Private Spooks: Mercenary Intelligence Agencies are Recruiting Journalists

Posted by Lindsay Beyerstein, Majikthise at 12:15 PM on August 4, 2008.

A private intelligence outfit busted for infiltrating Greenpeace is now attempting to recruit journalists, PR Watch reports:

Melissa Sweet, a freelance Australian health journalist, reports that she recently received an email from a staffer with the private intelligence company Hakluyt. In it, she was asked if she would like to become part of a "network of well-placed individuals around the world who are able to provide us, very discreetly, with intelligence on specific commercial or political issues that may arise." In particular, they were seeking her assistance for an anonymous "financial institution" client, on "a new project on the new Australian government's healthcare policy -- how realistic their reform ambitions really are," "the role of the private sector" and other matters.

Tagged as: australia, spy, privatized spook agencies

Lindsay Beyerstein a New York writer blogging at Majikthise.