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Record Breaking Number of Journalists Arrested in the U.S. This Year

freedom.press

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Re: Record Breaking Number of Journalists Arrested in the U.S. This Year

#171

Post by shadowgovt »

SV_BubbleTime wrote: post #143
underseacables wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When a journalist steps beyond being a journalist and turns into an activist, of course they’re going to get arrested if they break the law. Just because someone is a journalist does not give them a pass from breaking the law.

> Just because someone is a journalist does not give them a pass from breaking the law. I’m entirely on the side of real journalism so it was interacting to see some people that thought a press badge meant they didn’t need to also follow police orders.

It depends on the police order.

Order someone to step to the side for public safety? Probably alright. Probably. Unless it's obvious that what they really mean is "Step so you can't see what I'm about to do."

Order someone to stop filming? Spot-check your First Amendment training and get back to me. Or give that order again, on camera.

Re: Record Breaking Number of Journalists Arrested in the U.S. This Year

#172

Post by mrlala »

user764743 wrote: post #144

Reading the comments in this thread and I am amazed at the sudden pro-authoritarian shift seen on HN lately, what's going on?

No idea but I agree.

Part of me thinks it's 'intellectual elites' here that simply can't fathom not working at a FAANG job making 250k+ and don't understand the problems most people have. And if you aren't working at one of those you must be the ultra silicon valley entrepreneur trying to do the next big thing because money.

Probably downvoted for this but whatever, I think it's the truth. When I first was on this site a few years ago I thought it was a cool forum for geeks, but it's just not that at all really.

Re: Record Breaking Number of Journalists Arrested in the U.S. This Year

#174

Post by ska »

underseacables wrote: post #136
boopmaster wrote: post #128

This is because Black Lives Matter™, and because black lives matter. This isn’t a hyper escalation against freedom of the press, per se, it’s an escalation of police on citizen violence that came about when police felt threatened when folks got a little extra vocal about how the racist cops boys club has little to no accountability when harming citizens they’re supposed to protect. I think this narrowly focuses on tr…

When a journalist steps beyond being a journalist and turns into an activist, of course they’re going to get arrested if they break the law. Just because someone is a journalist does not give them a pass from breaking the law.

The implicit assumption here is that those journalists who got arrested did so because they broke the law, not because of misbehaviour on the part of the police.

There seems to be at least enough evidence of the plausibility of the latter that the assumption is far too strong to offer without evidence.

Re: Record Breaking Number of Journalists Arrested in the U.S. This Year

#175

Post by 0xbadcafebee »

i_haz_rabies wrote: post #75
indigochill wrote: post #18

One line from the report jumped out at me as I was skimming it: > About half the journalists here are freelancers, who may lack the institutional support of a newsroom and the financial resources for a potentially expensive legal defense. I hadn't really thought of the value of legal defense from journalism institutions (as opposed to non-institutional platforms like Substack) before.

We will look back on the ruination of journalism as a profession as one of the most consequential changes of these last two decades.

It's the most consequential change in the past 244 years, as a free press is the cornerstone of democracy. The death of journalism is the opening of the door to autocracy.

Re: Record Breaking Number of Journalists Arrested in the U.S. This Year

#176

Post by sneak »

user764743 wrote: post #144

Reading the comments in this thread and I am amazed at the sudden pro-authoritarian shift seen on HN lately, what's going on?

Not to get too meta, but I think rich people and SV have always tended toward authoritarian; it's not like rich people get hassled by the cops that often. Recall also that SV got its start by selling tech to the military[1]. It's not something sudden.

You have to remember that HN is by and of a very specific part of wider society.

See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shockley#Views_on_race...

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_Valley#Military_techno...

Re: Record Breaking Number of Journalists Arrested in the U.S. This Year

#177

Post by jakelazaroff »

smnrchrds wrote: post #161
pas wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not following police order is grounds for arrest, not for getting a riot shield bashed into one's face.

I don't know about the US, but here in Canada not following police orders is not by itself grounds for arrest. It has to be a lawful order, not whatever the police fancies at the moment. The police cannot for example say "stop filming or I will arrest you" and be able to legally justify that arrest in the court of law. https://globalnews.ca/news/6233399/supreme-court-montreal-es...

It's not, which is why you see people arrested this way getting released without charges.

It's an intimidation tactic, and the officers face zero consequences for employing it. "You may beat the rap, but you can't beat the ride" and all that.

Re: Record Breaking Number of Journalists Arrested in the U.S. This Year

#178

Post by irateswami »

Miner49er wrote: post #140
cronix wrote: post #96

All you need to do is write "press" in sharpie somewhere visible on your person and upload cell phone videos to youtube, twitch, dlive, etc. to be considered a "journalist" in 2020. Maybe set up a venmo/cashapp account. That's what the vast majority of live streamers in Portland do covering the riots, and most who were arrested were breaking the law. There are many more "livestreamers" than accredited journalists who…

What's your bar for being a journalist? Andy Ngo is one of those guys who goes out with his cell phone and records stuff and you seem to think he qualifies. Is it just agreeing with you politically?

Andy Ngo doesn't throw rocks or participate in other "riot-esque" actions.

Re: Record Breaking Number of Journalists Arrested in the U.S. This Year

#179

Post by PeterisP »

chrisseaton wrote: post #80
pwinnski wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They should, yes. "Disturbing the peace" seems to be fabricated, and resisting and officer and failure to disperse should not be applied to journalists given our press freedoms.

> "Disturbing the peace" seems to be fabricated Aren't all laws 'fabricated' by legislators? But disturbing the peace is a law like any other, whether you think it's a 'natural' or 'fabricated' law. It's pretty ancient more like natural laws.

Disturbing the peace is a valid law, however, if the police unilaterally assert that someone filming police actions is "disturbing the peace", that's simply a fabrication that as no disturbing the peace has actually been done by that person.

Re: Record Breaking Number of Journalists Arrested in the U.S. This Year

#180

Post by pwinnski »

NDizzle wrote: post #149
pwinnski wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, you wouldn't. From the section you quoted above: “While we recognize the importance and the rights of the private citizen who snaps a photo or video of an arrest, this site will only cover individuals who self-identify as journalists and have some track record of journalistic work.“

"only cover individuals who self-identify" We can self-identify as anything, man. “If you will it, it is no dream.” and all that jazz. (Theodor Herzl)

Now read the rest of the sentence. You supplied it once, and have had multiple opportunities to read it. Here, I'll give you another one:

"...this site will only cover individuals who self-identify as journalists and have some track record of journalistic work.“

Your mind seems to be made up, based on your comments here, but I supply the context for others.

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