The Guardian is being threatened with censorship & closure over Edward Snowden revelations

[99th_Monkey]

With The Guardian itself now under direct attack like this, I think things just a lot stranger. I mean WTF?
One of the bastions of real journalism is being openly bullied by the surveillance & security state thugs.

~~~~ * ~~~~ * ~~~~ * ~~~~ * ~~~~ * ~~~~ * ~~~~ * ~~~~ * ~~~~ * ~~~~

Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger says paper was threatened with censorship over Edward Snowden revelations
ABC News - The World Today * By Will Ockenden * August 20, 2013

Guardian newspaper editor Alan Rusbridger has revealed that British authorities threatened to censor his team's reporting on surveillance by the state.

Rusbridger says British officials told him that documents from the whistleblower Edward Snowden should be destroyed or handed back and that they would use the courts to enforce their position.

The British government is already facing questions over why the partner of a Guardian journalist was held at Heathrow Airport for nine hours under anti-terrorism laws.

Rusbridger wrote on the Guardian website that UK officials have asked him to stop reporting news of government internet surveillance systems.

"During one of these meetings I asked directly whether the government would move to close down the Guardian's reporting through a legal route - by going to court to force the surrender of the material on which we were working," he said in a statement.

He says two months ago he was contacted by a senior government official who said he represented the views of prime minister David Cameron.

Rusbridger says during a "steely" yet "cordial" meeting, the official demanded the return or destruction of documents obtained from Mr Snowden. "The official confirmed that, in the absence of handover or destruction, this was indeed the government's intention," Rusbridger said.

"Prior restraint, near impossible in the US, was now explicitly and imminently on the table in the UK."

LOTS MORE AT THE LINK, INCLUDING

Security experts 'oversaw destruction of hard drives'
Rusbridger says that about a month ago, a UK official, referring to the Snowden documents, told him: "You've had your fun. Now we want the stuff back." He says there were further meetings with "shadowy Whitehall figures" who again demanded the return of the Snowden material....

Guardian vows to keep pursuing story
Rusbridger confirmed that the Guardian will keep reporting the story, likely via backups of the documents, just not from London.
The Guardian's decision to publicise the threats is the latest step in an escalating battle between some media companies and western governments....

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-20/editor-says-guardian-was-threatened-over-snowden/4900202

[PADemD]

1. Link would not open

[99th_Monkey]

2. That's odd. It's still working fine for me. I checked.

let's see if anyone else has the problem.

[pinboy3niner]

3. Works fine for me. nt

[PADemD]

5. Using mobile phone, it will not open.

Will try again (third attempt) on PC.

[99th_Monkey]

7. That's a drag. sorry. eom

[Whisp]

4. I wouldn't like to see The Guardian in any trouble..

but for the fact they hitched their wagon on a scammer like Greenwald. Some real bad decision making there!

[99th_Monkey]

6. Are you able to open the link?

[99th_Monkey]

9. Oh, he's a "scammer" now too huh? ... That's a new one

It's getting to be quite a long list:
naive
narcissist
bad journalist
hysterical
emotional
grandstanding
immature
selfish

Did I miss anything?

[Whisp]

12. Of your list I would pick Selfish, Grandstanding and Scammer, yes.

It's not a new one.

[Aerows]

23. Let's do a hypthetical

Would you like every conversation you have ever had on the WWW privy to people you don't know, with motives you aren't able to discern, and medical records that shouldn't be in their hands?

I don't know about you, but that scares the shit out of me, because, yes, I have something to lose.

[Whisp]

27. I don't think every conservation I ever had is stored somewhere for someone to see

in it's entirety. I think that is made up to get people hysterical and it is working.

Different things scare different people, this one does not do that to me At All.

What scares me is what is happening to women's rights - how the GOP and the baggers and Pauls are getting away with atrocities right under our noses and all the news every day here for weeks has been about stupid ass scammer GG and his partners in crime. Climate change scares me about a zillion times more, there are scores of other issues that I do freeze up in fear thinking of.

But surveillance, no.
I am not going to get myself in a tizzy because GG says I should be.

[grasswire]

26. yes

gay
abuses his lover

[99th_Monkey]

28. AND Libertarian-leaning, don't forget that one. eom

[truebrit71]

25. Sorry, which part is the "scam"?

The NSA mass surveillance, or the GCHQ mass surveillance?

[Whisp]

29. The infomercials GG is making to get donations.

I view what he says as infomercials for himself.

[truebrit71]

32. I don't think the Guardian is being threatened with closure because of his infomercials though...

...no?

Perhaps it has more to do with the extremely solid job of journalism he has done up to this point revealing that which TPTB would rather have had stay in the shadows, yes?

[mia]

8. Link works for me.

Thanks for the post.

[99th_Monkey]

10. Thanks for the info.

and for the rec

[ocpagu]

11. Link is fine for me. Thanks for sharing. n/t

[SwissTony]

13. "Now we want the stuff back"

Why does the UK want the USA's stuff back? And why "back"? They presumably never had it the first place.

[Ghost Dog]

16. The US-UK (pronounced "you suck" by some) alliance,

at this kind of intelligence gathering and analysis level (as well as at the 'wetter' ends of that business), is extremely close, it seems. NSA and GCHQ would appear to be basically franchises of the same operation.

[fasttense]

18. Exactly what I was thinking

Supposedly it is the US's stuff. It's almost as if there is this one huge corporate run spy ring designed to keep the mass of citizens on the edge of poverty and compliant.

It's a corporations that's actually doing the spying. And for the wealthy who own those corporations, keeping the masses poor and at each other's throats is a win for them. If on top of it they have a huge spy ring able to collect anyone's most personal information, well then they can control those starving hoards with a little well placed blackmail whenever they get out of place.

Austerity and mass spying are the tools of our new corporate masters.

[grasswire]

30. I'm more cynical than that.

Aside from all the things you mention above, there is this: the surveillance state is another way to drain the tax dollars and loot the treasuries. Just like the War On Some Drugs and the Prison Binge. It has been a cash cow, in terms of trillions. A gravy train.

Some will go to great, unconstitutional and illegal lengths to keep the money rolling in.

[Demeter]

14. The UK govt. is even more irrational than the US. govt.

What horrible secrets are they hiding in Britain? How could they possibly be worse than ours?

Or is it that the UK govt. feels more vulnerable to public outrage or private revenge?

And if it doesn't get printed in the Guardian, we will just have to rely on Al Jeezeera.

[Kablooie]

15. The data is the property of the US. Why is the UK so fanatical about it?

This doesn't smell right.
Seems there has to be US pressure behind this.
But since its the UK who, in spite of James Bond, aren't that expert at covert operations, the actions are clumsy and transparent and are making their own problems worse.

Perhaps.

[Ghost Dog]

19. "making their own problems worse..."

Uh huh. See Guardian & Zerohedge sources and comments for a taste of the mood...

Some comments on the ZeroHedge piece:
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-08-19/uk-government-pulverizes-guardian-hard-disks-snowden-retaliation-says-theres-no-need

Mon, 08/19/2013 - 23:03 | 3861991 NoDebt
Welcome to the real world. Those big-boy pants might be a little loose-fitting on you right now, but you'll grow into them.
Destroying the Guardian's computers had nothing to do with destroying the data. They aren't so stupid as to think that would take care of it. It was a message- "write about it and we hammer your ass." Their aim is to drive it undergroud- outside the "main stream media". Force it to be reported in places with less credibility, more easily dismissed.
You think thuggery is stupid? Just watch. "Real Journalists" will fall in line with this so fast your head will spin. They will, most of them, gladly and quietly take up the role of propogandists and report what they're told to report. Journalism is going to learn (quickly) that it's seat at the table of power does NOT imply membership in the club, nor did it ever. They are a tool. Tolerated on the inside only for so long as they are useful. When their annoyance outweights their benefit.... they're out. This is a warning that they are close to that point. JUST WATCH THEM GET IN LINE AFTER THIS.

Mon, 08/19/2013 - 23:04 | 3862041 pods
Does it really matter?
I am being serious too. Does anyone really need any more information to realize the world as it really is?
Look inside, that is where the problem is.
Cue Cog Dis.
pods

Mon, 08/19/2013 - 23:51 | 3862172 BoNeSxxx
Unfortunately yes Pods... Preaching to the choir here at ZH but the rest of the masses are a different story indeed. And, unfortunately, nothing happens until they start waking up at a much faster rate.

Tue, 08/20/2013 - 00:03 | 3862195 WillyGroper
>>>>Does anyone really need any more information to realize the world as it really is?
Not that hangs here, but yes.

Tue, 08/20/2013 - 01:42 | 3862391 silverserfer
we know when this site goes down that its on. We all are on a very special list for just commenting here im sure

Some comments on the Guardian piece:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/19/david-miranda-schedule7-danger-reporters

HalifaxYorkshireman 19 August 2013 10:40pm
Totally agree, it makes my blood boil. We have to make a stand.

larsp HalifaxYorkshireman 19 August 2013 11:09pm
sort of puts the heroics of British history since the time of King John on trial doesn't it?

DustmanBill HalifaxYorkshireman 20 August 2013 12:13am
I would say the people of the world need to unite on this one and in a very peaceful manner.
How about a symbolic gesture of love and peace:
International Balloon Day
At noon, on the September Equinox 2013 (Sunday 22nd) everyone should release a helium-filled party balloon, as a way of sharing with their brothers and sisters across the world - a show of solidarity for the civil rights and liberties of all mankind.
This ball of rock, spinning through the dark vacuum of space at 900mpg, is what we call our home and I think most people would agree, (apart from the trouble makers everywhere,) we've had enough of the carnage and mayhem in the name of 'whatever it is the hell you're fighting for'.
Let's unite, make a peaceful gesture to each other, by simply spreading the word to release a balloon at said time (in your timezone) to give the human race a hug.
I think we all need it.

Strummered 19 August 2013 10:42pm
..."The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion"... - Albert Camus

NotarySojac Strummered 19 August 2013 11:00pm
"You'll be absolutely free
only if you want to be..."
- Frank Zappa

kingcreosote Strummered 19 August 2013 11:23pm
Freedom is an illusion.

delphinia 19 August 2013 10:42pm
Stay safe, Glenn and David.
This threat tto freedom of speech should terrify us all.

Once, I felt proud to be British,

diGriz delphinia 19 August 2013 10:43pm
Depressingly I think a lot of us feel the same.

AhBrightWings diGriz 19 August 2013 10:49pm
Well...those of us across the puddle are in the same muddle. Maybe it's time we joined forces and did something about our mutual tyrants.

[cascadiance]

20. Take out the "the" in front of US and it would be more correct... Yes it was the property of US!!!

And was STOLEN by the NSA from US the people of this country before it was taken by them to advise those that it was stolen from how they'd been robbed.

[Kablooie]

21. You've got a point there.

[Dawson Leery]

22. The UK has no constitution to guide them.

[Demeter]

24. Neither do we

[99th_Monkey]

35. +100 ^ain't^that^the^truth ~nt~

[cantbeserious]

17. Kick And Recommend

eom

[DevonRex]

31. The Guardian isn't surprised at this. Probably hoped for it.

They know about UKUSA. They know Britain's laws are much more in favor of the government in these matters. Another little irony of taking this story out of the U.S. as Snowden did.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

33. Error: post title does not match contents

The Guardian is being threatened with censorship, yes, but no-one is threatening it with closure.

[99th_Monkey]

34. At link near bottom of page:"I asked if the government would move to close down the Guardian.."

"During one of these meetings I asked directly whether the government would move to close down the Guardian's reporting through a legal route - by going to court to force the surrender of the material on which we were working," he said in a statement.

He says two months ago he was contacted by a senior government official who said he represented the views of prime minister David Cameron.

Rusbridger says during a "steely" yet "cordial" meeting, the official demanded the return or destruction of documents obtained from Mr Snowden. "The official confirmed that, in the absence of handover or destruction, this was indeed the government's intention," Rusbridger said.


At this link: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023495525

[Donald Ian Rankin]

36. That may be the worst example of "out of context" I've seen - you cut half way through a sentence.

If you *don't* carefully edit the quote to deliberately mislead, it's obvious that what's being threatened with being closed down is the reporting of this specific story, not the Guardian itself.