ABC reports they are being spyed on

[Chimichurri]

A senior federal law enforcement official tells us the government is tracking the phone numbers we call in an effort to root out confidential sources.

"It's time for you to get some new cell phones, quick," the source told us in an in-person conversation.

We do not know how the government determined who we are calling, or whether our phone records were provided to the government as part of the recently-disclosed NSA collection of domestic phone calls.

Other sources have told us that phone calls and contacts by reporters for ABC News, along with the New York Times and the Washington Post, are being examined as part of a widespread CIA leak investigation.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/05/federal_source_.html

[Demeter]

1. And This Is News To Them?

We are all being spied on. Get over it and start doing something constructive. Fight back!

[fooj]

2. Fucking rat bastards!

Wonder how the complicit press will respond to this?

[H2O Man]

13. !

[bdamomma]

40. this regime is kicking their loyal media to the curb

I wonder if the media will kick them back. that would be interesting to see that loyalty of our media of this administration disappear.

[stop the bleeding]

3. The preznit said that it was only Al Queda -- n/t

[BlueEyedSon]

6. NO he dih-uhn! He said "bad guys"!

[oldtime dfl_er]

16. Guess someone misunderstood

they thought he said "El Katie (Couric)" , when he said Al Queda.

http://www.cafepress.com/scarebaby/1401215

[jaxx]

4. And to hear the bushies tell it, it's all so innocent.

If they're after ABC, what in the world are they doing to the blogs?

[emulatorloo]

5. Hey ABC - get a clue! NOW DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT n/t

[W_HAMILTON]

21. Amen

You think that these idiotic news companies would view everything this administration has done as a CHALLENGE. Time and time again, this administration has shown that it has little regard for the WORK that news companies and journalists do, and instead of seeing that as a challenge and standing up to Bush and company, most of them lay down like submissive wimps.

Who knows why so much of the media seems eager to comply with an administration that has made a mockery of the job that they do...

[Boone]

7. http://www.capitalnews.org/

Don't mean to thread jack, I don't have enough posts to start a thread and was hoping to get some help on this one.. I did try to kinda sorta find a related thread... can we get some love for CSpan?

Can we get some help on this poll... it's totally getting freep'ed!!

PRE-Freepers:
Is a government database of every call in the U.S. justifiable?
Yes 13%
No 87%

Total Votes: 62

Post-Freepers:
Is a government database of every call in the U.S. justifiable?
Yes 46%
No 54%

Total Votes: 1033

Vote now: http://www.capitalnews.org/

[Viva_La_Revolution]

12. done

Yes 45%

No 55%


Welcome to DU!

on edit: KyndCulture has posted a thread for it
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1192547

[stop the bleeding]

15. Welcome to DU

;)

[katinmn]

35. Done. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[newyawker99]

41. Hi Boone!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Stevepol]

43. Now yes 24%, No 76% (6:30p CST)

[katinmn]

8. But in the same breath, ABC covers up for Bush

Why do they continue to feed the hand that bites them?

The state run media is as spineless as Congress.

[Robbien]

9. Bet they are sorry now about that bogus poll

ABC was willing to say spying is okay if it was the other guy being spied upon. Idiots. Why did they think no one would be spying on them.

[Avalux]

10. They'll try to spin it - in the name of national security.

When reporters reveal what Bushco considers information that could aid the enemy, they'll say they have every right to go monitor them and go after them, even throw them in jail. x(

The MFers need to bes stopped, NOW.

[merh]

11. Blaming it on the leak investigation

but in truth, searching for whistle blowers and others that will give the press stuff that is damaging to the administration.

bastards :grr:

[ShortnFiery]

17. It's only the upper echelon of the Corporate Whores who love

the status quo. No, this is way beyond anything I could have dreamed up. <pinching myself>

[Robbien]

18. Note that it was a Federal whistle blower who told ABC about this

Hopefully he didn't call ABC when he gave them this info.

[gratuitous]

14. Calling a new tune so soon?

Why, it was just last Thursday that ABC was touting over and over again that bogus 65% public approval number for the government tracing phone records. George Stephanopolous and someone who should know better (Martha Raddatz? I don't rightly remember) both touted those high "approval" numbers to say that it would be very difficult for Congress to justify an investigation.

I guess they just figured that out of the billions of phone records harvested, none of them would be pulled from the sacred ABC phone lines. Now they're upset.

Fookin' idjits.

[bunny planet]

19. Is this why they came out with their bogus and damaging poll the other

day saying the American people just love being spyed on?

[Last Stand]

20. Well, when the GOV is cramping your style, it doesn't feel so right.

Pissing off Major Media is a good thing. Maybe now they will realize that it's not just the who EvilDoers are under surveillance and it's not just for "pure" intentions that Big Brother will have you under (or in) its scope. Even they--the complicit media moguls--may realize that this has gone to far. ABC's been BushCo's bitch for years now, and this is what they get? :nopity:

Time to show some stones, MSM.

[Kagemusha]

22. Fitz got some Judy Miller phone records, but by legal means.

We don't know for a fact whether this is a valid, court-authorized use of phone records or the use of NSA technology for a CIA leak investigation. FISA does have a no-warrant-necessary provision when dealing with agents of foreign powers. That's never, ever supposed to be applied to something like an American newspaper (except in the wildest fantasies of media "treason" by extremists).

Frankly, I'm more pleased to see the fear go out than anything. The media needs to be afraid, because there is something for it to be afraid of; downplaying it doesn't serve the principle of a free press at all. Time they woke up.

(Edit: Added "but" in the subject line for clarity to juxtapose an allowed, if not encouraged, use of phone records by a prosecutor, as opposed to simply taking the stuff arbitrarily)

[warrens]

23. While these are two different issues...

It shows the danger of a totally unregulated data base. Just like Fitzgerald subpoenaed phone records from Miller to the WH and vice versa, if the Bushies went through the courts, they probably have the right to do this in a criminal investigation.

The data base NSA put together, however, means they no longer have to go to court and investigate in above-board manner. And by the surprise at ABC, it indicates that they had no clue they were being investigated.

[Kagemusha]

24. Oh the admin's made no secret of investigating, per se

They haven't announced the use of means such as this to conduct it though.

Which makes sense, because fruit of the poison tree is hard to admit as evidence.

[kestrel91316]

25. Poor widdle ABC..................... the man they helped install and keep

in the WH against the expressed wishes of the American people has betrayed them..........boo f---in' hoo.

It would be nice if this little episode would cause ABC and the other MSM to reassess their support for the fascists in Washington, but I doubt it will.

[Kagemusha]

26. "Then they came for me, and the media had been silenced."

Something like that.

[katinmn]

28. Aramapour knew she was being tapped months ago

Didn't get much support from her colleagues.

[cboy4]

27. Oh come. Pickles says everywhere she goes, the American people

are telling her the government should spy on ABC News. :crazy:

[paparush]

29. 'Berto Gonzales Say - "All ees Legal. Get back to work."

[Fleshdancer]

30. GOOD.

Now maybe they'll FINALLY realize how %^&*@$%*& IMPORTANT it is to do their JOB.

I am furious that it has to get THIS extreme to wake these assholes up. This is ridiculous.

[Gregorian]

31. I guarantee they aren't spying on FOX.

[joeunderdog]

34. You misunderestimate them.

They will spy on everybody. What if there are bad elements at Fox? They will be outed so that the message will remain pure.

[glitch]

37. Indeed. They are spying on EVERYONE, including their own.

How else to achieve that lockstep?

Nobody trusts Fascists, not even other Fascists.

[CrispyQ]

32. This sentence really blows my mind . . .

"Under Bush Administration guidelines, it is not considered illegal for the government to keep track of numbers dialed by phone customers."

Since when do bush administration guidelines trump the Constitution?

If it weren't for the fact that this is so fucking unAmercian, I'd say ABC deserves what they get.

[katinmn]

33. I posted on their blog that maybe ABC should do a poll

on how Americans feel about this, but so far it hasn't appeared.
:shrug:

[endarkenment]

36. Wasn't this bloody obvious?

They are not just looking for terrorists in the millions of phone records they have data mined. Why would they stop there? This 'contact network analysis' stuff can tell you who called whom when and where. The obvious usage is to find out who is talking to the news media. This is the part where the abuse steps into totalitarianism. Will the media step up now to defend the integrety of the 4th estate?

[Festivito]

38. New prepaid cells calling each other is probably the "PATTERN" they search

That way they catch "terrorists" who might pick up anonymous disposable cell phones to call each other, and, WOW, they happen to find WHISTLE-BLOWERS.

Meanwhile, actual terrorists are trying to appear as normal as they can make themselves look, are actually using regular cell phones they use all the time, communicating through a variety of other means and the last call they'd make would not be noticed until too late anyway.

[devilgrrl]

39. With the full support of John Stossel

"Spying is good for America"

[Disturbed]

42. Busholini said the NSA is not spying on

"innocent Americans". Hmmmm... Only "guilty Americans'? Who decides? The Decider?

[jillan]

44. I almost have to laugh

For years the press has been complacent, kissing this administrations ass,
and look at what they get in return.

Time to wake up MSM!