New Zealand Gets a Press-Snooping Scandal of Its Own
Like the younger brother who copies his older sibling, for better or worse, New Zealand has been brewing up its own surveillance-state scandal. Caught illegally spying on the country's residents, the government responded by moving to legalize the practice. Now, for good measure, officials have been caught out scrutinizing journalists who report on snooping shenanigans.
From the New Zealand Herald:
Political journalists are livid. They're angry with the Government and the arrangements that have led to the state surveillance of journalists such as Andrea Vance (and to a lesser extent, investigative journalist Jon Stephenson). Vance herself has finally spoken out in a column today that is an absolute must-read for those interested in issues of privacy, media freedom and politics in New Zealand—see: I'm angry at my records being released. Vance appears to be particularly unhappy with John Key, Parliamentary Service, David Carter, the GCSB leak inquiry boss David Henry, as well as with politicians in general who she believes have helped threaten the status of media freedom in New Zealand.
It's flattering. Sort of.
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