Ever since Edward Snowden leaked classified information from the National Security Agency in June 2013, exposing the National Security Agency’s employment of unauthorized surveillance programs locally and internationally, he has been an international icon. Some have called him a patriot; others a traitor. Neil DeGrasse Tyson thinks he’s a geek; Brooklynites have installed a bust in a public park his name; BuzzFeed rags on him for not following his girlfriend since he joined Twitter.
The impression he has left on our culture is everywhere; he is widely regarded as being the linchpin in this millennium’s biggest news story.
As such, it would make sense that Snowden would show up all over American media and literature.
Author Ted Rall has decided to write and illustrate a biography on Snowden in the style of a graphic novel, simply called Snowden. Rall will visit Eugene when he speaks about Snowden at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3 at the Eugene Public Library.
Rall, a political cartoonist, columnist and war correspondent, has won the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award twice and is a Pulitzer Prize finalist.
If you haven’t heard of Rall, you can find his work in the New York Times, Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times; you can also read his other graphic novels such as 2024, The Year of Loving Dangerously,or After We Kill You, We Will Welcome You Back As Honored Guests.
Admission is free and his new book will be available to purchase and have signed. University students can even get a free library card and get access to thousands of different books, eBooks, movies, and CDs. Rall will be mainly talking about Snowden’s life along with his views on privacy and security.
According to Laura Philips, Volunteer Coordinator for the Eugene Public Library, he will be discussing why public employees who worked with Snowden did not speak out when they saw the same information he did. When asked why Rall was visiting Eugene, Philips said she believes a lot of people in this community are interested in what he has to say and are concerned with their own security.
Rall is a controversial journalist, so it will be interesting to find out what exactly his views on privacy and the credibility of Edward Snowden are. Is Snowden a hero or a felon? Does privacy exist anymore in our modern society? How did Snowden become a household name and globetrotting whistleblower? Find out at the Eugene Public Library with Ted Rall this Saturday.
Ted Rall discusses new graphic novel Snowden this Saturday
Emerson Malone
October 1, 2015
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