US 60 Minutes has been slammed on social media for a so-called "puff piece" on the NSA which was reported by a former national security officer.

Even though reporter John Miller made the disclosure at the top of the story, many viewers were unhappy that anti-National Security Agency forces were not invited to comment in the story.

"Full disclosure: I once worked in the office of the director of National Intelligence, where I saw firsthand how secretly the NSA operates," he said before the package aired. Miller is also likely set to leave CBS soon to work for the NYPD.

Miller has a long history as a reporter, including stints from 1973-94, 1995-2002, and in his current role at CBS since 2011. But he also has worked as the chief spokesman for the New York City Police Department

It comes after 60 Minutes correspondent Lara Logan was forced to take a leave of absence last month after a damning internal report into a discredited segment on the September11, 2012, terrorist attack in Benghazi.

Logan issued an embarrassing on-air correction on the piece after it was determined that she was misled by the piece's main source, a security contractor named Dylan Davies.

The Guardian's journalist Glenn Greenwald, who has reported on the leaked documents by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden was not impressed with the reporting.

60 Minutes: How can we top our Lara Logan debacle? I know! Let's have a former DNI & FBI spokesman crawl into the NSA http://t.co/KkEvLywzaJ — Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) December 16, 2013

The 25-minute segment consisted mostly of NSA officials rejecting concerns that their surveillance has gotten out of hand and showing off their gadgetry.

Rick Ledgett, who heads the NSA taskforce in charge of assessing the impact of Snowden's leaks, told CBS' 60 Minutes Edward Snowden effectively stole the "keys to the kingdom'' when he swiped more than 1.5 million top secret files.

Ledgett said he would be open to the possibility of an amnesty for Snowden, who remains exiled in Russia, if he agreed to stop further leaks of classified information.

"My personal view is, yes, it's worth having a conversation about'' a possible deal, said Ledgett.

Snowden has been charged with espionage by US authorities for divulging reams of secret files.

But NSA chief General Keith Alexander rejected the idea of any amnesty for Snowden.

"This is analogous to a hostage-taker taking 50 people hostage, shooting 10 and then say 'You give me full amnesty and I'll let the other 40 go,''' Alexander told 60 Minutes.

In his defence, Miller said the anti-NSA forces had been given more than enough air time to put forward their case.

"Our job this time was to take the hardest questions we could find and ask them, ‘What’s the answer to it,’ and then spend a couple of minutes listening," he said.

Regardless the criticism came quickly.

If you thought the Lara Logan debacle was new low for @60Minutes, watch last night's NSA whitewash. Not a single skeptical voice. — TimKarr (@TimKarr) December 16, 2013

CBS both promoted John Miller as "ultimate insider" and asked him http://t.co/slBm9jiyLi if he was worried about being seen as an insider. — Jay Rosen (@jayrosen_nyu) December 16, 2013

"NSA Doing Great Job, NSA Says" - 60 Minutes — Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) December 16, 2013