Kevin Anderson has a great article on the British hacker Gary McKinnon, wanted by the Americans for attempting to breach various official websites, including the Pentagon’s.

This how the BBC sums up the story:

“To hear the US government tell it, Gary McKinnon is a dangerous man, and should be extradited back to America to stand trial in a Virginia courtroom. One US prosecutor accused him of committing “the biggest military computer hack of all time”. But Mr McKinnon has said his motives were harmless and innocent – he was, he says, simply looking for information on UFOs.”

Guardian blogs editor Kevin has been working in the UK media for a decade but as a Yank is indignant at the way that the British media has portrayed McKinnon as a heroic renegade on the run from Gitmo style US judicial tyranny. Read the full article here.

“As is often said, journalists are entitled to their opinions, but not their own facts. The general coverage of this story has been appalling. It has been fed by legitimate issues that some Brits have with the United States, but it’s now being used to feed anti-American sentiment. I’m more than happy to take my country to task for its failings, including when it abuses the ‘special relationship’ with Britain. I can understand British journalists who are sceptical of the American government, but the coverage of this story is factually inaccurate and antagonistic.”

Kevin has done a great job on dissecting British media coverage and busts what he says are some myths around the computer criminal. Judge for yourself before the Americans do, the full article is here.