On March 26, DataBreaches linked to reporting by the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Their report indicated that the local government had not notified residents of a data breach potentially affecting 14,000 people despite having been notified of the incident 240 days ago.
According to the memo, the firm sent a letter on Feb. 17 saying that it had reported a “cyber incident” to Hamilton County on July 14, 2024.
Rather than respond appropriately to the concerns raised by the reporting, the mayor appears to have tried to shoot the messenger.
Welcome to my world, Chattanooga Times Free Press. Their editor, Alison Gerber, writes:
Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp is angry with the Times Free Press and leveling accusations of unethical behavior against our journalists.
[…]
Wamp is claiming the Times Free Press is unethical for reporting that the county has known for nine months of a potential data breach and taken no action to communicate that breach, according to the memo from the county attorney’s office. He is deflecting and finger-pointing instead of notifying Hamilton County residents that their private information — including financial account information, addresses, health and medical information, according to the memo — may be compromised.
Let’s be very clear: It is not unethical to write a story based on a government record.
That bears repeating:
Let’s be very clear: It is not unethical to write a story based on a government record.
And maybe one more time for those clueless about the First Amendment:
Let’s be very clear: It is not unethical to write a story based on a government record.
Read more at Chattanooga Free Press.