A US government privacy board dubs the NSA’s phone calls hoarding illegal and calls to shut… wait, it’s Justin Bieber. And so the Congresswoman being interviewed was dumped mid-sentence to report the “breaking news” of Bieber’s DUI arrest.
On Thursday, the MSNBC put out a report by the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) slamming NSA hoarding of phone data, calling it ‘illegal.’ The privacy watchdog, established by US Congress in 2004, also urged President Barack Obama to end the NSA surveillance program.
Congresswoman Jane Harman was called in to discuss the recommendation of the US government privacy watchdog. But as Harman got round to urging Congress to “seriously consider discontinuing section 215”, matters of national importance were put aside.
“…We've got some breaking news out of Miami, stand by if you will. Right now in Miami Justin Bieber has been arrested on a number of charges," announced Andrea Mitchell, the MSNBC news anchor, interrupting the congresswoman.
Matters of international importance were promptly shelved, in a brouhaha surrounding the pop star, who was said to have been charged with driving under the influence, driving with an expired license, resisting arrest with a possibility of facing up to six months in jail. If you were Congresswoman Harman, would you stand by?