Upcoming USAToday story
 

Received the following email on Friday and recommend that all who are opposed to this technology contact Gary Stoller to express your views:

Dear Road Warrior: USA Today editor Gary Stoller is researching a possible story on new TSA backscatter advanced imaging technology that debuted a few months ago at airports. Would you please answer the following questions? Thank you.



1) How many times have you been screened this year with this new technology?



2) Has this new technology reduced or increased the time it takes to screen you? Please explain.



3) For a passenger, what are the advantages of this technology?



4) For a passenger, what are the disadvantages of this technology?



5) Please explain your complete view of this new technology.



61) If you can be quoted for an article, please provide your name, the town you live in (NOT the nearby big city), your job title, the industry you work in and a phone number if Gary Stoller needs to reach you.

Got an email address for Gary? Tks.

first initial
last name

at publication name

That didn't work. Any other ideas?

I'd be surprised if that rag does anything other than a puff piece for the TSA. They seem to be lapdogs.

Please don't paint all USA Today reporters with the same poisoned brush. Veteran reporter, Laura Bly, is as neutral as can be.

You'd be more successful at generating such contact if you titled your thread "USA Today reporter seeks input on TSA electronic strip search machines" instead of "Upcoming USAToday story".

Please don't paint all reporters with the same poisoned brush. We have a saying in journalism that if both sides hate your guts -- you're probably doing something right.

Worked for me - even had a nice reply. Which is much better than AP reporter I talked with last month regarding a airline story. The first time I had a gripe, the follow up story two days latter was great. I called again to say I appreciated their efforts - she did not say thanks, just "I have a deadline" and hung up!!

FUTR, one of the things about wire services such as the AP is, as they say, "a deadline every minute". If the reporter in question was crashing on a story that had go out ASAP, there really wouldn't be time to talk. Should she have said "thanks" -- yes, but I'd cut any reporter saying they're on deadline some slack because their mental focus is on their story, not on being polite.