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Ali Watkins

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Ali Watkins
Born (1991-10-27) October 27, 1991 (age 32)[1][2]
Berks County, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Alma materTemple University
OccupationJournalist

Ali Watkins[3] is an American journalist who writes for The New York Times.[4] Along with two colleagues, she was a finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for a body of work consisting 10 articles spanning from March 3, 2014, to July 14, 2014.[5][6] Watkins has worked for a number of publications, including BuzzFeed, Politico, McClatchy,[7] The Huffington Post,[8] and the Philadelphia Daily News.[9]

Early life and education

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Watkins was born and raised in Berks County, Pennsylvania and attended Fleetwood High School in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania.[10] She is a graduate of Temple University, where she was a news editor for The Temple News.[11]

Career

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In 2014, while she was still a senior in college, Watkins broke a national story about the Central Intelligence Agency monitoring United States Senate computers while the Senate Intelligence Committee was preparing a report on the CIA's detention and interrogation program.[12][13] For their work on the story, Watkins and two other journalists were named as finalists for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize in National Reporting.[5] Watkins' scoop was at the core of the 2019 movie The Report, but her role was "elided."[14]

Watkins' career progression has been characterized as "meteoric" by The Times of London[15] and "stunning" by The Washington Post,[16] and she has been called a "hotshot" by Fox News.[17] In April 2017, in what The New York Times called "a scoop that other news organizations scrambled to match" and The Washington Post said was a "big story," Watkins broke a story about the 2013 meetings between CIA asset Carter Page and a Russian spy.[18][19]

For several years, Watkins' beat was the Senate Intelligence Committee. At The New York Times, where she was hired in December 2017,[18] Watkins covered national security[20] and law-enforcement agencies from its Washington, D.C. bureau until July 2018.[21]

In July 2018, the Times reassigned Watkins to the New York office,[22][23] where she covers crime and law enforcement in New York City at the Times Metro desk.[24][25] The Times explained the reasons for her reassignment: "We are troubled by Ali's conduct, particularly while she was employed by other news organizations [...] For a reporter to have an intimate relationship with someone he or she covers is unacceptable."[26] Watkins relocated to New York.[27]

Wolfe case

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From December 2013 to December 2017, Watkins was in a romantic relationship with the former head of security for the Senate Intelligence Committee, James A. Wolfe.[28][29][30] The FBI opened an investigation into Wolfe after an April 2017 article by Watkins described contacts between Russian spies and Donald Trump policy adviser Carter Page, who had not been publicly identified in relation to those contacts and who was working for the CIA at the time of the meetings.[31][32][33] On October 15, 2018, Wolfe pleaded guilty to one count of lying to the FBI about his relationship with Watkins.[34][32] Prosecutors alleged that Wolfe leaked to Watkins and three other reporters.[35] Watkins denied that Wolfe ever provided her classified information.[36] Watkins disclosed the relationship to her employers BuzzFeed News, The New York Times,[37][38] and Politico;[39] however, McClatchy editors said they were ignorant of the relationship while Watkins was an intern and employee from mid-2013 through 2014.[40] Following the Wolfe relationship, Watkins dated another Senate Intelligence Committee staff member, which Politico, her employer at the time, has said she failed to disclose.[41]

Former New York Times editor Jill Abramson said “I hate the whole situation more than I can say,” because she had spent her whole career trying to combat the notion that successful female journalists sleep with their sources.[42] The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the case "bears a strong resemblance to the television drama House of Cards," of which it said Watkins was a fan.[43] In 2019, Erik Wemple of The Washington Post compared Watkins to Amanda Macias,[44] as did Stephen L. Miller of The Spectator.[45]

Operation Whistle Pig

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In 2017, Jeffrey Rambo, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent working for the National Targeting Center, investigated Watkins, other journalists including Martha Mendoza, and NGOs while on an assignment to combat forced labor in the Congo. The operation was called "Whistle Pig" and in addition to its own database trawling[46] it got the CBP’s Counter Network Division to provide information about Watkins' mother and brother and links to their public profiles, as well as details of Watkins’ domestic and international travel. Rambo met Watkins under the fictitious name Jack Bentley, but Watkins obtained his real name from a credit card receipt. Watkins perceived Rambo's approach as a threat.[47]

In 2021, Watkins said: “I’m deeply troubled at the lengths CBP and DHS personnel apparently went to try and identify journalistic sources and dig into my personal life.”[48] A few days later, CBP launched an investigation.[49]

References

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  1. ^ @playbookplus (October 27, 2017). "HAPPY BIRTHDAY to @mlcalderone, @AliWatkins and Chris @vlasto!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on August 27, 2020 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ JAKE SHERMAN; ANNA PALMER; DANIEL LIPPMAN (October 27, 2018). "POLITICO Playbook: Trump: 'I could really tone it up,' but chooses not to". The Politico. Retrieved March 28, 2022. BIRTHDAYS: [...] NYT's Ali Watkins
  3. ^ Sarah Ellison; Paul Farhi (June 8, 2018). "Leak investigation that led to Senate aide's indictment puts spotlight on New York Times reporter". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  4. ^ Neuman, Scott (June 7, 2018). "Former Senate Aide Charged With Lying To FBI About Contacts With Reporters". NPR. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Finalist: Marisa Taylor, Jonathan Landay and Ali Watkins of McClatchy Newspapers". The Pulitzer Prizes. The Pulitzer Prizes – Columbia University. Retrieved June 10, 2018. For timely coverage of the Senate Intelligence Committee's report on CIA torture, demonstrating initiative and perseverance in overcoming government efforts to hide the details.
  6. ^ "Ali Watkins Joining Washington Bureau". December 5, 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  7. ^ Lauter, David; Fawcett, Eliza (June 8, 2018). "Indicted former Senate staffer appears in court as Russia leak inquiry sets off partisan fireworks". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  8. ^ Nicole Hensley; Janon Fisher (June 7, 2018). "Ex-Senate Intelligence Committee staffer indicted for lying about talks with reporters in leaks probe". Daily News. New York. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  9. ^ Jeff Cronin; Kim Fischer (May 8, 2014). "Ali Watkins: From Owl to watchdog". Temple Now. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  10. ^ Michael Boren (June 8, 2018). "Temple grad Ali Watkins, a New York Times reporter, at center of debate over press freedom and government leaks". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  11. ^ Greta Anderson (June 8, 2018). "Temple alumnus and former Temple News editor's records seized amid classified leak case". The Temple News. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  12. ^ "Temple senior breaks national story involving CIA". March 11, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  13. ^ "Temple senior breaks national story involving CIA".
  14. ^ Nausicaa Renner (November 10, 2019). ""IF IT'S GONNA COME OUT, IT'S GONNA COME OUT THE RIGHT WAY": HEROES OF TORTURE REPORT MOVIE ARE LAUDED FOR DODGING REPORTERS". The Intercept. Retrieved December 8, 2019. The movie, here, elides the fact that reporter who actually broke this story was Ali Watkins — then a reporter at McClatchy
  15. ^ Toby Harnden (June 17, 2018). "Eager reporter Ali Watkins and lover James Wolfe tumble from real House of Cards". The Times.
  16. ^ Ellison, Sarah; Farhi, Paul (June 8, 2018). "Young reporter in leak investigation enjoyed meteoric rise in Washington journalism". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  17. ^ Brian Flood (June 13, 2018). "Did 'hotshot' NY Times reporter Ali Watkins simply benefit from top-secret pillow talk?". Fox News Channel. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  18. ^ a b Grynbaum, Michael M.; Shane, Scott; Flitter, Emily (June 24, 2018). "How an Affair Between a Reporter and a Security Aide Has Rattled Washington Media". The New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2019. Ms. Watkins scored a scoop that other news organizations scrambled to match
  19. ^ Wemple, Erik (June 27, 2018). "Five questions about the Ali Watkins-James Wolfe story". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  20. ^ Elahe Izadi; Paul Farhi (December 18, 2020). "The New York Times could not verify ISIS claims in its 'Caliphate' podcast. Now it's returning a prestigious award". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 8, 2021. Ali Watkins, who covered national security for the Times, was given a new assignment in 2018 after she disclosed that she had had a romantic relationship with a Senate Intelligence Committee staffer with access to sensitive intelligence data.
  21. ^ Paul Farhi (July 3, 2018). "New York Times reassigns reporter who dated Senate intelligence staffer at center of FBI probe". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  22. ^ Jon Levine (July 3, 2018). "New York Times Reassigns Reporter Who Had Sexual Relationship With Source". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on July 4, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  23. ^ Tau, Byron (December 20, 2018). "Ex-Senate Staffer Accused of Lying to FBI Gets Jail Time". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2020. Ali Watkins, the New York Times reporter ensnared in the case, was reassigned from her job as a national security reporter in Washington, D.C., to a new position in New York City after it was revealed in the indictment that she'd had a yearslong relationship with Mr. Wolfe [...] the relationship still constituted a breach of ethics, the paper's top editor concluded.
  24. ^ Lukas I. Alpert (July 3, 2018). "New York Times Reassigns Reporter Whose Records Were Seized by the U.S." The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 4, 2020. Watkins would be reassigned to a position in New York "for a fresh start," and that "she will be closely supervised and have a senior mentor."
  25. ^ "Ali Watkins". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 28, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2020. Ali Watkins is a reporter on Metro desk at The New York Times, where she covers crime and law enforcement in New York City.
  26. ^ "New York Times reassigns reporter Ali Watkins, reporter in leak investigation".
  27. ^ Brian Flood (July 3, 2018). "New York Times gives star D.C. reporter Ali Watkins a 'fresh start' in new bureau after claims she dated sources". Fox News Channel. Retrieved July 5, 2018. The Times announced on Tuesday that Watkins will relocate to New York after an internal review of her romantic history with potential sources
  28. ^ "Ex-Senate aide James Wolfe turns himself in over 'FBI leaks'". BBC.
  29. ^ Erik Wemple (October 10, 2019). "Reporters at CNBC and NBC News become tangled in leak investigation". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 2, 2019. Wolfe carried on a romantic relationship with Watkins while she covered the committee for several publications
  30. ^ JOSH GERSTEIN; MATTHEW CHOI (December 20, 2018). "Ex-Senate aide gets 2 months in prison for lying to FBI". Politico. Retrieved June 19, 2020. after being confronted with photographs of himself and Watkins, he acknowledged having a personal relationship with her for several years
  31. ^ Kelly Cohen (December 21, 2018). "Former Senate Intel aide accused of passing info to 'young, female reporters' gets 2 months". Washington Examiner. Retrieved December 22, 2018. court documents show he briefed Watkins and other reporters about the subpoena.
  32. ^ a b Savage, Charlie (October 15, 2018). "Ex-Senate Aide Pleads Guilty to Lying to F.B.I. About Contacts With Reporter". The New York Times. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  33. ^ "READ: DOJ Inspector General's Report on the Russia Investigation".
  34. ^ Johnson, Carrie (October 15, 2018). "Ex-Senate Intelligence Staffer Who Dated Reporter Pleads Guilty To Lying To FBI". NPR. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  35. ^ Christal Hayes (December 20, 2018). "James Wolfe, ex-intelligence aide who dated reporter, sentenced to 2 months in leak probe". USA Today. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  36. ^ Garrett Haake; Charlie Gile; Tracy Connor (June 8, 2018). "Ex-Senate aide James Wolfe, accused of lying, goes before judge". NBC News. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  37. ^ Adam Goldman; Nicholas Fandos; Katie Benner (June 7, 2018). "Ex-Senate Aide Charged in Leak Case Where Times Reporter's Records Were Seized". The New York Times. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  38. ^ Pappas, Alex (June 10, 2018). "Ali Watkins' past tweets come back to haunt NYT reporter amid leak case". Fox News Channel. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  39. ^ Erik Wemple (June 14, 2018). "Ali Watkins's substantial conflict of interest". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  40. ^ Sarah Ellison; Paul Farhi (June 8, 2018). "Young reporter in leak investigation enjoyed meteoric rise in Washington journalism". Connecticut Post. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  41. ^ Michael M. Grynbaum; Scott Shane; Emily Flitter (June 24, 2018). "How an Affair Between a Reporter and a Security Aide Has Rattled Washington Media". The New York Times. Retrieved June 25, 2018. In the fall, Ms. Watkins started dating a different staff member from the committee. She told others that she had informed a Politico editor who did not object. But Mr. Dayspring, the Politico spokesman, said: "Politico editors were not made aware of this relationship."
  42. ^ JOE POMPEO (June 28, 2018). ""EVERY BONE IN MY BODY WANTS TO DEFEND ALI WATKINS": SEX, PRESS FREEDOM, AND THE COMPLICATED CASE OF A TIMES REPORTER". Vanity Fair. Retrieved March 5, 2020. As a woman journalist who spent her career trying to puncture the notion that all of us sleep with our sources and that's how we get stories," former Times executive editor Jill Abramson told me, "I hate the whole situation more than I can say."
  43. ^ "A young reporter, her middle-aged source and the real-life House of Cards drama". The Sydney Morning Herald. June 18, 2018. Archived from the original on March 6, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2020. The case bears a strong resemblance to the television drama House of Cards, of which Watkins confessed to be a fan in 2013. "I wanted to be Zoe Barnes ... until episode 4. Sleeping with your source ... #badlifechoice @HouseofCards."
  44. ^ Erik Wemple (October 10, 2019). "Reporters at CNBC and NBC News become tangled in leak investigation". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 24, 2020. differentiates this investigation from [...] the 2018 case involving New York Times reporter Ali Watkins
  45. ^ Stephen L. Miller (December 11, 2019). "Why is everyone pretending reporters never sleep with sources?". The Spectator. Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2020. Watkins and Macias are still employed by the Times and CNBC. Not only does it appear the practice of sleeping with sources for information is more than a mere trope, it seems it's something not punished by newsrooms
  46. ^ J.D. TUCCILLE (December 15, 2021). "Attract Government Attention and Get Your Name Run Through a 'Terrorist' Database". Reason. Retrieved December 17, 2021. email addresses, phone numbers and photos from passport applications and checking that information through numerous sensitive government databases, including the terrorism watchlist
  47. ^ Jon Allsop (May 10, 2021). "The Trump administration spied on journalists. The Biden administration defended it". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved March 22, 2022. a Customs and Border Protection official reportedly confronted Watkins in person about her relationship with Wolfe and asked for her help in exposing leakers—an approach that Watkins perceived as a threat
  48. ^ Jana Winter (December 11, 2021). "Operation Whistle Pig: Inside the secret CBP unit with no rules that investigates Americans". Yahoo! News. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  49. ^ Winter, Jana (December 31, 2021). "CBP launches review of secretive division that targeted journalists, lawmakers and other Americans". Yahoo News. Retrieved January 3, 2022. CBP's internal probe was prompted by Yahoo News' reporting earlier this month on Operation Whistle Pig, a leak investigation targeting reporter Ali Watkins
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