The Minnesota Independent went to the trouble of tabulating the journalist arrests at the RNC Convention in St. Paul. What’s interesting is the range of media organizations–from the grassrootsy-independent types, to student newspapers, to established media organizations like the AP, Fox, and local stations KARE and WCCO.
Of the 800-plus people who were arrested or detained in conjunction with RNC protests, a good chunk of them — 42, by our count — were members of the news media. Media representatives in town to cover the events, from both big and small presses, were slapped with citations and pending charges ranging in severity, including unlawful assembly, obstructing the legal process, misdemeanor interference with a peace officer and felony to riot plus other riot pretenses.
The mass of protesters has been accused of being violent, anarchist, and part of a liberal media conspiracy. Yet, how can we know this if journalists are prevented from doing their job–reporting what’s happening on the ground.