Alleged Wal-Mart spy must be a masochist

Last year, Hewlett-Packard took some lumps for spying on reporters. Now, Wal-Mart’s in the hot seat, after disclosing that one of its systems technicians recorded phone conversations and intercepted text messages between the company’s PR office and The New York Times. The giant retailer dismissed the technician following an internal investigation, but only after the infractions had gone on for nearly five months. The U.S. Attorney has begun an investigation, and the FBI is also reviewing the case. Now, I’ve dealt with the Wal-Mart PR department, and I read the Times, so I have some sympathy for the alleged eavesdropper. Given the typical levels of spin from the former, and the purple prose of the latter, hasn’t the perp suffered enough? He probably couldn’t make heads nor tails of what either party was trying to say.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

March 5, 2007 | Permalink