Edward Snowden and Laura Poitras Awarded Ridenhour Truth-Telling Prizes

April 8, 2014

Amanda Marie

Awards are chosen annually in four separate categories by Ridenhour Prizes, in recognition of those "who persevere in acts of truth-telling that protect the public interest, promote social justice or illuminate a more just vision of society". The awards are presented by The Nation Institute and The Fertel Foundation in recognition of Ron Ridenhour, who was the Vietnam War veteran that exposed the massacre at My Lai. My Lai was a Vietnam War mass murder which consisted of between 347 and 504 unarmed civilians that took place in South Vietnam on March 16, 1968. Each Prize carries a $10,000 stipend. The Prizes were first awarded in 2004.

The prize categories include: The Ridenhour Courage Prize The Ridenhour Book Prize The Ridenhour Truth-Telling Prize The Ridenhour Documentary Film Prize (since 2011)

In early 2013, Edward Snowden released several classified documents about top-secret government surveillance programs to filmmaker Laura Poitras and journalist Glenn Greenwald. The documents revealed that the U.S. government had developed and used programs to systematically collect millions of phone and internet records. Not only was this a startling revelation, it would serve as the beginning for many companies seeking the truth themselves. Due to the truth being revealed, many companies are now providing the general public with the results of their findings in transparency reports, never published or disclosed before as they are being done now.

In reflecting upon its decision, the awards committee said, "We have selected Edward Snowden and Laura Poitras for their work in exposing the NSA's illegal and unconstitutional bulk collection of the communications of millions of people living in the United States. Their act of courage was undertaken at great personal risk and has sparked a critical and transformative debate about mass surveillance in a country where privacy is considered a constitutional right. We particularly wanted to salute the role that Poitras has played in this story, as we feel that her contribution has not been adequately recognized by the American media."

Everyone is encouraged to read the full details provided on the links for Ridenhour in the first paragraph. The awards will be presented on April 30th at the Washington Press Club.

We commend both Snowden and Poitras for their remarkable acts of courage, and we also congratulate them for these well-deserved awards. Together they accomplished something that goes above and beyond what many people would be willing to do. To quote Eckhart Tolle, The past has no power over the present moment.

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Edward Snowden and Laura Poitras Awarded Ridenhour Truth-Telling Prizes