The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee blasted media coverage of new airport security measures ahead of the 2010 holiday season, saying that the coverage was irresponsible and unfairly portrayed airport screeners as dangerous. The chairman is also a lawmaker from New York, and he used that fact to point out that he has a very personal interest in avoiding another 9/11.
The TSA implemented stricter security measures at airports across the country leading up to Thanksgiving last year, including the use of full body scanners(AITs)and pat-downs for those who declined AITs. Online campaigns and sensational news stories created a national furor over the new security measures, and according to the chairman have created the wrong impression to the public that the TSA is the enemy.