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Journalism Is Not a Crime
Aug 12, 2015
On Monday, a day after the first anniversary of the killing of Michael Brown, St. Louis County filed charges against two reporters who were arrested in 2014 while covering the Ferguson protests.
Their crime? Being journalists.
During the height of last year's protests, Wesley Lowery of the Washington Post and Ryan J. Reilly of the Huffington Post used a local McDonald's as a base for their reporting. Police officers stormed the restaurant and ordered Lowery and Reilly to leave. When the two men recorded the officers' behavior and didn't move fast enough, they were roughed up and arrested.
The crackdown on those trying to show what's happening in Ferguson continues. It includes yesterday's arrests of several prominent Black Lives Matter activists attempting to film protests in neighboring St. Louis. We need journalists -- and anyone performing acts of journalism -- to act as our eyes and ears on the ground, protect our communities' best interests, and report on any abuses of power.
We don't have time to waste. As demonstrators protest unjust policing practices in Ferguson and reporters document this activism, we need to ensure that neither group is treated as a criminal.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
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Mike Rispoli
Mike Rispoli is the senior director of journalism policy at Free Press. He is co-author, with Amy Kroin and Kevin Davis, of the case study New Jersey's Civic Information Bill: The Story of the Campaign to Transform Local Media.
On Monday, a day after the first anniversary of the killing of Michael Brown, St. Louis County filed charges against two reporters who were arrested in 2014 while covering the Ferguson protests.
Their crime? Being journalists.
During the height of last year's protests, Wesley Lowery of the Washington Post and Ryan J. Reilly of the Huffington Post used a local McDonald's as a base for their reporting. Police officers stormed the restaurant and ordered Lowery and Reilly to leave. When the two men recorded the officers' behavior and didn't move fast enough, they were roughed up and arrested.
The crackdown on those trying to show what's happening in Ferguson continues. It includes yesterday's arrests of several prominent Black Lives Matter activists attempting to film protests in neighboring St. Louis. We need journalists -- and anyone performing acts of journalism -- to act as our eyes and ears on the ground, protect our communities' best interests, and report on any abuses of power.
We don't have time to waste. As demonstrators protest unjust policing practices in Ferguson and reporters document this activism, we need to ensure that neither group is treated as a criminal.
Mike Rispoli
Mike Rispoli is the senior director of journalism policy at Free Press. He is co-author, with Amy Kroin and Kevin Davis, of the case study New Jersey's Civic Information Bill: The Story of the Campaign to Transform Local Media.
On Monday, a day after the first anniversary of the killing of Michael Brown, St. Louis County filed charges against two reporters who were arrested in 2014 while covering the Ferguson protests.
Their crime? Being journalists.
During the height of last year's protests, Wesley Lowery of the Washington Post and Ryan J. Reilly of the Huffington Post used a local McDonald's as a base for their reporting. Police officers stormed the restaurant and ordered Lowery and Reilly to leave. When the two men recorded the officers' behavior and didn't move fast enough, they were roughed up and arrested.
The crackdown on those trying to show what's happening in Ferguson continues. It includes yesterday's arrests of several prominent Black Lives Matter activists attempting to film protests in neighboring St. Louis. We need journalists -- and anyone performing acts of journalism -- to act as our eyes and ears on the ground, protect our communities' best interests, and report on any abuses of power.
We don't have time to waste. As demonstrators protest unjust policing practices in Ferguson and reporters document this activism, we need to ensure that neither group is treated as a criminal.
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