TV station buys 2 BlackBerrys with private info about McCain-Palin campaign

Washington, December 13 (ANI): A TV station owned and operated by Fox Broadcasting Company has purchased two BlackBerrys from the John McCain-Sarah Palin campaign that contain private information related to their election campaigning.

An investigative reporter for WTTG purchased the two phones.

One of the them contained 50 phone numbers for people connected to the campaign, as well as hundreds of e-mails from early September until a few days after the election.

"(The e-mails offered) an insider's look at how grassroots operations work, full of scheduling questions and rallying cries for support," Fox News quoted the TV station as saying.

Most of the numbers were belonged to campaign leaders, politicians, lobbyists and journalists.

Replying to a call from the TV station, one of the individual said that it was "a mistake" because the information was supposed to be erased.

The second device consisted of 300 contacts, including that of a former governor of Virginia.

"It was an unfortunate staff error and procedures are being put in place to ensure all information is secure," a McCain-Palin campaign worker said on the phone. (ANI)