TSA Pat-Downs and X-Ray Machines

By: Paul Ronjak, Brad Sperry, and Jordan Monschien

Introduction to the Issue

• Late November 2010, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) increased security in the United States.

• Incidents such as last December's failed bombing of a U.S.-bound flight by a man with explosives in his underwear and the recent detection of explosives in air cargo packages from Yemen prompted the enhanced screening.

• "We're not changing the policies, because of... the risks that have been identified," Pistole (the chief of the TSA) said on CNN's "State of the Union." "We know through intelligence that there are determined people, terrorists who are trying to kill not only Americans but innocent people around the world.“- CNN

TSA Timeline

2005: Michael Chertoff, as head of Homeland Security, orders the first batch of scanners from a company called Rapiscan Systems

March 2009: The Department of Homeland Security says they will apply $1 billion in stimulus money to the nation’s airports.

December 2009: Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz inserted language into the Homeland Security appropriations bill barring the use of full-body image scans as “primary” screening tools at airports, and it passed the House on a bipartisan vote of 310-118.

December 25, 2009: The “Christmas bomber” attempts to detonate plastic explosives hidden in his underwear while on board a flight to Detroit.

December 29, 2009: Joe Lieberman calls for “more widespread use of the full-body scanners after the aborted attack.”

January 2010: The government gives the TSA the green light to spend a total of $173 million on the scanners.

November 8, 2010: US Airline Pilots Association tells its members “NOT to submit to AIT screenings.”

November 15, 2010: Joe Lieberman says he “comes down on the side of the patdowns.”

X-RAY Scans and Pat- Downs

XRAYS• Backscanner X-ray scans that display nude images• Invasive pat-downs adding more private areas• X-Ray images are sent remotely to another room for examination. Officials

claim images cannot be printed or saved Pat-Downs

• Screeners touch breasts, buttocks, and genitals• Officials say increased pat-downs in response to the December ’09 underwear

bomber• Pat-downs are done by officers of same gender as passenger, and within a

private room if requested

How do Different News Outlets Cover the Issue?

FOX News Channel

Fox News tends to lean to the conservative side when reporting. They seem to be covering the issue with a conservative bias by:

• Pushing for “profiling”• Showing support for TSA policies• Using fear to convince the people

policies are necessary for safety

•Fox News. Example of fox news advocating the profiling of people, and using scare tactics.

•Increased Safety. Example of FOX saying that safety is the primary concern of these investments.

CNN

•Negative views of the TSA. Video showing politicians, other countries and even regular citizens negative opinions on the TSA policies.

•A traveler's view. Video showing an example of the TSA apparently going to far in a search

•International reaction. Article showing Saudi Government reacting to TSA Screenings.

CNN tends to be more liberal when reporting. They seem to be the opposite of Fox News and covering the issue with a liberal bias by :• Reporting more negative

experiences with the TSA• Showing other countries

reactions.• They don’t seem to be as

supportive of the policies.

AlterNet

Alternet is a liberal online media outlet. They have been reporting with an extreme liberal bias. They use some of the same techniques as Fox News, such as scare tactics. They also are giving a lot more positive attention to the national opt out day.

•7 creepy things about TSA example of using scare tactics to convince people the TSA policies are wrong•Altnernet article about the "don't touch my junk" case example of alternet’s liberal bias•Know Your Rights On Opt Out Day example of alternet’s favorable reporting of the Opt Out Day.

BBC International News

The BBC is a foreign media outlet. They offer a third perspective. They seem to be the least biased of all the media outlets. The few articles about the TSA seem to be more informative.

“Transportation Security Administration officials who worked under Mr Bush applaud the newly intrusive "pat-down" procedure, Politico reports. But some acknowledge the agency seems unable to determine at which point Americans will no longer tolerate stricter measures in the name of security.”- BBC

U.S. Airport Security Shows BBC just delivering the story with very little bias

Americans Annoyed With TSA shows how the U.S. is inconsistent in their searches

Concerns and Criticisms

• Some law-enforcement/Government officials allowed to skip scanners/pat-downs• The backscatter X-ray emits ionizing radiation dangerous to chemical bonds

– Ionizing radiation is a non-threshold carcinogen but the risk of low radiation exposure is unknown

• Biochemists/biophysicists at Univ. of California raised concerns about the FDA’s process for evaluating x-ray safety

• Possibly the biggest concern is that of breaking the 4th amendment right which guarantees citizens rights to for how they are searched.

• Although the TSA has said the picture are not savable or transferable, but the possibility that this statement is false is also a concern of many of the American people

Becoming Better Informed

The value of media literacy– The higher the individual can get their media literacy, the more they

can detect the methods that media producers use to engage us.– Consumers need to use active exposure and think critically about the

situation rather than taking it at face value.– There are a lot of media messages competing for your attention, but in

order to draw realistic conclusions from these messages, noise must be distinguished from signal.

– Having a high media literacy will give you the tools to finding the best and most realistic perspective on the issue.

•Understand that the motivation of media companies is to produce stories that are more entertaining than informative and factual.

•Although most media mediums present their viewpoint with an obvious bias, there is usually an opposite side of story

• Media companies primary goal is seldom to provide its viewers with the most factual media. The truth of the situation is that they have their own agendas, revenues, and private interests they try to protect.

•Trolling through headlines can also be a dangerous thing to do, as they often contain words that provoke sensational responses. They are used to grab your attention, but can often misrepresent the story.

Becoming Better Informed

Slide 2 sources:1. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101123/ap_on_bi_ge/us_airport_secu

rity_vips2. http://whttp://www.k-zentertainment.com/tsa-lied-naked-scanners-ca

n-store-and-transmit-images_358.htmlSlide 3 sources:

3. http://wewontfly.com/scanner-timeline-from-fire-dog-lakeSlide 4 sources:

4. http://www.tsa.gov/Slide 10 sources:

5. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101123/ap_on_bi_ge/us_airport_security_vips

6. Leon Mullenders, Mike Atkinson, Herwig Paretzke, Laure Sabatier, Simon Bouffler (2009). "Assessing cancer risks of low-dose radiation". Nature Reviews Cancer9 (8): 596–604.

7. http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/11/08/backscatter-back-story

Work Cited