I Spy With My Little PI

I Spy With My Little PI
Adrian Gatton explains why investigative reporters need to be wary
26 November 2004
Press Gazette

I was on my way to work recently, when a young man from my mobile phone company, Orange, rang. He had some bad news. He regretfully informed me my phone had been reported stolen and, to make certain I wasn't the thief, would I mind answering a few personal security questions.

I felt a bit suspicious. The week before, a colleague at The Guardian had taken a call about me from a man posing as a television researcher. When I called the man he admitted he was a private investigator. Wheedling, he tried to find out what stories I was working on and, indeed, already seemed to know quite a bit about that.

Was I being paranoid about the man from Orange? ...