This is America. We don't jail journalists here.

Journalists or not, no one gets a free pass to break the law. That video is too short to show the entire story. If she was just standing on the sidelines doing her job, then yes, it was an abuse of police power. On the other hand, if she was in the way and ignored a direct order to move, then she gets arrested. I can't tell from the video.

Tom

 

That whole event was handled extremely badly, the police were really out of line with the press, especially allowing personal property to be taken away by a complete stranger, after being arrested. The police have a job to do, but the press is the last bastion of democracy we have left, they need to be able to do their job also, to protect the public from abuse of power.

 

I certainly believe this could have been handled much better. We really don't know what caused the original group to be detained, but what we can certainly comment on is what we do have on video. I do not believe the woman asking about her colleagues should have been arrested for inquiring about them. It appears as if she was brought across the police line by one of the police, then arrested. If she was dealt with better I don't believe it would have escalated to where it did.

On the other side of things, Democracy Now isn't exactly known for their unbiased reporting. I hope they weren't chanting or interfering with the arrests of others. The press is there to document events as they happen... almost be invisible, except when interviewing someone. We have no proof one way or the other, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt here and say they were just doing their job.

There's a lot of real wackos that demonstrate that these conventions from both the left and the right. I can probably clarify and say these wackos might not even be from the left or the right but just people that cause trouble wherever they are. You know, the people that turn over cars and light dumpsters on fire when their favorite team wins. Opportunists that look for excuses to cause trouble. Unfortunately good, law abiding citizens are sometimes grouped in with these people.

 

...and I too think it's BS that the police allowed the secret service, or anyone, to remove property from the individual being detained. That's ridiculous.

 

Of course this didn't happen at the DNC convention because the Democrats already put all the protesters and outside journalists into concentration camps. Oh wait, I mean the designated protest area surrounded by chain link fence and barbed wire.

One of the groups is actually called "Pepper Spray" productions???

And of course a Press pass is not a free ticket to ignore orders to get off the street by the police. Plus, anyone can yell "Press" "Press" how do those officers know that your credentials are valid in all that mess? They don't it takes vetting out later.

 

Press Credentials are not a right, they are a privilege. They are distributed with a specific set of rules governing their rights and use.

I have worked with a Major Network News org, for many years now. I have walls of past "Creds" both for Sports, News, and other events the Network I work for cover.

Everytime I accept a credential for a event that I am participating in, I accept responsability to follow the rules, PERIOD.

Just because MSNBC choose to edit their footage of their reporter getting hauled off for violating the rules set forth by all parties in charge, thus giving a false sense of what really happened, does not make this reporter a saint.

I have worked with many people who misassume that their credential gives them rights above and beyond "Normal Folk".

WAKE UP, IT DOES NOT!!!

From the footage that I have seen, both the edited, and UNEDITED this person and her crew were IN THE WRONG and deserved to get called on the carpet for their violations!

Covering the story is one thing, Becoming the story is just wrong!

Thankfully this 8 month Proctology exam will soon be over, the world can return to going to hell, and we can drudge onward!

73 de Pat KK6PD

 

I understand another journalist was sprayed with pepper spray for just walking into the building.

 

I feel that way about journalists sometimes too.

Tom

 

Here we go again, spin, spin, spin.

Now look at the truth, When the police tell you once, then tell again you to stop, you do so or risk being cuffed press or not.

I wounder if these were the people who incited the riot I seen on TV .

 

So police run into a parking lot where a demonstration is going on, swinging clubs, knocking people to the ground without giving the protesters a chance to disperse, and in the case of the reporter Nicole, one cop put his boot on her, holding her on the ground, and demanding that she put her face on the ground, while simultaneously another cop pulled her backwards by one leg. Then a person who is not uniformed and refuses to identify himself, but who apparently is Secret Service, steals the press passes from several reporters and refuses to give them any kind of receipt.

A press pass is not a permit to break the law. But it is a permit to observe a newsworthy event in progress.

Sounds to me as though the cops wanted to prevent a peaceful demonstration, and didn't want any press coverage of their violent methods.

Of course this is not by any means the first time that reporters have been harassed, abused, or arrested in the U.S., but it does put the spotlight on the violent methods the authorities will use to try to prevent negative news coverage.

 

I'm sure they'll get them back......AFTER the convention.

 

Watching this thread is like watching a time bomb tick.


(Detonation is when the tread is moved to FHPolitics)

 

Apparently they started rounding up journalists before the convention. They specially targeted independents, bloggers, videographers and anyone that might be documenting demonstrations. They arrested to journalism students and their teacher. They got warrants to enter houses and meetings. One wonders what laws these journalists were breaking aside from *being* journalists. Perhaps not being supportive yes-men to the right wing?

 

As a wise poster once said

op2:​

Wildkow

 

:ear: Sounds to me like certain people in the press trying to get in the face of the police, looking for this sort of attention to bring shame on the system and make a name for themselves.

Oops, there's that evil, vile word, THE SYSTEM!op2: