by Deb Cupples | According to yesterday's New York Times, the FBI has admitted to improperly obtaining the phone records of reporters for the Washington Post and New York Times Indonesia bureaus back in 2004.
Why are visions of Richard Nixon and the Watergate building (photo left) flashing in my mind? The Times reported:
"F.B.I. officials said the incident came to light as part of the continuing review by the Justice Department inspector general's office into the bureau's improper collection of telephone records through "emergency" records demands issued to phone providers.
"The records were apparently sought as part of a terrorism investigation, but the F.B.I. did not explain what was being investigated or why the reporters' phone records were considered relevant.
"The Justice Department places a high bar on the collection of reporters' records in investigations because of First Amendment concerns, and obtaining such records requires the approval of the deputy attorney general.
"That requirement was not followed when the F.B.I. obtained the records of two reporters for The Times in Indonesia, Raymond Bonner and Jane Perlez, as well as two reporters there for The Post, Ellen Nakashima and Natasha Tampubolon, officials said." (NY Times)
Frankly, it doesn't matter how high one's standards are set if no one insists on actually upholding them.
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