In the early chapters of Gilmor’s We the Media, he lays the groundwork for asserting that news organizations, and companies in general, should encourage feedback on their respective industries from customers and the like. One of his suggested examples is in the airport industry. Travelers, who usually know airports the best, and notice changes, should be encouraged to engage in discussion with the airline officials to make airports safer. People should be encouraged, Gilmor claims, to suggest changes and to point out failures and potential loopholes in order to protect the flying public.
I found it bizarrely coincidental that as I was browsing the CNN United States homepage I found an article relating specifically to this point. The article “FBI Investigates Student Over Website,” tells of a college student who did just what Gilmor suggested. For his dissertation, Christopher Soghoian, a student at Indiana University created a Web site exposing airport loopholes.
But, what was the reaction?
He became a suspect to the FBI. Government officials were concerned that Soghoian was conspiring with others, with the bad intentions of doing harm by making the airport security loopholes known.
Today, on his blog, Chris announced that the FBI has dropped its case and found him innocent. He explained the purpose of this website as purely to help improve the security situation at airports. Apparently, he was trying to follow Gilmor’s advice, to the t!
However, it seems that at this point in time, it’s the government who are unwilling to consider Gilmor’s and promote civic participation in matters of national security.