Washington, D.C. Agents searched Hogan?s luggage and then popped an unexpected question: Was he carrying any digital media cards or drives in his pockets? ?Then they told me that they were impounding my laptop,? says Hogan, a freelance investigative reporter whose recent stories have ranged from the origins of the Iraq war to the impact of money in presidential politics.

Shaken by the encounter, Hogan says he left the airport and examined his bags, finding that the agents had also removed and inspected the memory card from his digital camera.