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How much should you charge for a photograph?Bloomberg's Flack Attempts To Justify Crackdown On Journalists
Although it is obvious the New York City Police Department has launched a full-scale war on journalists covering the Occupy Wall Street movement, city officials are justifying these arrests by pointing out that most did not have NYPD-issued press credentials.
But since when does the government determine who is a journalist or not?
And in this day and age of constant newsroom layoffs, it is any surprise that there are any government-certified journalists left?
It's true that New York state law provides specific descriptions for journalists, even gives them certain privilages, but only when it comes to testifying about their sources in court. It provides no added protection for gathering news in the streets.
Besides, as we saw on Tuesday, press credentials only make it easier for the cops to corral reporters away from the scene they are trying to cover - or to rip the credentials off of them.
And as we’ve seen numerous times since the occupation began, it doesn’t take press credentials to document police abuse.
In fact, on Thursday, a non-credentialed citizen with a video camera documented cops dragging a young woman by the hair through the streets of Lower Manhattan.
The video was good enough for CNN (or at least its iReport section in which they solicit unpaid content from citizens), where it has received more than 12,000 views as of this writing.
Incidentally, it is videos like this that prompted CNN to layoff 50 staffers last week, mostly videographers, in New York City, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and Miami.
It’s gotten to the point where once-credentialed journalists should not only be documenting the Occupy movement on their own sites, they should be fully participating as activists as they are as much victims of corporate greed as anybody else.
And if anybody asks them to see their credetials, they should pull out a copy of the First Amendment, which is the only credentials anbody needs to cover news on the streets in the United States. This should also cover the citizens who are protesting and not documenting.
Not surprisingly, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has a completely different view, even if he does talk a good game about the First Amendment.
On Thursday, a day after several more reporters were arrested, his spokesman Stu Loeser issued the following statement:
Like all of you, I’ve heard and read many reports of reporters who supposedly were wearing valid NYPD press credentials, yet allegedly encountered problems on the streets of New York. Like some of you, I had those stories in mind when I read The Awls’ rundown of “The 25 26 Arrested Reporters and What They Do.” (In case you missed it, that piece, that piece is linked here.)
Not being familiar with many of the media outlets for which The Awl says these reporters work, I had the list of “26 arrested reporters” checked against the roster of reporters who hold valid NYPD press passes.
You can imagine my surprise when we found that only five of the 26 arrested reporters actually have valid NYPD-issued press credentials. Note that we didn’t check – and don’t really care for the sake of this exercise – if the reporter’s credential lists the media outlet for which he or she currently works.
My first impression of Loeser was that he is a frustrated journalist, like most flacks tend to be.
But judging by his LinkedIn page, he is probably an aspiring politician.
So it’s no wonder he’s already skilled in talking out of his ass.
Please send stories, tips and videos to carlosmiller@magiccitymedia.com
Comments
The Constitution says nothing about credentials, and I know plenty of non-credentialed photographers and writers who could out-shoot and out-write many credentialed journalists out of their jobs. Which is one of the reasons why so many of them are losing their jobs.
But more important, police departments should have zero authority on deciding who is press, and who isn't.
In LA, you have to submit to an LAPD or LASD background check in order to obtain press credentials.
Where's it say that in the Constitution?
On public streets, the police do not decide who is a journalist. Period. I've had to make this clear several times.
The few agencies in my area that required credentials gave up on them a long time ago due to the explosion of technology. Everyone with some form of publishing medium is a journalist.
On public property, anyone has the right to cover the news despite irrelevant press passes.
Your press pass is the 1st Amendment.
Time to start arresting this scum for treason.
Govt officials are doing this all the time. Telling people they cant video or refusing to answer questions without "credentials". Nice gov't we have right now real elitists actually.
I live on the West coast btw.
This is like Israel. If you don't have the Israeli press credentials, it's impossible to work there. Who issues the credentials? The Army. Who can revoke them and when? The Army. At any time.
As in a sargeant at a CP just ripping it away from your neck and ripping it up.
You don't arrest journalists for doing their job. Ever.
IF Neo Nazis show up with a anti-constituional rights march, Wearing masks and spray painting swastikas. Blocking traffic, BUT every one of them was holdings a camera. Whats the answer? What should the cops do. Many of you would say we do not need cops. I understand your argument. Do not agree> Those of you who feel that we do need a police force. What is your answer?
I am THINK Bloomberg should be arrested for using the color of law to block the News Chopper alone. HE should already be in cuffs as far as I am concerned. BUT what solutions DO you offer?
If they are spray painting swastikas, they should be arrested for vandalism (and maybe even a hate crime depending on where they spray paint it).
If they are blocking traffic, they should be given a warning to get off the street before getting arrested.
If they are wearing masks, they should be left alone unless they plan to rob a bank, then they should be charged with that, not the mask wearing.
I don't think we need to get rid of the police force. I just they think should focus on real crimes with real victims.
As I posted on Facebook, earlier:
I don't share much (if any) ideology with most of the Occupants, but I am downright disgusted by many conservative and/or Tea Party people (I'm frequently lumped into both groups), who cheer on the police versus the Occupy movement.
"Those people irritate me, so the police should gas them and beat them" seems to be the consensus.
Screw that. And if you claim to believe in individual rights, and the right to assemble and seek redress of grievances, but smile every time an Occupant gets clubbed or gassed, then shame on you.
Good on ya. I thought the same thing back when they would lock people into 'Free Speech Zones' back during the Bush admin., while his supporters strolled by unmolested; unconcerned about loss of freedoms because it didn't impact them personally, while thinking of themselves as 'Patriotic' Americans. Of course if having principles and sticking to them was easy, everyone would do it.
Why can't any journalists get into any of the *buildings* completely surrounding the area and shoot out of the windows?! I wonder that every time I see any of these scenes. would the cops go after someone they spotted? Now THAT would be a story! Even the staunchest police defenders would choke on that...
The implication seems to be that the police are actively targeting reporters for arrest but the concentration is on what credentials a reporter needs to be recognized as a reporter. I think this is confusing. In fact it may even be contradictory. If the police don't recognize them as press then how can they be targeting them for being press?
On the other hand if they are being detained for some reason other than, "this guy's a reporter" then the fact they are a journalist isn't a valid reason for them to be let go.
It's certainly not clear from the articles I've read which scenario the arrests fall into:
- targeted for being press
- ignoring that their press when they would have been arrested anyway.
It's irrelevant whether someone the police have decided to go after is press or not. The only thing that SHOULD matter to the police is whether or not the "journalist" is breaking any REAL laws, not the imaginary ones that keep getting enforced.
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