• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • NEWS+OPINIONS
    • NEWS TO US
    • COLUMNS
      • APPARENT HORIZON
      • DEAR READER
      • Close
    • LONGFORM FEATURES
    • OPINIONS
    • EDITORIAL
    • Close
  • ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
    • FILM
    • MUSIC
    • COMEDY
    • PERFORMING ARTS
    • VISUAL ARTS
    • Close
  • DINING+DRINKING
    • EATS
    • SIPS
    • BOSTON BETTER BEER BUREAU
    • Close
  • LIFESTYLE
    • CANNABIS
      • TALKING JOINTS MEMO
      • Close
    • WELLNESS
    • GTFO
    • Close
  • STUFF TO DO
  • TICKETS
  • ABOUT US
    • ABOUT
    • MASTHEAD
    • ADVERTISE
    • Close
  • BECOME A MEMBER

Dig Bos

The Dig - Greater Boston's Alternative News Source

HACKS AND HACKERS: GIDDY MEDIA INFANTS SENSATIONALIZE POT ANGLE IN CIA EMAIL STORY

Written by CHRIS FARAONE Posted October 26, 2015 Filed Under: Blunt Truth, COLUMNS, Media Farm

17.43 MEDIA FARM

Image by Kent Buckley

 

Waking up to the morning news one day last week, I learned that a “teenage stoner” had hacked into the AOL account of CIA Director John Brennan. Like most skeptics who encountered similar reports, I immediately thought: The director of the CIA uses AOL? And also: Wow, that marijuana sure is one hell of a drug. Good job, kiddo.

 

I gave the topic little further thought until a day or so later, when I ran into the fifth or sixth sensational stoned hacker headline. As it turns out, the source of said quotation is evasive—that despite everyone from Highlights for Children to Fortune leading with the cannabis angle. From the latter:

 

The New York Post reported on Sunday that a self-described “stoner high school student” claimed to have breached the non-governmental accounts, which contained Social Security numbers, a 47-page security clearance application, “personal information of more than a dozen top American intelligence officials,” and more.

 

A few things here. First, it’s pretty absurd to trumpet anything in the Post, a faux-populist attention whore with a crack dealer’s sense of social responsibility. Second, and more important, is that the tabloid changed its online title on day two, for some reason going with “Teen says he hacked CIA director’s AOL account”—but still the toker legs grew longer, with sites like Breitbart echoing, “‘Stoner High School Student’ Claims He Hacked CIA Director’s Personal Email.”

 

The awkward moment when feds admit i had unauthorized access to the accounts and people are still saying i faked it. :/ LOL

— cracka (@phphax) October 20, 2015

 

Gawker did some due diligence for the rest of the internet, communicating with the hacker via instant messenger, and asking him about his stoner status:

 

When I asked how he felt about being labeled a “teen stoner” by the New York Post, he seemed fine: “Me and phphax know each other irl, most of our school and grade are smokers and stoners, so i mean it just kind of describes us in away…I dont find it insulting in anyway. [sic]”

 

It didn’t matter what they really said though, or how much weed they smoke. By that point, outlets like TechWorm had cemented themselves a sexy canna-narrative—one that had almost nothing whatsoever to do with what actually happened. From that site’s stellar account:

 

A high school student who smokes pot has claimed to have hacked into the private account of the CIA Director, John Brennan. The hacker told [sic] NY Post that the head of the CIA was using his own personal AOL account to stash work-related documents and he hacked into them.

 

What’s the lesson here? It’s hard to say. But one is probably that despite the mainstreaming of marijuana and increasing acceptance of cannabis culture—from the marketplace to the media—most news organizations remain run by straights and closet tokers, the newsroom equivalents of covert gay Republican congressmen who oppose same-sex marriage. Another takeaway: reporting on surveillance and security is so pitiful in this country that most so-called journalists, when given a window of opportunity to peek into a secret agency with a famously shady track record, will opt for college pot shots every time.

CHRIS FARAONE
+ posts

A Queens, NY native who came to New England in 2004 to earn his MA in journalism at Boston University, Chris Faraone is the editor and co-publisher of DigBoston and a co-founder of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism. He has published several books including 99 Nights with the 99 Percent, and has written liner notes for hip-hop gods including Cypress Hill, Pete Rock, Nas, and various members of the Wu-Tang Clan.

  • CHRIS FARAONE
    https://digboston.com/author/chris-faraone/
    Two Mass Breeders Recognized For “World’s Best Cannabis Seeds And Clones To Grow In 2023”
  • CHRIS FARAONE
    https://digboston.com/author/chris-faraone/
    New Drop: Joy Bombs Candy-Coated Fruit Chews
  • CHRIS FARAONE
    https://digboston.com/author/chris-faraone/
    The Mass Dispensary With A Registered Nurse On Staff
  • CHRIS FARAONE
    https://digboston.com/author/chris-faraone/
    The Dispensary That Shovels Out Neighbors In Need

Filed Under: Blunt Truth, COLUMNS, Media Farm Tagged With: Breach, Gawker, hacker, John Brennan, Marijuana, media, New York Post, sensationalist, stoner, tabloid

WHAT’S NEW

State Wire: Mass Legislation Aims To Improve Language Access For All

State Wire: Mass Legislation Aims To Improve Language Access For All

State Wire: Mass Launches Free Legal Advice Hotline Regarding Abortion Care

State Wire: Mass Launches Free Legal Advice Hotline Regarding Abortion Care

State Wire: Mass Bill Would Tighten Restrictions On Facial Recognition Technology

State Wire: Mass Bill Would Tighten Restrictions On Facial Recognition Technology

Mass Higher Ed Advocates Urge More Investment In Students 

Mass Higher Ed Advocates Urge More Investment In Students 

Guest Opinion: Promoting Metal Detectors In BPS Perpetuates Dangerous Narrative

Guest Opinion: Promoting Metal Detectors In BPS Perpetuates Dangerous Narrative

State Wire: Mass Leads Nation In 'Green' Building Development

State Wire: Mass Leads Nation In ‘Green’ Building Development

Primary Sidebar

LOCAL EVENTS

AAN Wire


Most Popular

  • Think Massachusetts Cannabis Prices Are Low Now? Just Wait Six Months!
  • A New Beginning For Formerly Incarcerated Women
  • Jerrod Carmichael Has First Show After Coming Out—At the Wilbur In Boston
  • Why Are Cannabis Prices Really Crashing?
  • Dig This: Thousands Of Furries Flocking To Anthro New England 

Footer

Social Buttons

DigBoston facebook DigBoston Twitter DigBoston Instagram

Masthead

About

Advertise

Customer Service

About Us

DigBoston is a one-stop nexus for everything worth doing or knowing in the Boston area. It's an alt-weekly, it's a website, it's an email blast, it's a twitter account, it's that cool party that you were at last night ... hey, you're reading it, so it's gotta be good. For advertising inquiries: sales@digboston.com To reach editorial (and for inquiries about internship opportunities): editorial@digboston.com