>King held out his wrists for the manacles in Selma and Ghandi did the same.
>These men and people like Mandella are bona-fide heroes.

In those times there were too many newspapers owned by different media, and in their rush to be the first with a printed edition on the streets they couldn't possibly have the time to coordinate the story and lie the same way. So those heroes were sure that the whole world was watching and the word would get out.

Nowadays the machinery of lies is much quicker, more powerful and concentrated in far fewer hands.

>Snowden is a snivelling, whining, traitorous coward who put the nation's security at risk and headed off to wherever to avoid prosecution.

To avoid oblivion. He's already risking assassination. If he ended up in court, what would the odds be he'd have a public trial where you could read every word he says?