This study specifically focuses on examining the identity construction of Edward
Snowden, a former NSA employee, as a whistleblower after he exposed to public
about U.S. government massive internet surveillance programs. It has two major
purposes: (1) to explain the image construction of Snowden as an NSA
whistleblower in the Times and the Post online publications and (2) to find out the
representation of American ideals of freedom of speech through the media
coverage of him.
This research is a descriptive qualitative research that uses four online articles
from the Times and the Post as the primary sources of data. The primary data are
in the form of words, phrases, sentences, and expressions as the elements of the
narrative and tones. This research also uses secondary sources: articles from the
other online newspapers, related books and thesis, journal articles, and online
documents to provide the supportive data.
This study was conducted under American Studies framework. It employed
interdisciplinary study by applying some theories and approaches to answer the
research questions, which are media narrative theory, semiotics theory, and sociopolitical
perspective.
The analysis shows that the Times and the Post successfully construct Snowden as
a new kind of leaker, as a hero in the sense that he brings back the importance of
freedom of speech as living myth in the U.S, and still view him as a hero despite
his moving to Russia. The analysis also shows that U.S. media perpetuate the
myth of free speech. They construct Snowden’s action positively as a new method
to give people courage to criticize the government.
Keywords: Edward Snowden, Whistleblower, New York Times, Washington Post,
Freedom of Speech