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ST. LOUIS (AP) — A Missouri prosecutor uncovered a state database flaw that allowed the public to access thousands of teachers’ Social Security numbers. Louis Post-Dispatch will not press charges against the journalist.
Cole County Attorney Locke Thompson said Friday that there was an argument that the law had been violated and that the issues at the center of the investigation were resolved illegally. Louis Post- Dispatch reported.
“Therefore, it is not in the interests of Cole County citizens to use the substantial resources and taxpayer dollars that will be required to pursue misdemeanor charges in this case,” Thompson said.
Republican Governor Mike Parson announced the investigation in October after a Post-Dispatch reporter reported the status of a major data issue that left teachers’ data vulnerable to public disclosure. The newspaper delayed publishing a story about the defect until the government resolved the issue.
“We are pleased that the prosecutor has realized that there is no legitimate basis for any accusation against the St. Louis Post-Dispatch or our reporter,” Post Dispatch Publisher Ian Caso said in a statement. “While an investigation into how the government allowed this information to be available was appropriate, the accusations against our reporter were unfounded and made to deflect shame for government failures and political ends.”
Post-Dispatch received records through an open registration request that showed the state education commissioner originally planned to thank the newspaper for finding the problem. But the state instead published a news bulletin describing the reporter as a “hacker”.
Parson released a statement saying that Thompson’s office believed the decision was “handled properly”.
“The state has done its part by investigating and presenting its findings to the Cole County prosecutor, who chose not to press charges because it was his prerogative,” spokeswoman Kelli Jones said.
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