On CNN's Reliabe Sources,Brian Ross reveals his phone monitored.

[Swede]

He said he got it from a source he trusts. Every reporter in contact with a whisteblower is being tapped.


Question: There have been news reports this week that the FBI is using the Patriot Act to obtain phone records of journalists without their knowledge and without judicial oversight. And as a former journalist, are you at all concerned about this sort of intrusion on press freedom?

White House Press Secretary Tony Snow: I would be concerned if there was grounding to it. There have been reports, but once again -- what it has referred to, the NSF program, which is strictly concerned with foreign international counterterrorism. I'm sorry, the pieces just don't add up.



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

[babylonsister]

1. Remind me again why this isn't a huge story, and why other

journalists aren't outraged?

[Swede]

2. Howie Kurtz was absolutely indifferent.

What happened to this generation of the fourth estate?

[Spazito]

10. Kurtz is owned lock, stock and barrel by the repubs/bush admin

He, in NO way, is representative of the fourth estate, imo. He is, however, representative of how people sell their souls when their spouses work for the repubs.

[SeattleRob]

11. `very true

I would compare Kurtz to the "Doctors" who were hired by the Tobacco Industry to say that there is not proof that cigarettes cause cancer.

[Spazito]

13. Yep, good comparison! n/t

[Fredda Weinberg]

15. 'cause it's dog bites man

Remember Deep Throat? Woodward knew better than to talk to him on the phone.

Outrage? It's that this generation of 'journalists' don't appreciate what they're dealing with.

[wtmusic]

3. The Patriot Act still requires judicial oversight

not that that matters one iota

[a la izquierda]

4. my jaw

almost hit the floor. I don't know why I was shocked, but I was...maybe it was Kurtz's lack of reaction.

[NJ_Lib]

5. The pieces just don't add up?

That's Snow's response? Oh my Lord, when have the "pieces" ever added up correctly with the Chimp?

[KoKo]

6. Howie asked him why ABC hasn't reported it on the Networks, yet...

Ross said...they are putting it on their Blog because it's more like a "Police Blotter" and doesn't take the coordinated efforts that putting it on the network.. :eyes: Howie said I guess that means I'll have to ad ABC Blog to my reporting.

[leftofthedial]

7. why isn't every American reporter screaming to high heaven about this 24X7

???!!!???!!!??

They can't all be whores of that magnitude.

[Joanne98]

8. Snowjob is going to be worse than Snotty.

[ananda]

9. Also remind me why..

.. the attorney general gets to decide what's legal for a pResident
who makes law as he goes along, even when he breaks it?

This is so insane as to beggar any reason or logic at all....

[alfredo]

14. bush is the law. He is the decider, not the constitution. You know

"decider" sounds a lot better than "dictator."

"I am the decider"

"I am the dictator"

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. Oh that racist Tony Snow!

Why would any of these reporters believe anything he says?

[OzarkDem]

16. What do we tell the children?

When even our own news media doesn't question illegal acts of our president?

[tanyev]

17. What did Snow do before Fox news?

Was he ever really a journalist, or has he always been a partisan hack?

[Catrina]

19. He was a freeper since 1998 ~ he's no longer posting at FR ~ at

least not under his own name ~ and they've scrubbed all of his posts there. He used to post under his own name, until he took this job ~

I guess being a freeper gets you a job as a Fox 'reporter'. He's not the only Fox reporter who was a freep. Marc Levin and Sean Hannity were/are freepers also. And so was fake reporter Jeff Gannon.

[eek]

20. He was a Freeper? For real?

Wow. How'd you find that out?
Does FUX namecheck Free Rep often or at all?

What was his handle?

[charlie]

24. His name

was his handle. Tony Snow. Mostly he posted to give a heads up on what was coming on his show.

[Justice]

23. Worked in Reagan Adminstration

speechwriter I believe

[lala_rawraw]

18. ;dsjfsdijfouwe9ufsjfcsdoijs

!!!!!

going to nap:(

[happydreams]

21. The media should shut out official government input !!

Kick their asses off the shows and interviews using the argument that they cannot interview people under the auspices of spontaneous questions and fair play when those questions, in all likelihood, are being given to the government interviewee before they are interviewed, but not to those NGO's and private citizens who are counterpointing. It isn't fair play, equal protection etc.

In addition the NGO's and private individuals counterpointing should demand the same privilege of rehearsing questions and/or ask the official seated next to him/her whether these questions were rehearsed or known previous to the show, interview etc. This question should become standard operating procedure.

At least the Press should notify its readership, audience, etc. that these questions may have, and probably were, known by the interviewee beforehand.

Fight the bastards!!!

[Kolesar]

22. I would like to forward this to the K-R Akron Beacon Journal editor

Is that two-paragraph exchange w/ Snow the whole article? I would like something more.

--o--

White House Reacts to ABC News
May 17, 2006 3:47 PM

Brian Ross Reports:

Here is a transcript of today's White House Press Briefing.

Question: There have been news reports this week that the FBI is using the Patriot Act to obtain phone records of journalists without their knowledge and without judicial oversight. And as a former journalist, are you at all concerned about this sort of intrusion on press freedom?

White House Press Secretary Tony Snow: I would be concerned if there was grounding to it. There have been reports, but once again -- what it has referred to, the NSF program, which is strictly concerned with foreign international counterterrorism. I'm sorry, the pieces just don't add up.