Snowden On: Why I Chose NBC

So when the story first broke it was very important for me to remove myself from the media focus because I didn't want to be a distraction. I didn't want my personality, the particulars of the way I speak, my background, my family, my connections, anything about me to distract from the issues that are of real public importance which is our rights, how they're being impacted, how they're being changed and the fact that this is happening with no public debate. Now we're coming up on a one-year anniversary. We've seen incredible changes that have just surged through societies around the world -- a robust public debate. We're seeing new protections in the United States and abroad for our rights to make sure they're no longer violated. And when it came to NBC, you guys had done actual individual reporting on these issues. You broke some of the stories. And they were about controversial issues. So while I don't know how this is going to show up on TV, I thought it was reasonable that, you know, you guys might give this a fair shake.