Press Informant Outed at Defcon Conference

A reporter for Dateline NBC was publicly exposed and forced to leave for violating the rules of convention, much to the amusement of attendees.

An undercover reporter hoping to expose corrupt government officials at the annual Defcon hacking conference had the cameras turned on her when conference organizers exposed her in front of  a large crowd on Friday. Michelle Madigan was attempting to film a segment for Dateline NBC using a pinhole camera in  a bag when the conference’s founder, Jeff Moss, told the audience that there was a press mole among them, and had her escorted from the premises.

Although press are allowed at Defcon, they are required to identify themselves with press credentials for transparency. Organizers claim they offered Madigan a pass four times before  choosing to publicly eject her. Her story focused on “hackers for hire,” with the hidden camera setup allowing her to capture any illicit dealings at the conference. Conference organizers knew what she was doing after she apparently told someone she shouldn’t have.

After Madigan realized what was going on in the conference hall, she exited the building followed by a swarm of camera-wielding attendees. Under a hail of heckling, she got into an Infiniti and drove off. Her picture was mockingly displayed on projectors for the rest of the conference. Video of the conference and her subsequent walk of shame can be seen on YouTube.