The NTSB is choosing X over emails.
  • tal@lemmy.todayEnglish
    21·
    2 hours ago

    When I go to the NTSB’s media relations page, there is one reference to the NTSB Twitter account. It is listed as the way to get the latest updates on investigations. No email mailing list is provided:

    https://www.ntsb.gov/news/Pages/media_resources.aspx

    I get this:

    The NTSB’s Media Relations division may be reached at mediarelations@ntsb.gov — but first check Twitter @ntsb_newsroom​ for the latest updates and information on media briefings and crash investigations.​​

    The thing is, looking at the Wayback Machine, that text seems to have also been the same pre-Trump:

    https://web.archive.org/web/20250104091444/https://www.ntsb.gov/news/Pages/media_resources.aspx

    The NTSB’s Media Relations division may be reached at mediarelations@ntsb.gov — but first check Twitter @ntsb_newsroom​ for the latest updates and information on media briefings and crash investigations.​​

    It’s not entirely clear to me, even after rereading the submitted article’s text, what the policy change was. The article seems to imply that there was some sort of mailing list prior to this point – unless they’re only referencing contacting a human at the listed email address – but if that was the case, I don’t see it listed. And if they’re only talking about contacting a human at the email address, I’m not sure what has changed – it seems to have been and still be present, but with the NTSB asking media to use it as a secondary method.

    EDIT: Correction. There are four references, but all of them appear to be identical pre- and post-Trump:

    The NTSB will establish a command post near the crash site, often in a hotel. Although not possible in every circumstance, the agency strives to conduct a media briefing once a day on scene, during the mid- to late-afternoon. The timing and location of briefings will be announced on Twitter @ntsb_newsroom.

    After that, information will be released from Media Relations in Washington, D.C. through Twitter @ntsb_newsroom and on ntsb.gov.

    @NTSB_Newsroom

    EDIT2: So, in summary, I don’t think that they’re changing how they communicate. I think that they’re just saying that they aren’t taking direct questions on a per-reporter basis on this (high-profile) incident, but just putting out the same static material to everyone.

    That being said, if I were a reporter, I kind of would like to have a mailing list. I understand that in the past, spoofing press releases (even pre-email; fax was a target) was a tactic used against media, so you’d probably want to have X.509 or PGP signing for emails to the list.

    EDIT3: Or just link to a .gov address webpage and expect the reporter to validate the URL to avoid phishing. Or maybe use RSS off an official government site using HTTPS and have reporters use RSS aggregators instead of email clients.