The Times Plans an ‘EZ Pass Lane for Leakers’

[Joanne98]

Source: Yahoo News

This whole WikiLeaks thing is catching on. A day after The New Yorker reported that Al Jazeera was setting up a system allowing for readers to upload information (“A WikiLeaks Arms Race“), Yahoo’s Michael Calderone reports that The New York Times is considering building a similar system.

The New York Times is considering options to create an in-house submission system that could make it easier for would-be leakers to provide large files to the paper.

Executive editor Bill Keller told The Cutline that he couldn't go into details, “especially since nothing is nailed down.” But when asked if he could envision a system like Al Jazeera's Transparency Unit, Keller said the paper's been “looking at something along those lines.”

“A small group from computer-assisted reporting and interactive news, with advice from the investigative unit and the legal department, has been discussing options for creating a kind of EZ Pass lane for leakers,” Keller said.

via NY Times considers creating an ‘EZ Pass lane for leakers’ – Yahoo! News.



Read more: http://blogs.forbes.com/danbigman/2011/01/25/will-the-times-ez-pass-lane-for-leakers-flood-the-world-with-secrets/

[bemildred]

1. I would not trust the times.

But I suppose you could spread things around, give them to Wikileaks and al Jazeera and the NYT and start a race to get the facts out first.

[JDPriestly]

7. The Times will vet the stuff.

On the Guardian's website, there was a video of an interesting discussion of journalists involved in the publication of Wikileaks in which this process was explained.

[bemildred]

8. I prefer to "vet" stuff myself, I don't like newpaper people deciding what I can see.

If they want to comment on what they think about it, that is fine.

[JDPriestly]

11. By "vet," I meant make sure it is genuine.

Of course, they did not do a good job vetting Judith Miller.

[bemildred]

12. Like I said, I don't trust them. They are proven liars. nt

[decidedlyso]

2. Trouble is, if it gets too widespread, they'll start making stuff up

and it will be as worthless as the MSM.

[Bonhomme Richard]

3. Bingo..and there you have their plan. n/t

[decidedlyso]

4. ,

[bemildred]

5. They are already making stuff up.

What is new is that real stuff is getting out.

[decidedlyso]

6. I know. What I mean is that to combat this real stuff getting out, the

MSM, acting under the direction of the government, will start their own Wikileaks-type operations. They will then start releasing stuff that is preposterous and easily disproven. Then, the government can contend the the Wikileaks stuff itself is phony.

[bemildred]

9. And I'm saying they already do that, that sort of thing is old as the hills.

It's true that the particular form of Wikileaks style net outlets is new, but so what?

[decidedlyso]

10. Yes, you have a point. Actually, it is the government itself and their

reaction to Wikileaks that gave it credibility.

[bemildred]

13. Certainly freaked them out, and that was certainly not the smartest reaction. nt