This followup to episode 14 looks at art and media that predicted the Edward Snowden story – either his personal story or the political discussion surrounding it.  From Catch-22 to Enemy of the State, James Bond to Spooks to Star Trek, this show reviews the ways in which our perceptions of Snowden and his ‘revelations’ were shaped and conditioned long before the leaks began.  I also touch on the public image of the NSA and how this differs from that of the CIA, and round by emphasizing how we need to get beyond the truth messiahs, the idea of omniscient whistleblowers, if we are to adequately respond to the mass surveillance state.

Sources:

ClandesTime 014 – Is Edward Snowden a False Flag?

Star Trek season 2 episode 26 – Assignment Earth

Catch-22 (film version)

Van Charles Snowden

The Simpsons Movie

“No Such Agency”: 11 movies that tried to warn us about the NSA

NSA on TV and film: the shows that predicted the surveillance revelations

Spooks season 3 episode 7

Skyfall

The Newsroom season 1 episode 7 and 8

Enemy of the State

Will Smith visits CIA headquarters