A loss of privacy

From the Sun-Sentinel-

The Federal Emergency Management Agency must turn over to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and other news organizations the addresses of 1.3 million disaster aid recipients, a federal appellate court in Atlanta ruled Friday.

FEMA had been fighting to keep the information secret for almost three years.

The Sun-Sentinel sought the addresses as part of its reports on fraud and mismanagement in FEMA's disaster aid program after Hurricane Frances lashed Florida during Labor Day weekend 2004.

A federal judge in Fort Lauderdale ruled more than a year ago that the newspaper should have the addresses — but not the names — of aid recipients for Hurricane Frances and 30 other disasters dating back 10 years. But FEMA appealed the decision to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

A three-judge panel ruled the release of the addresses will help the newspaper and the public determine "whether FEMA has been a good steward of billions of taxpayer dollars." The question, the court found, is an important one given the agency's "awesome statutory responsibility to prepare the nation for and respond to all … national disasters and terrorist attacks."

"We cannot find any privacy interests here that even begin to outweigh this public interest," Judge Stanley Marcus wrote in a 66-page decision.

Rachel E. Fugate, attorney for the Sun-Sentinel, hailed the decision. "This isn't only a huge victory for the Sun-Sentinel but for all media and especially the public, which hopefully will be even better informed now."

A win for the MSM, a loss for everyone else. What I wrote last November still applies.

The waste done by FEMA is well chronicled in the press already. What bugs me is the MSM wanting to know everyone's business here. Why not just sue to see every payout to any Florida citizen for anything? There is waste in government in other departments besides FEMA. Waste done on a daily basis.

No these newspapers want to invade the lives of Florida citizens, mine included. This is just one more sick perverse incident involving the Florida MSM. We have pedophile newspapers, another paper insulting fathers on Father's day and another paper wrongly posting the photo of someone as a child molester and not bothering to issue an apology.

Nothing has changed. These newspapers have won the right to invade the lives of people here i n Florida. Where are the courts supposed to draw the line. Why not medicare or medicaid payouts? Any public assistance or disbursement by the government to a person. Are the MSM allowed to see any and all of this?

The MSM can't get its facts straight on a daily basis. How many people are going to be hurt when the Sun-Sentinel and the other newspapers start publishing this info? Will they have recourse to sue these media publications or are we going to be screwed? My guess is the later.

Linked to- Blue Star, Leaning Straight Up, Maggie,