> The point is that if the FBI makes a habit of impersonating journalists, anyone contacted by a real AP reporter would have good reason to doubt their motives
Why? I could see that being the case if the FBI agent was actually working for AP, but in this case a simple phone call to the AP would have proven that the journalist didn't actually work there, no?
I suppose that would depend on whether the FBI used the name of a real journalist. But it's more a matter of principle, I'd say, than a question of whether the person could conceivably have checked if it was a real reporter.
Why? I could see that being the case if the FBI agent was actually working for AP, but in this case a simple phone call to the AP would have proven that the journalist didn't actually work there, no?