H-P apologizes to one reporter

Elizabeth Corcoran of Forbes, who is married to George Anders of The Wall Street Journal, noted in a column posted Friday that Hewlett-Packard Co. called them shortly before the scandal about the company spying on reporters broke to apologize. Anders has written about the company.

Corcoran wrote, “For us, the story has gone from weirdly funny to downright creepy as more details have emerged. Ultimately, there are going to be quite a few casualties from this hit-and-run demolition of HP’s ethical standards.

“We entered the story when a beleaguered sounding HP spokesman called us at home one evening to tell us about the probe and apologize for the fact that investigators hired by HP decided to snoop through our phone records. We were, quite honestly, surprised: My husband published a book about HP and Carly Fiorina in 2003. Since then, he’s written stories about everything from options guzzling executives to quaint ghost towns–but only an occasional piece on HP. A few days later, news dribbled out that the investigators had rifled through the phone records of the PR guy, too. (HP’s bosses say they’re sorry about that one as well.)”

Later, she concluded, “The level of suspicion has risen dramatically. Journalists must weigh whether information is fabricated and interviews covertly monitored. Sources, too, will feel that no conversation is ever private.

“Zero privacy–and zero trust. These are poignant legacies for HP to give to the Valley.”

Read more here.