Washington: In an unusual move, US Justice Department secretly obtained two months' of telephone records of journalists working for the Associated Press, an action termed by the global news wire as a "massive and unprecedented intrusion" into how it gathers the news. The Justice Department obtained secret records as part of a year-long investigation into the disclosure of classified information about a failed al-Qaeda plot in 2012.
The Associated Press, which is headquartered in New York, alleged the Justice Department obtained two months phone records - mostly outgoing -- of its several offices in particular those in New York and Washington, and several of its reporters and editors. In a statement, The Associated Press said the Department of Justice (DOJ) notified it on May 10 that it had secretly obtained telephone records for more than 20 separate telephone lines assigned to AP journalists and offices, including cell and home phone lines.
"AP is asking the DOJ for an immediate explanation of the extraordinary action and for the records to be returned to AP and all copies destroyed," it said. The news agency termed it as a serious interference with its constitutional rights to gather and report the news.
It called the Justice Department's actions a "massive and unprecedented intrusion" into newsgathering activities. Protesting such a move by the Justice Department, The Associated Press Chief Executive Officer Gary Pruitt alleged that the government sought and obtained information far beyond anything that could be justified by any specific investigation....
10:56 AM, May 14, 2013
The citizens of Bangalore tell us if they have ever paid a bribe to get things done. ...
08:10 PM, Apr 20, 2013
The citizens of Bangalore tell us if they have ever paid a bribe to get things done. ...
08:10 PM, Apr 20, 2013
Sunithi Jayakumar becomes a Citizen Journalist to expose how 30% borewells have run dry in Bangalore and residents are being forced to spend money to buy water tankers to meet the shortage. ...
08:03 PM, Apr 20, 2013
A concerned resident turned Citizen Journalist to expose the bad state of roads in Bangalore. Pot-holes lead to huge jams throughout the city, and there is no maintenance to ease traffic woes. ...
07:56 PM, Apr 20, 2013
When a two-month-old baby dies of burn injuries after his body is lowered into boiling water by negligent nurses, a mother turns Citizen Journalist to expose the hospital's brutality. ...
07:36 PM, Apr 20, 2013
Join Video Volunteers and the Citizen Journalist show on the Campaign for a better Bangalore. ...
07:36 PM, Apr 20, 2013
Join Video Volunteers and the Citizen Journalist show on the Campaign to end Untouchability. ...
07:17 PM, Apr 13, 2013
Ahead of the Karnataka polls, IBN18 Network Editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Sardesai urged the people to turn citizen journalists and share the issues that mattered to them this election. ...
10:59 AM, Apr 13, 2013
Islamabad: Pakistan's Supreme Court is set to release a secret list of journalists and media organisations that purportedly received payments from the federal government in the name of national security, according to a media report. The apex court is expected to make a final decision in this regard on April 17, when the government will submit a revised list of "covert expenses" after excluding only a few details for security...
05:46 PM, Apr 12, 2013
Hyderabad: Justifying his decision to appoint a panel on fixing minimum qualification for journalists, Press Council Chairman Markandey Katju on Friday said the aim was not to "muzzle" the media but to improve the standards as there are a lot of "mediocre" professionals in the field. "There are a lot of mediocre journalists these days and the quality of journalism has fallen. So we have constituted a committee headed by...
04:53 PM, Apr 05, 2013
Senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde on Saturday said he was opposed to granting any remission to actor Sanjay Dutt, whose conviction in connection with the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts was recently upheld by the Supreme Court. "Granting any remission to Sanjay Dutt would set a bad precedent. Sanjay Dutt should not be pardoned simply because he is a celebrity", Munde said addressing a function in Jalna. Dutt would have to...
01:23 AM, Mar 24, 2013
Pakistan saw the highest number of journalists losing their lives in South Asia with 13 of them dying in the line of duty, followed by India with five among a total of 25 mediapersons falling victim to violence. "In 2012, South Asia, the most volatile region, mourned the murder of 25 media persons, with Pakistan again remaining in the lead. 13 journalists lost their lives in Pakistan, followed by five...
07:54 PM, Dec 30, 2012
Mediapersons, who were covering protests against the gangrape of a young girl, on Sunday faced the brunt of police action with cops spraying water cannons on scribes and their equipment and even beating up some of them. ...
09:00 PM, Dec 23, 2012
New Delhi: Delhi Union of Journalists on Tuesday expressed serious concern over reports of "octopus-like" grip of 'paid news' in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly polls and demanded inquiry as well as action to check the practice. "Paid news is a blot not only on the press but also to the democratic process," the DUJ said in a statement. There has been large-scale practice of 'paid news' in the Gujarat...
06:06 PM, Dec 18, 2012
As Pakistani politicians go, Rehman Malik certainly stands out. A policeman who has made it up the ranks of a feudal political system, he was ...
02:30 PM, Dec 14, 2012
New York: The Committee to Protect Journalists said in a report Tuesday that a record-number 232 journalists are imprisoned worldwide and that Turkey has the highest number with 49 journalists behind bars. The total is 53 more than the tally last year and is the highest number since the New York-based organization began conducting worldwide surveys in 1990. The census of journalists behind bars on December 1 found that anti-state...
09:39 PM, Dec 11, 2012
Ayodhya: Twenty years after the demolition of the Babri Masjid, CNN-IBN recalls one of the most tragic events in the history of the country, through the lens of a photographer. December 6, 1992 was a day that India will never forget as the Babri Masjid was demolished. At the forefront of action that day were those who were the eyes of the country, the photojournalists. Sanjay Sharma, then with the...
11:50 AM, Dec 06, 2012
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) member Natwar Lal Goel in a dramatic reaction manner tore off his shirt at a press conference to demonstrate how the photo journalists were trying to malign him. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav sacked Goel on Tuesday for assaulting two mediapersons. "They had clicked this girl's picture. There was a misunderstanding and I tried to clear it. I called them in to solve the issue...
08:04 AM, Oct 24, 2012
New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday reportedly sacked one of his ministers, who had been arrested for allegedly assaulting two photo journalists. The sacked minister, Natwar Lal Goel, was the Chairman of the UP Khadi Gram Udyog, having status of minister of state. Akhilesh also expelled Goel from the Samajwadi Party. More details on the incident are awaited. ...
11:30 PM, Oct 23, 2012
