Last week, it was revealed that the FBI created a fake Associated Press (AP) story via a false link in the style of The Seattle Times to catch a 15-year-old bomb-threat suspect in 2007. The FBI sent the link — a story about the threats — to the teen, via his MySpace page. When he clicked it, law-enforcement malware downloaded onto his computer and revealed his location. Agents were able to arrest him within days.
The AP’s director of media relations, Paul Colford, told the Times he “find(s) it unacceptable that the FBI misappropriated the name of The Associated Press and published a false story attributed to AP. This ploy violated AP’s name and undermined AP’s credibility.”
The Seattle Times spoke out against the FBI’s actions, too, saying this undermined journalistic credibility, including its own, even if its name wasn’t explicitly used. In an editorial, the paper’s editorial board said the FBI’s actions “obliterated a line that should never have been crossed.” As the editorial points out, the FBI could have sent the teen any link; as long as he clicked it, the agency had what it needed to catch him.
The FBI should have considered the impact on those they impersonated. Instead, the FBI showed little concern for the media’s anger, saying the agency did what it needed to do to catch someone potentially capable of violence.
The media plays an important role as a government watchdog, as the AP and The Seattle Times have shown through their well-respected work. The media is already battling less government transparency and negative public opinion. Its reputation shouldn’t be diminished by the FBI’s efforts to catch just one suspect.