The APreported that a special U.S. Customs and Border Protection unit used sensitive government databases intended to track terrorists to investigate as many as 20 U.S.-based journalists.
The unit is called the Counter Network Division. An agent who acknowledged running checks on journalists in 2017 told federal investigators the practice is routine.
The AP pointed out this is not the first time federal agencies have used their power to examine the contacts of journalists and others. Democratic and Republican administrations alike have snooped on journalists through the years.
Shop Talk is a weekly panel discussion about journalism issues. This week’s program featured Will Buss, who teaches in the Department of Broadcasting and Journalism at Western Illinois University and advises the student editors at the Western Courier, the students at student radio station The Dog, and the WIU chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists; Rajvee Subramanian, who teaches in the Department of Broadcasting and Journalism at Western Illinois University; and TSPR News Director Rich Egger.
