Hey, corporations using our public airwaves, don't you think the American people have a right to know this?

German Television network ARD recently conducted an interview with the world famous (some may say infamous) whistleblower, Edward Snowden, which has been intentionally blacked-out by all corporate media outlets in the U.S., and virtually ignored by other broadcast networks. The video has even been removed from YouTube almost immediately after each time it’s been uploaded. One might be able to reasonably assume it contains important information that authorities would prefer the general public didn’t know anything about.

This appears to be a problem unique to the U.S., however. In Germany and across most of the rest of the world, this interview was treated as a major political event—both in print and in broadcast—that was in no way, shape, or form swept under the rug. To the contrary, it is almost as much a topic of discussion abroad as is Justin Bieber’s DUI here in the states; and when the general populous of a nation is better informed about some kid’s inebriated joy ride than they are about the policies which directly affect their very freedom and privacy, it’s time to re-evaluate what our values and priorities are as a culture.

Instead, the media is quick to dismiss Snowden as a traitor rather than focus on the content of what he's revealed. But Snowden had an answer for that too:

In regards to accusations that he is a traitor or a foreign agent, he states, “ If I am traitor, who did I betray? I gave all my information to the American public, to American journalists who are reporting on American issues. If they see that as treason, I think people really need to consider who they think they’re working for. The public is supposed to be their boss, not their enemy. Beyond that as far as my personal safety, Ill never be fully safe until these systems have changed.”

The attempt to bury this interview by the government/corporate symbiosis has extremely dark implications. Additionally, the fact that government officials have openly talked about assassinating Mr. Snowden cannot be taken lightly, and Mr. Snowden obviously takes these threats to his life very seriously. Sadly, the reality of the US government assassinating an American citizen is not beyond the realm of possibility in the age we live in.