There’s a divide opening in how the media is covering the story of Norm Coleman’s vulnerable donor database: Some outlets blame shoddy security practices by the campaign, others blame “hackers.” The latter group — which includes Politico, MinnPost and right-wing blog Power Line, among others — echoes the campaign’s assertion that the exposure of donors’ credit card numbers and personal details is a politically motivated act. But as we reported yesterday, it wasn’t hacking at all, according to IT professionals, and news outlets like the Pioneer Press and Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) are countering the “hacker” meme.

This morning in the Pioneer Press, Dave Orrick contrasts Coleman’s statement that the Jan. 28 breach was an “attack on this campaign” with quotes from Web and banking experts who blame the campaign. Banking security professional Kelly McShane, who sent $100 Coleman’s way, called the breach “so irresponsible that I can’t believe it.” (Contacted by MnIndy’s Chris Steller yesterday, McShane said she felt “extreme anger” at having her personal data revealed by the campaign.) Eric Schultze, chief technology officer for Roseville’s Shavlik Technologies, faulted the campaign for not encrypting the credit card numbers, adding that credit industry standards dictate that credit card information never be on the same server as a Web site. He called the failure to encrypt card info “a big ‘oops’ on the part of the Web site administrator … I’d be surprised if that person still had a job.”

MPR’s Mark Zdechlik interviewed Adria Richards, an IT professional who weighed in at MnIndy on the security flaws she found back in January, who said she didn’t hack into the site. She echoed Schultze’s sentiments about the error of storing sensitive data on the web server: “It’s like putting your filing cabinet outside of your house.“