling phenomenon: Snowden himself never communicates directly on social media like Twitter, and is never able to be reached by just any reporter, but only a small circle of trusted “adversarial journalists,” as Glenn Greenwald, who broke the story of Snowden’s leaked documents, terms them.
