NSA Hires News Agencies

In a recent letter released under the Freedom of Information Act, the NSA Director of Policy said that the National Security Agency (NSA) has contracts to pay news agencies for information, according to Narcosphere News. However, NSA authorities refused to reveal details of the contracts or what information is being purchased.

The NSA letter gave as little information as possible, but it did reveal the names of two wire services that it is paying - Reuters and the Associated Press. In response to a request about the nature of the contracts, the letter also reportedly said, “The NSA contract with these companies precludes our release of this information. Violation of these contracts could prevent the government from obtaining similar information in the future.”

Some government agencies purchase news wire services, however the level of secrecy and defensiveness in the NSA statement has analysts concerned. If the NSA simply purchased news wire services, it would have no reason to protect that information from being released. The NSA statement may imply that the government is influencing media and free speech much more than most people perceive.

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