Oliver Stone Film:  Snowden is a Whistleblower
QUEST: Edward Snowden, depending on your point of view, he's either a patriot or a trader. The debate that is divided citizens not only in the United States but around the world. The NSA contractor leaked documents that exposed mass surveillance programs. And then he fled first on Kong and now, of course, has political asylum in Russia. Oliver Stone has dramatized the tail in a new film. Here is Edward Snowden's moment of realization about the extent of U.S. spine on its own people.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE, EXCERPT, OLIVER STONE'S MOVIE, SNOWDEN: Think of it as a Google search. Except instead of searching only what people make public, were also looking at everything they don't. So, emails, chats, SMS whatever.</s>SNOWDEN (movie character): Yeah, but which people?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole kingdom, snow white.</s>LUKE HARDING, AUTHOR, THE SNOWDEN FILES: Really it is a fast-paced political thriller. I have seen the movie twice. It is a good movie, and I think for those perhaps confused by the revelations three years ago, it tells the story clearly about how an idealistic young American working for U.S. intelligence, working for the National Security Agency, was so appalled by what he saw, he took, stole, tens of thousands of secret documents and jump off to Hong Kong and give them to a bunch of journalists including from my newspaper, "The Guardian". So what it does is bring the story to life, hopping between continents and explaining some of the serious issues behind it.</s>QUEST: Mr. Snowden has suggested that perhaps President Obama pardons him before he leaves office. Already a bevy of congressmen and women from the intelligence committee have written saying we urge you not to pardon Edward Snowden. In their words who perpetrated the largest and most damaging public disclosure of information. Is there any realistic chance of being pardoned?</s>HARDING: I think that Snowden is playing a game, stuck in Moscow, being charged with espionage. As you say it is clear the house intelligence committee which released a report, having researched for two years on the eve of this movie, clearly an attempt to undermine the movie, doesn't like him one bit, doesn't want him pardoned. But you know, he also has powerful supporters, Bernie Sanders called for a pardon. Amnesty International, the ACLU, Human Rights Watch, they are all behind him as well. And he has tremendous sympathy, in Latin America, in Germany, in Europe, so I think he thinks that with time it can be possible. But I think we are talking years here rather than months.</s>QUEST: From your knowledge of Mr. Snowden, how is he coping?</s>HARDING: I was in Moscow four years as "The Guardians" correspondent there. And I was actually kicked out of the country in 2011. So I know Moscow very well, I know the FSB very well which is the KGB updated. It is Vladimir Putin's spy agency. And clearly Snowden's predicament is not great. Russia is a pretty dark place and then Putin, I think he would rather be almost anywhere else. But he has few options. But really he could still debate, he gives interviews, he participates. He writes software on privacy, he sees his girlfriend -- my colleague talked to him on Monday by video link, and he seems in good form. He lives on U.S. time. He is a geek, he spent a long time on the internet anyway before all of this happened he spent a lot of time on the internet and he still does that. I think he is playing a waiting game until the political dynamic in Washington changes and then maybe he can come back to the U.S.</s>QUEST: A fair and honest assessment. If you're at a trendy restaurant, and the beautiful meal arrives, it is hot in the kitchen but don't eat it just yet. Oh no, it is not a valid meal unless you have actually taken pictures of it, and then post it everywhere and anywhere. We'll look at how Instagram is changing the food industry after the break.