Tag Archive | "television stations"

Hackers Infiltrated PBS Website, Fake Tupac Story Posted


The PBS website was infiltrated by a group of hackers, which complained about a news program report, on Saturday evening. The hackers posted a fake story, which alleged that late Tupac Shakur was alive in New Zealand.

On Monday, PBS officials confirmed that the website had indeed been hacked. The attackers posted the false Tupac story on the site of the WETA-TV produced “PBS NewsHour” program.

It says American rapper and actor Tupac Shukar, who was shot four times and killed in the metropolitan area of Las Vegas, Nevada in 1996, was still living in a small resort in New Zealand. The story had been removed on the site as of Monday morning.

In an email, the PBS’ vice president of corporate communications, Anne Bentley said that the incorrect information posted on the PBS website has already been corrected.

She also said that the hackers released usernames and mixed-up passwords for the website’s users and administrators. Login information and passwords in plain-text were also posted for the network’s affiliate television stations. However, the affected parties were subsequently notified, Bentley said.

A group, which called itself “The Lulz Boat” and LulzSec, claimed responsibility on the attack on a post in Twitter. They also posted links to other attacks, which include a video seemingly mocking the broadcasting network.

The group said they hacked the PBS website in retribution to a recent “Frontline” edition, a PBS show that recently covered WikiLeaks. A message said the group was not impressed when they saw the ‘WikiSecrets’ report.

“Frontline” executive producer David Fanning said he had learned of the attack early Monday. He said an attack to the PBS website over a particular news program was atypical, but probably expected.

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Tribune Creditors File Three Competing Reorganization Plans


Tribune creditors from three different groups filed rival proposals to reorganize the newspaper publisher and end its almost two-year stay in bankruptcy.

The three plans were filed on Friday at Delaware’s Bankruptcy Court, and they will compete for creditor votes against the proposed plan made by the company. Judge Kevin J. Carey from the U.S Bankruptcy will take care of those votes until he decides which plan to approve.

The proposals will allow the Tribune businesses, which include Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune to bring them out from bankruptcy. However, the creditors battle over how to divide its ownership, and resolve the fraud allegations which the company is accused of.

The Tribune owns 23 television stations. A year after real estate developer, Sam Zell bought the company, Tribune filed for bankruptcy with billions of dollars in debt.

The company proposed a reorganization plan according to a settlement between three lenders, JPMorgan Chase and Co, Oaktree Capital Management, and Angelo Gordon & Co. Included in the plan, those three lenders would end up managing the company.

The plan made by the Tribute tries to shun from as many potential lawsuits through putting up a value on legal claims, as well as settling with the bondholders.

However, the Aurelius Capital Management, which holds the largest portion of those bonds, evidently has no plans of accepting the company’s settlement, thus filed their competing plans. The other rival plans were filed by King Street Capital LP and Marathon Asset Management LP.

Their plans are different from the plans of the company through pursuing the legal claims and foregoing the settlements.

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