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Showing Original Post only (View all)WaPo Misread Powerpoint- Story on Feds tapping directly into internet companies was wrong & rushed [View all]
The real story in the NSA scandal is the collapse of journalismSummary: A bombshell story published in the Washington Post this week alleged that the NSA had enlisted nine tech giants, including Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and Apple, in a massive program of online spying. Now the story is unraveling, and the Post has quietly changed key details. What went wrong?
......................
So what went wrong with the Post?
The biggest problem was that the Post took a leaked PowerPoint presentation from a single anonymous source and leaped to conclusions without supporting evidence. McCullagh quotes one of his named (not anonymous) sources, former general counsel of the NSA Stewart Baker, as saying the slides look flaky:
"The PowerPoint is suffused with a kind of hype that makes it sound more like a marketing pitch than a briefing -- we don't know what its provenance is and we don't know the full context," Baker said. He added, referring to the Post's coverage: "It looks rushed and it looks wrong."
Rushed would indeed be the best way to describe why the Post story changed so dramatically in a 24-hour period. Normally, an investigative piece like this would be reported thoroughly before being published. Instead, it looks like the Post rushed to publish, perhaps fearing that the slide deck had been leaked to another publication that would beat them to the punch.
The biggest problem was that the Post took a leaked PowerPoint presentation from a single anonymous source and leaped to conclusions without supporting evidence. McCullagh quotes one of his named (not anonymous) sources, former general counsel of the NSA Stewart Baker, as saying the slides look flaky:
"The PowerPoint is suffused with a kind of hype that makes it sound more like a marketing pitch than a briefing -- we don't know what its provenance is and we don't know the full context," Baker said. He added, referring to the Post's coverage: "It looks rushed and it looks wrong."
Rushed would indeed be the best way to describe why the Post story changed so dramatically in a 24-hour period. Normally, an investigative piece like this would be reported thoroughly before being published. Instead, it looks like the Post rushed to publish, perhaps fearing that the slide deck had been leaked to another publication that would beat them to the punch.
............................
Declan McCullagh of CNET examined the Washington Post story independently and concluded that the Post story was wrong.
Those reports are incorrect and appear to be based on a misreading of a leaked Powerpoint document, according to a former government official who is intimately familiar with this process of data acquisition and spoke today on condition of anonymity.
"It's not as described in the histrionics in the Washington Post or the Guardian," the person said. "None of it's true. It's a very formalized legal process that companies are obliged to do."
"It's not as described in the histrionics in the Washington Post or the Guardian," the person said. "None of it's true. It's a very formalized legal process that companies are obliged to do."
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57588337-38/no-evidence-of-nsas-direct-access-to-tech-companies/
.................
And then a funny thing happened the next morning. If you followed the link to that story, you found a completely different story, nearly twice as long, with a slightly different headline:
much more INCLUDING WAPO's before and after versions.
http://www.zdnet.com/the-real-story-in-the-nsa-scandal-is-the-collapse-of-journalism-7000016570/
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WaPo Misread Powerpoint- Story on Feds tapping directly into internet companies was wrong & rushed [View all]
kpete
Jun 2013
OP
No he did not get his facts right--he got most of them horribly WRONG. He created a kerfluffle
MADem
Jun 2013
#97
Then get a load of Maureen "Do you think I'm sexy" Dowd calling POTUS "Barry" in the NYT.
MADem
Jun 2013
#117
Thank you for putting in the time and effort to make such a salient rebuttal (nt)
Babel_17
Jun 2013
#109
He may be a lawyer, but that doesn't mean he isn't a putzy blogger n/t
sweetloukillbot
Jun 2013
#122
Greenwald is a lawyer, and, FYI, I posted the link to the Guardian article on the source of his
MADem
Jun 2013
#140
The co-author of the WaPo story was Laura Poitras. She is getting ready to release the final install
okaawhatever
Jun 2013
#16
Judith Miller published, in the NYT, whatever the Bush WH gave her to publish.
xtraxritical
Jun 2013
#83
Yup... Same technique as Nixon's ratfucking crew used. They've never stopped using it, either.
freshwest
Jun 2013
#59
or wapo got pressure to back down. who knows? it wouldn't be the first time, e.g. sf mercury &
HiPointDem
Jun 2013
#6
as i didn't make any claim to be offering anything but speculation ("who knows?"), i don't need to
HiPointDem
Jun 2013
#12
So you're just engaging in wild speculation with no evidence to back up your claim.
Cali_Democrat
Jun 2013
#13
I'll admit to speculating based on the fact that the companies were all getting heat
GoneFishin
Jun 2013
#50
That poster should be shown the door for that post. That two jurors excused that is unreal
Number23
Jun 2013
#102
That was my first thought also. More will come out and we hopefully will see what is what. nt
Mojorabbit
Jun 2013
#26
One of the WaPo "reporters" is actually a film producer -- doesn't even work for the Washington Post
FarCenter
Jun 2013
#11
+1000. I only wish DU gave us the ability to block certain names. GG would be my first.
Tarheel_Dem
Jun 2013
#85
Our M$M is never ever sloppy, half assed, rushed or lead by bright and shinning things so this
uponit7771
Jun 2013
#10
You have a good point, with both of them being off or imcompetent I'd rather vote for a good congres
uponit7771
Jun 2013
#65
U.S., company officials: Internet surveillance does not indiscriminately mine data
FarCenter
Jun 2013
#21
My understanding is that the government has access to our data stored with these companies,
limpyhobbler
Jun 2013
#22
Acquiring 97 billion pieces of info in one month doesn't seem like a limited and targeted program.
dkf
Jun 2013
#29
Media is in such a hurry to get the scoop first that they're willing to sacrifice their integrity.
BenzoDia
Jun 2013
#63
Might One Be Interested In Some Land In Florida - Government Agents Guarantee It Is Good
cantbeserious
Jun 2013
#61
Then why oh why is the Obama administration threatening legal action against the whistle-blower?
Fire Walk With Me
Jun 2013
#87
Because the 'WaPo story being inaccurate', and 'Prism being Real' are not mutually exclusive.
brett_jv
Jun 2013
#135
kpete, they are not directly on the servers, BUT they have the ability to "TASK" the servers.
Th1onein
Jun 2013
#101
Thanks! So, we're now at the point of this story where selected facts can mask the truth (nt)
Babel_17
Jun 2013
#111
If there is no direct access to the servers how would it know what to add to the drop box?
dkf
Jun 2013
#120
Simon’s followup: he says the debate in the comments on his previous post changed his mind on a few
kpete
Jun 2013
#115
The Washington Post can be just a political tool, inflicting harm on the Obama administration
Coyotl
Jun 2013
#118
Kick and Rec. Apparently this falsehood is "conventional wisdom" at DU now.
emulatorloo
Jun 2013
#126