THE MEDIACRACY

THE NEWS IS WHERE YOU FIND IT

[An interesting example of how differently news media cover the same
story can be found in the tale about the FBI and the Patriot Act. The
stories below are ranked roughly from the toughest - "blistering"
according to AP and "scathing" according to the NY Times right on down
to the increasingly stuffy Washington Post's "pervasive errors."]

AP - A blistering Justice Department report accuses the FBI of
underreporting its use of the Patriot Act to force businesses to turn
over customer information in terrorism cases, according to officials
familiar with its findings. The report, to be released Friday, also says
the FBI failed to send follow-up subpoenas to telecommunications firms
that were told to expect them, according to several government officials
who spoke on condition of anonymity because the report by the Justice
Department's inspector general had not yet been released. Overall, the
FBI underreported the number of national security letters it issued by
about 20 percent between 2003 and 2005, the officials said. In 2005
alone, the FBI delivered a total of 9,254 letters relating to 3,501 U.S.
citizens and legal residents.

http://ap.cjonline.com/pstories/20070308/154943535.shtml

NY TIMES - The Justice Department's inspector general has prepared a
scathing report criticizing how the F.B.I. uses a form of administrative
subpoena to obtain thousands of telephone, business and financial
records without prior judicial approval. The report, expected to be
issued on Friday, says that the bureau lacks sufficient controls to make
sure the subpoenas, which do not require a judge's prior approval, are
properly issued and that it does not follow even some of the rules it
does have.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/09/washington/09attorneys.html?ex=
1331096400&en=5c2e82431aedf214&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

ABC - The FBI repeatedly failed to follow the strict guidelines of the
Patriot Act when its agents took advantage of a new provision allowing
the FBI to obtain phone and financial records without a court order,
according to a report to be made public Friday by the Justice
Department's Inspector General. The report, in classified and
unclassified versions, remains closely held, but Washington officials
who have seen it tell ABC News it documents "numerous lapses" and
describe it as "scathing" and "not a pretty picture for the FBI."

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/

WASHINGTON POST - A Justice Department investigation has found pervasive
errors in the FBI's use of its power to secretly demand telephone,
e-mail and financial records in national security cases, officials with
access to the report said yesterday. The inspector general's audit found
22 possible breaches of internal FBI and Justice Department regulations
-- some of which were potential violations of law -- in a sampling of
293 "national security letters." The letters were used by the FBI to
obtain the personal records of U.S. residents or visitors between 2003
and 2005. The FBI identified 26 potential violations in other cases.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/08/
AR2007030802356.html?nav=rss_politics

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