Dateline Reporter Caught at DEFCON

[JonathonWally]

I don't know how many of you are up on your behind the scenes computer knowledge or whatnot. But every year a convention named DEFCON is held.

DEFCON is a conference dedicated to computer securities and Web Security.

In recent years, it has been refered to in slang as "The Hacker Convention". Which to the casual person who doesn't know about such things could think.

As a member of the community myself I know otherwise. Along with conventions of 2600 known as the HOPE conventions.

Before we get into a moral debate about computer securities vs. Hacking, I feel I should tell you that almost every government agency sends representatives to the DEFCON conference. FBI, CIA, NSA, Homeland Security, DOD, just to name a few.

Most of these Goverment agencies send representatives to speak at the convention as well as to learn new things, for them to keep their knowledge up to date.

Many regular attendies also work for the government, in fact, it is one of the number government computer expert recruiting sites.

While I won't name names, a good portion of the event organizers are employed by the federal goverment as well.

Now that I've done my best to give those of you who are unfamiliar with DEFCON a quick history, over the weekend a there was an event involving an undercover reporter.

The Press is welcome to DEFCON with open arms and are given free reign of the entire convention, afterall, no one has anything to hide.

But this year, a reporter for DATELINE NBC attempted a different approach.

You may know about DATELINE NBC from it's famous "To Catch a Predator" series.

This Reporter instead of going through the press channels like all other new media representatives decided to enter as a regular attendee, but equiped with a hidden camera, which are not allowed at this event. Regular cameras sure, but not hidden ones.

It seems her motive was to catch anyone she could admitting to a computer crime on her hidden camera for a story she was working on to paint an unfair and unjust story of DEFCON and hackers to "Middle America".

She was caught, and hilarity ensued:


Video of what happened at DEFCON

Slashdot Article

MSNBC Blurb about DEFCON

 

[Trekker4747]

Dateline has a similar series coming soon to their "To Catch a Predator" series called "To Catch an Idenitity Thief", I suspect this is related to that.

 

[Amaris]

That is hilarious. Good job, DEFCON for smoking out a rat. I'm tired of yellow journalism, and I'm glad to see DEFCON gave her every opportunity to be fair and honest.

-J.

 

[MIB]

Beautiful. A solid win for the people of DEFCON.

Now if only we can make this a more common practice when dealing with all sensationalist yellow journalists who sprinkle everything they cover with TERROR and bullshit.

 

[Amaris]

MIB said:
Beautiful. A solid win for the people of DEFCON.

Now if only we can make this a more common practice when dealing with all sensationalist yellow journalists who sprinkle everything they cover with TERROR and bullshit.

Amen.

By the way, there's a guy in the picture on the MSNBC article here. I just want to comment that I love his hat, and want one just like it. And I also want a black one too.


-J.

 

[MANT!]

Well it's amazing how "journalists" often try to CREATE a story instead of reporting the story... where's Ed Morrow when you need him...

 

[Amaris]

goldbug said:
Well it's amazing how "journalists" often try to CREATE a story instead of reporting the story... where's Ed Morrow when you need him...

Unfortunately, he's dead.

However, that doesn't mean we can't have more people like him step up and report the news as it is instead of being spun around like a top.


-J.

 

[JonathonWally]

J. Allen said:

MIB said:
Beautiful. A solid win for the people of DEFCON.

Now if only we can make this a more common practice when dealing with all sensationalist yellow journalists who sprinkle everything they cover with TERROR and bullshit.

Amen.

By the way, there's a guy in the picture on the MSNBC article here. I just want to comment that I love his hat, and want one just like it. And I also want a black one too.


-J.

I do believe he's sporting a "Red Hat"/"Fedora" in support of the known linux distros. Probably an employee or contributor. Then again, maybe just showin his linux pride.

 

[anti-matter]

LOL...props to the DEFCON gatekeepers.

 

[Brent]

pwned

 

[A beaker full of death]

Nothing new here. Media today decides what the story is and then tries to find little pieces to cobble together into that story. And the sheep fall for it every time.

 

[TerriO]

A beaker full of death, could you please keep that in TNZ?

This really isn't the place to discuss more volatile subjects like the perceived machinations of the news media.

Thank you.

 

[EnsignAmy]

What's so lame about this is that it sounds like there were reporters all over the place, who could take pictures and take notes and do whatever they wanted, as long as they identified themselves.

God, TV news is sooooo bad.

 

[JonathonWally]

EnsignAmy said:
What's so lame about this is that it sounds like there were reporters all over the place, who could take pictures and take notes and do whatever they wanted, as long as they identified themselves.

God, TV news is sooooo bad.

Press is welcome at DEFCON, camera's reporters, all the like, but she refused to register as press and was being sneaky. And the reporter pretty much said how she was trying to paint DEFCON in an unfair light.