listening post

Noun

listening post (plural listening posts)

1. A position established for the purpose of detecting the enemy's movements by means of listening.
2. A facility established to monitor radio and microwave signals and analyse their content to secure information and intelligence for use by the security and diplomatic community and others.
   • Shepard: Why are you out here in the first place?
     Lieutenant Durand: There's been a lot of pirate activity in this cluster. We set up a chain of listening posts in the local systems in case they have a staging base.2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Nepmos

   Synonyms:

   listening station

3. Any location frequented by a journalist in search of stories or gossip.
   • He probably has "listening posts" which he visits regularly in search of stray items of news. These may be the general store, the barber shop, the ministers' homes, the Chamber of Commerce and the local or state police headquarters.1945, Elmo Scott Watson, Jobs in Rural Journalism, page 25
   • The British crown colony of Hong Kong is the West's primary listening post for information on Red China, which does not grant entry visas to many foreigners.1963, Loren Fessler, The Editors of LIFE, “About the Writer”, in China (LIFE World Library), New York: Time Incorporated, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 4