Police roughing up and arresting credentialed journalists covering political demonstrations.
Only in Beijing, China during the recent Olympic games? Nope. Also in St. Paul, Minn. this week during the Republican National Convention.
Oops.
Law-enforcement officers, aided by U.S. Secret Service personnel, arrested dozens of accredited independent and mainstream scribes covering melees between police and a few unruly anarchists during nearby peaceful antiwar marches.
Among those manhandled, arrested, booked and jailed on felony or serious misdemeanor charges were Amy Goodman, host of the radio/TV program Democracy Now, her two producers/videographers, a photographer and two reporters for the Associated Press, two university journalism students and their photography adviser.
Just cases of misidentification? Hardly.
The targeted journalists were wearing distinctive official press insignia on neck lanyards and most were toting professional still and video cameras. Many of the actual rioters were cloaked in black from head to foot.
And the fascist storm troopers, of course, were dressed in blue. (7 SEPTEMBER 2008)
