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« Site Changes | Main | War on December 1, 2005Is "Hitman" a High-Ranking State Official?Sharon Cobb has been digging to find the identity of the anonymous blogger known as "Hitman," who often writes about TennCare. So far, she has determined that Hitman is posting from a computer located at the Tennessee Department of Finance & Administration, and has filed an Open Records request seeking to identify the specific computer and the state employee assigned to it. Just to add a little gas to the fire, a few weeks ago I received a tip from a source I won't disclose suggesting that Hitman might be a "high ranking" state official. Posted in Tennessee Government News
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FYI...The state Department of Finance owns the entire pool of IP addresses for the state, so this person probably doesn't work for that particular department. It looks like it's a proxy address for several departments. Posted by: Blake at December 1, 2005 4:37 PMWhat Blake said. That's a very large address space. There might however be traces here and there of a specific IP used to access blogspot; but if it's behind a proxy server, I'd have to see if tech is logging net accesses. Having said that, it hardly appears the bloke is spending all day blogging, and he might even have a press sort of job. So it seems more like a detective mystery than a scandal in the making to me. Posted by: Wintermute at December 1, 2005 7:01 PMOh, I never thought it was a "scandal" - I'm more interested in whether the Bredesen administration - or a part of it at least - has decided on a policy of stealth engagement of the blogosphere. That would be a very very interesting development in the Tennessee political blogosphere. Posted by: Bill Hobbs at December 1, 2005 9:11 PMYour odds are pretty low. There's an awful lot of state employees, and most of us don't care for TennCare. It's got a lot to do with why working for the state has so many drawbacks. And one blogger doesn't really make it an administration conspiracy. Posted by: W at December 1, 2005 9:34 PMI posted this over at Kleinheider's and figure it'll do here as well: I find it utterly astonishing that anyone could take a serious, objective look at this dippy little blog (Bring the Noise that is) and operate under the assumption that it could be some penetrate-the-blogosphere strategy by the Bredesen Administration. I don't care how much of a "seasoned journalist" somebody is, that person is in need of a hell of a lot more seasoning if he or she actually thinks that "Hitman" is anything other than some regular Joe with a blog. I know it's hard to believe, but with thousands of state employees out there, it is quite probable that there are a large number of state employees who manage to form and develop their own opinions about things. It is also quite possible that many of those same people have in their Internet wanderings come across these "blog" thingies and thought to themselves, "hey, I need to get me one of those." By that same token, it is quite improbable that the governor's PR inner circle, the same cracker jack squad (if it even really exists) that brought us the "anyone-want-McDonald's?" incident and the governor's own pathetic excuse for a blog cooked this up. I mean, if they really were doing that, wouldn't it be--er--better? (That's saying nothing against this "Hitman" fellow; it's a fine enough blog, but not something that would be developed in some PR laboratory.) It's only slightly less improbable that the blog is written by some higher-up administration employee. I mean--just as an example--"Bring the noise"? "Feeling the hits"? Have you met any of the higher-ups in the Bredesen Administration? Hell, look at Bredesen himself. Do you think any of them have ever even heard the phrase "bring the noise"? Dave Cooley: Hey, Governor, you know, I think I have a way to combat some of the bad PR on TennCare. Gov. Bredesen: Really, Dave? What is it? DC: Start a semi-obscure blog that looks like millions of other blogs out there and occasionally write a few random things about TennCare on it. Also, to throw people "off the scent," have some posts about other random things, like John Ford and a legislative race. The effect will be explosive. GB: That's a heckuvan idea there Dave. But, you know, being pretty "blog-savvy" myself, I know we need a good name for it. DC: Hmmm. Good point...Hey, I know, how about "Bring the Noise"? GB: "Bring the Noise"? Huh. That's pretty "awesome" there Dave, you "hepcat". That's pretty "with it". And I should know. DC: Yes indeed Governor. You've got the "mad skillz". We all know it. GB: Yep. Now get to it. Kick some TennCare butt. Big money says that Fmr Bred EE above is absolutely correct -- this is just some regular state employee (or, quite possibly, some other regular person with access to state-run computers, such as, as Hitman himself seems to suggest, a college student/staffer in a state university computer lab) who has a blog. I think Sharon is going to embarrass herself on this one, if she already hasn't. I think I'll just wait for the movie release. *grin* Posted by: Paul at December 2, 2005 4:12 PMRoger, There is no reason for me to be embarrassed. If you read what I wrote on my blog, I stated it could be nothing and not to jump to conclusions and I was just following some leads. You have to also remember this administration has a beef with me, and that is why they would try to discredit me, like Hitman did by specifically posting lies about me. No one is talking about those things. Lastly, having broken several major news stories nationally when I was with MSNBC, it would be good to keep in mind I am not some kid blogging in her pajamas for the hell of it. (Not that there's anything wrong with that) If it turns out to be nothing, I won't be embarrassed. I stated on my blog when I wrote the story that it could turn out to be nothing. I am a bit surprised, though, that a veteran journalist doesn't see the need to at least follow the leads, again, which is all I am doing and stated so on my blog. Even though Brittney linked my blog, she chose to use AC's comments and my response to post instead of at least running my disclaimer which would have avoided at least some of this mob mentality hate fest that I am out to out anonymous bloggers. (Only a handful of people visited my site from the NIT story, showing they didn't bother to click on the link to MY story, but rather go with what Brittney chose to post. Anyhow, no embarrassment if it's some kid not doing this at the request of higher ups. I stated that on my blog--which apparently only a few people read that day. Posted by: Sharon at December 2, 2005 7:41 PMRoger, Please excuse the typos in my post to you. I have a migraine. If there's one thing this whole Hitman event has shown me is some bloggers just have no clue what a potentially big story is. After I recover from my surgery for ovarian cancer, I will most likely go back to MSNBC where my investigative reporting was appreciated, and/or, continue to make films on my own. I've never had a problem with someone disagreeing with me, (I have no problem with what you wrote) but there is such a constant barrage of negative attacks on a daily basis..not on me...but on others as well, that it's really bad for my spiritual life. I don't wear it on my sleeve, but those who know me know I am quite religious, and this type of daily hateful attacks on people I've always thought of as co-workers, is something I won't participate in anymore. Posted by: Sharon at December 2, 2005 7:50 PMWell, Sharon, it could be worse. You could be a perpetual lightning rod like me. Donna Locke P.S. I have a migraine, too. Barometric pressure. Rain coming. Cold cloth on face. Ice pack on head. Will work. Maybe. Posted by: Donna Locke at December 2, 2005 8:55 PMLOL Donna. That's the first thing I've read in 24 hours that made me smile. Thank you. I'll try the cold cloth. I have the most amazing physical therapist at Vanderbilt, and while she treats my mulitple health problems, she also gets rid of headaches and migraines. I call her my angel. She uses a technique called mya-facia (I spelled it phonetically--not sure how it is spelled) release, which is similar to a massage, but it's a gentle stretching and pulling on the muscles. When she does the neck and sinus area, she stops a headache in its tracks and also gets rid of sinus infections. If you would like more info on her to reach her, email me and I'll give you her name and number. I hope your migraine goes away soon, too. Best, Sharon- You are very much appreciated. And don't worry about Abramson. His gift is criticism, not information-so keep rolling. Posted by: Terry at December 5, 2005 4:28 PMThank you, Terry. That's not something I've heard much of in the last week. Posted by: Sharon at December 6, 2005 4:35 AMPost a comment
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