The latest revelations about NSA surveillance were pretty shocking. Under the headline “NSA Infiltrates Links to Yahoo, Google Data Centers Worldwide, Snowden Documents Say,” Barton Gellman of the Washington Post (10/30/13) reported that the agency “has secretly broken into the main communications links that connect Yahoo and Google data centers around the world,” and that by
tapping those links, the agency has positioned itself to collect at will from hundreds of millions of user accounts, many of them belonging to Americans. The NSA does not keep everything it collects, but it keeps a lot.
The Post story includes this anecdote about one of the Snowden files: “Two engineers with close ties to Google exploded in profanity when they saw the drawing.”
So on October 30, the CBS Evening News decided to cover the story. Sort of.
SCOTT PELLEY: The Washington Post this evening is publishing more information from Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency computer technician who is spilling the secrets of U.S. surveillance. Bob Orr is our Homeland Security correspondent. And, Bob, today’s story says the National Security Agency may be stealing the communications of the networks of Google and Yahoo!. What did you find out about that today?
BOB ORR: Well, Scott, it seems the NSA is getting far more aggressive than it’s been in pushing back at these stories based on the leaks you mentioned from Edward Snowden. Specifically, today NSA chief Keith Alexander denied that Washington Post report which has claimed that the U.S. government is using some kind of secret backdoor or backdoors to routinely scoop up millions of communication records from users of Yahoo! and Google. Alexander made a point of saying that NSA does get information from those Internet search companies, Scott, but he said only through court orders.
So the real story, evidently, is the NSA’s pushback–not the story itself. CBS has not established an especially notable record on the Snowden/NSA story–the newscast filed a short, bizarre report (FAIR Blog, 8/16/13) that misconstrued a Snowden comment to suggest he was admitting he was a spy. And somehow CBS has decided, against all the evidence, that what the NSA says about itself should be taken at face value. Nothing to see here, folks.
Scott (oh, so-sincere) Pelley is a consistent idiot now. I can imagine him becoming (in 10 years) like Bob Schieffer, CBS’ resident geezer apologist for the MIC & surveillance/police state. Pelley and Norah O’Donnell love to laugh-it-up with John Miller three to five times a week on the morning show. Clowns all-around.
God Glen Beck has been spouting this daily for three plus years.Of course he does not blame the NSA as if they exist outside the presidents sphere of influence.He blames Obama,and Bush before him.Notice foreign countries don’t say Mr president your NSA s out of control.They say YOU are out of control.Amen to that brother
Oh ya, one of best news sources around, the most balanced and accurate of the Fux Snooze Nitwork; Glen Beck who can’t tell a fascist from a socialist, nor his ass from his elbow. You might as well get your news from the Midnight Sun and The National Inquirer, they at least have some clue about reality. Beck has no clue and shows it every day when opens his mouth and pools of stupid come dribbling out.
If Beck ever spoke anything about the NSA it was in a total kiss up to it as long as it was in the hands of Bush Baby and Darth Cheney. Sure funny how when they were having NSA and the spy’s steal and read everything that is OK. Black/White duckspeak as always.
I’m not sure what is worse, the manufacturing of consent on CBS or the endless drug commercials that support it.
Pad , it is easy to simply discount anyone by calling them a nut.Bottom line is Beck told you fanny and freddy were collapsing when the government said all was well.He said buy Gold when the government said all was well dont listen to Beck.I did and made a killing.How did you do?He told you this is where healthcare would end up at this point and your government said bullshit.He told you about the NSA over reach for three years.You laughed -then believed Snowden.He told you about Benghazi(it was not being defended)…the Ap scandal(he reported weeks before that reports were coming to him)For a solid year he reported the Tea party was being targeted by the iRS and you scoffed.He reported the DHS was buying up over 1 billion rounds of ammo while housing 900 armored vehicles in New Mexico as your president denied it….Until they admitted it- without explanation.He did two hours of the lies this government has told that he has reported on no matter the cost to his rep.Every one of which he was mocked for…until it was proven.He has been telling you for years that this government is buying its own debt.Monetizing real debt by floating paper money.Printing it…and borrowing it as spending has increased.Is he wrong? I think what you are saying is that this nut,this clownish baffoon -is and has been running circles around your lying ass government.What does that say?Dont tell me you dont like him or his shtick.I could give a rats ass. TELL ME WHERE HE IS WRONG?
I suppose Scott Pelley and Bob Orr would go to the Mafia Don in order to confirm/deny leaked documents from FBI regarding organized crime!