• March 6, 2007

Wal-Mart has fired a systems technician for recording telephone conversations without authorization.

The company found that the technician had recorded talks between Wal-Mart public relations associates and a New York Times reporter over a four-month period, ending in January. (That period includes a particularly messy chapter in Wal-Mart's PR history, including the December departure of key marketing executive Julie Roehm.)

The company said it became aware of the taping "when an individual used the Wal-Mart open door policy to express concerns about the recordings," and that it then notified its board of directors and a U.S. attorney in Arkansas. The company said it is illegal to record phone conversations unless at least one party is aware that they are being taped.

The technician also intercepted text messages. The company also said it has taken disciplinary action against two management associates.