It’s hard not to sound political when you’re talking about protesters at a political event and linking to admittedly partisan sources. Yet, the story of the protests at the 2008 Republican National Convention was perhaps successfully buried by the arrests of what some have called “dozens of journalists, photographers, bloggers and videomakers. I’ve watched Twin Cities IndyMedia LiveWire and it seemed like every time I looked, there was another (unsubstantiated) report of journalists being arrested or gassed. We afford journalists legal protection because of the important role they play in keeping government transparent and accountable to the public. Every journalism school I’ve been at has said it’s tough work, and this shows it.
A good friend once said that he couldn’t see how nonviolent protest could fail to cure a social ill. I’ve always been a little skeptical of this view, largely because of its reliance on media to show what happens to protesters. But it’s surprising how YouTube and Twitter might hold some hope for this view–even though they’re only getting the message out to people who are interested.
Here’s a playlist of a few journalist arrest videos.
This is unacceptable. I read the article in the NPPA magazine and had some incidents with riot police during events like halloween or homecoming. It is a clear first amendment rights infringement and legal cases should be pursued by those affected.
We can’t afford to lose our protection as journalists. They need to train the police better or accommodate journalists better. something like this is a step in the wrong direction.
I didn’t post that I later heard Amy Goodman talk about the situation there and she remarked that the police chief said that, to avoid situations like this, journalists should request to be embedded with the riot police–embedded in the USA.