A Smelly NSA 'Scoop' at USA Today

The National Ledger ^ | 05-17-06 | Cliff Kincaid

[Coastal]

Harry Jaffe of The Washingtonian has written that USA Today reporter Leslie Cauley’s story about how the NSA collected “average citizens’ phone records from their telecommunications companies, like AT&T and Verizon,” was a real “scoop.” He says other papers have been scrambling to keep up, and that USA Today has arrived on the national scene with this blockbuster. But it looks like Jaffe—and USA Today—may have gotten the basic facts wrong. The USA Today story, based entirely on anonymous sources, has been seriously challenged.

We should be asking: a scoop of what? Something about this scoop doesn’t smell right.

Cauley is quoted by Jaffe as saying that her NSA story “further validates the use of confidential, unnamed sources. They have a real value in our business.” Well, not so fast. Verizon has released a statement noting that...

[lexington minuteman 1775]

I hear USA Today would neither confirm or deny that they had been had! bwahahahaha!

[L98Fiero]

USAToday's "Rathergate". They will never learn that they can't present a story as fact just because they wish it was true. All they had to do was call the companies they accused of giving over records. They didn't even check the first fact, it appears.

[saganite]

Karl Rove. Enough said. Has he cranked up the Hurricane machine yet?

[Always Right]

I have over 1000 anonymous sources who say the USA Today is a piece of turd rag.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

"Fake but accurate."

[aShepard]

This whole big deal has a kind of Rovrian quality about it.

Get the Rats to big time face time huffery and puffery; then remind them that they were briefed many times; only to have the whole episode cancelled for lack of leak.

"Oh, wait a minute, I didn't know what I didn't know that I didn't talk about."

[Dinah Lord]

LOL. Once again, you are ALWAYS RIGHT!

And to think of all those poor, deluded souls out there that read it like it was the Bible. You just know they are out there...

Pathetic. The Wishing-Makes-It-So Media strikes again.

Dinah

[Waverunner]

Freepers all I bet.

[GOP_Proud]

Maybe they got it from Leopold's source. Rove was indicted Monday, right?

[pissant]

Scoop of turds

[Foolsgold]

(USA) Todays Gaggle

[sauropod]

It may be, but it is delivered gratis in hotels across this country. It is also the ubiquitous paper in every airport.

Think about it.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

USA Today is not a newspaper. Its a cartoon.

[Reily]

To all
USA Today is the newspaper of choice for the illiterati !

My guess is its written at the 3rd or 4th grade level.
It makes Reader's Digest look like the Encyclopedia Britannica !

[dead]

Wax on. Wax off.

[roverman2K6]

I am sick of these "anonymous sources" its all bull*** made up or lies repeated, how can they print whats amounts to rumors...they are digging their own media grave here.

[skimask]

I think the USA Today got "Dan Rathered"

[Mike Darancette]

I hear USA Today would neither confirm or deny that they had been had! bwahahahaha!

Since the phone companies may be sued for billions over this stuff USA Today is in deep trouble. They can admit their source and say we messed up or be in a cross-complaint in the suits against the phone companies.