Saturday, September 20, 2008
(Belated) Freedom of the Press
The headline reads:
But the gem is the Mayor's rationale:St. Paul dropping all misdemeanor charges for journalists arrested during RNC
"This decision reflects the values we have in Saint Paul to protect and promote our First Amendment rights to freedom of the press.”Exactly. And what says "freedom of the press" more than arresting a reporter while an event is going on, and releasing them after it's over?
In case you've forgotten (or didn't know), one of the things that the St. Paul police did while arresting (and brutalizing) Democracy Now! producer Nicole Salazar was to "protect and promote her First Amendment rights" by removing the battery from her camera so she couldn't continue filming.
