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ABC News Intern Update

By Eric McErlain
Inside NRC (subscription required) a publication of the Platts Group, has added a bevy of new details regarding the attempted investigation by ABC News interns at virtually every test and research reactor in the U.S.

Originally, we had heard that the interns were preparing a story for ABC's 20/20, but according to Inside NRC, the piece on test reactors is part of a larger ABC News series called, "Loose Nukes on Main Street: The New Terror Threat," that was scheduled to begin September 6, and run across multiple ABC News properties including Good Morning America, Nightline and its evening news program.

No word yet on whether they were planning a segment on The View.

Some of the most illuminating details of the story came from Earl Holland, director of research communications at Ohio State University. Because university officials are regarded as public officials under Ohio law Holland said, the interns violated state law because, "it is illegal for a person to use deception in interacting with a public official." Inside NRC reported that no charges had been filed.

Later, when one of the interns called Holland to attempt to see if his answers were consistent with what she had been told during her visit to the reactor, he had a surprise for her:
But at one point during the conversation, he said he told her that her question had been answered by the reactor staff during her June 22 visit. "There was a pregnant pause for about 15 or 20 seconds" before she acknowledged that she had been at the site, he said.

Holland said he responded, "You were wearing a denim skirt and a red top and you have dark brown hair, and you said this, and you said that, and here's the license number of your car."
Apparently, the keystone cops-like investigation has been the subject of conversation for a number of weeks inside the test reactor community. And as we reported on Friday, ABC News has delayed the airing of the series until October to make room for coverage of Hurricane Katrina.

More later, as it develops.

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