- WASHINGTON - In a development
bordering on what the American Civil Liberties Union called "surreal,"
the on-line magazine Salon.com today revealed that the Department of Justice
is forwarding incoming Operation TIPS calls to the Fox-owned "America's
Most Wanted" television series.
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- "This is like retaining Arthur Andersen to do all
of the SEC's accounting," said Rachel King, an ACLU Legislative Counsel.
"It's a completely inappropriate and frightening intermingling of
government power and the private sector. What's next - the government hires
Candid Camera to do its video surveillance?"
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- "If it continues to cooperate with the government
on Operation TIPS, America's Most Wanted should move networks and rename
itself 'Big Brother,'" King said.
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- The author of the Salon article, David Lindorff, reportedly
signed up for TIPS more than a month ago, heard nothing and followed up
last week with a phone call to the Department of Justice, the agency responsible
for overseeing the proposed program. The department gave Lindorff another
phone number, which it said had been set up by the FBI. When he dialed
that number, Lindorff was greeted by a receptionist for "America's
Most Wanted," which features reenactments of unsolved crimes and then
asks the public to phone in leads and tips.
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- Shocked that the number did not connect to the FBI, Lindorff
was told, "We've been asked to take the FBI's TIPS calls for them."
The ACLU today said that, not only does the Operation TIPS program on its
own pose serious threats to the American ideal that neighbors not be expected
to inform on neighbors, but the program, when coupled with the power and
profit incentives of television, could enhance its resemblance to Big Brother
through sensationalism and the thirst for advertising revenue.
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- Even before its partnering with Fox Television, the Operation
TIPS program has come under a barrage of criticism from both the left and
the right. House Majority Leader Richard Armey (R-TX), one of the most
powerful and conservative members of Congress, introduced a measure in
his chamber's version of the Homeland Security legislation that would prohibit
the implementation of TIPS and other similar measures. Sen. Patrick Leahy
(D-VT), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has also opposed the
proposal, saying "We could be vigilant, but we don't want to be vigilantes."
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- "Why stop with America's Most Wanted?" King
added. "If a sensational story is what it was looking for, the Department
of Justice should have just hired Jerry Springer as its public information
officer."
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-
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- John Walsh, host of America's Most Wanted, appeared on
Larry King Live (CNN) Thursday night and denied any and all participation
in the TIPS program saying this was a bogus press release generated by
the ACLU and 'complete nonsense.' Though 'America's Most Wanted' operates
on a similar theme as TIPS envisions, and King noted the dangers of people
abusing AMW to persecute innocent individuals, Walsh said they knew were
confident of their investigative system and are extremely cautious about
what tips they currently follow up on regarding the criminals on the most
wanted list.
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