Reporter's Watch List Woes
I love the Transportation Security Administration. Really, they do a great job.
I just wanted to get that out of the way before noting the following: CNN correspondent Drew Griffin says that ever since he began a series of investigative reports in May that turned out to be critical of TSA's effort to maintain a terrorist watch list, he's been hassled every time he's tried to fly.
"Eleven flights now since May 19," Griffin said. (Video is here, courtesy of The Raw Story.) "On different airlines, my name pops up forcing me to go to the counter, show my identification, sometimes the agent has to make a call before I get my ticket."
TSA says it's all the airlines' fault, and that the agency absolutely doesn't target reporters who say critical things about aviation security. Whew.
(Hat tip: BoingBoing)
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Government Executive Staff Correspondent Alyssa Rosenberg takes a look at news affecting the management and operations of the massive federal bureaucracy.
Oh, my! Poor Drew Griffith is *gasp* minorly inconvenienced when flying!!! Stop the presses, everyone. This guy needs to go all the way to the counter and show his IDENTIFICATION before he gets a ticket! Wow. That must take like, 5 whole minutes!
Someone call the ACLU. What next? Will they make him go through the metal detector twice when it beeps? Who knows?
Sure, today they are just minorly inconveniencing reporters, but tomorrow IT COULD BE YOU!!!!!!
Jimmy Posted Thursday, July 24, 2008 1:13 PMDoesn't it bother you if journalists who criticize the TSA suddenly get inconvenienced for no reason? They're taking time out from security to settle petty scores against someone who was exercising the freedoms we're supposed to be defending from the terrorist threat.
Lindsay Beyerstein Posted Friday, July 25, 2008 3:14 PMDoes it bother me ahhhhhhhhhh no. This a journalist talking so take it with a grain of salt they don't rate very high on the truth detector
dan ketter Posted Friday, July 25, 2008 4:21 PM