When is a Journalist a Rioting Protestor - Freedom of Speech

[The Serbian Empire]

No other sources other DN, RT, and Indiewire?

Yep, I'm sold, the US is becoming a police state.

The police state was here long ago. The US has the highest incarceration rate in the world.

[Outer Sparta]

So, even documenting dissent against a pipeline that runs through native lands nets you a big jail sentence. Utter bullshit.

[Internationalist Bastard]

Well I suppose if she was involved then yes, she should be, though I doubt it.

[Pandeeria]

Not really surprising, no.

[USS Monitor]

She has yet to be convicted, never mind sentenced. It's highly unlikely that she will actually get 45 years.

[The Romulan Republic]

She has yet to be convicted, never mind sentenced. It's highly unlikely that she will actually get 45 years.

Indeed.

If the OP's account is accurate (doubtful, since they use RT as a source), then it ought to be laughed out of court on First Amendment grounds as soon as it gets in front of a judge.

[USS Monitor]

I find it funny that they were trying to protect the environment yet by their actions of turning off the safety valves they could have caused an environmental disaster. Plus they were trespassing on private property, and I don't know what interference with the pipelines operation would be called but let me tell y'all something she wasn't arrested for making the film she was arrested becuase she trespassed and had knowledge of the crimes. She deserves to go to jail but 45 is much for me I say something like 20-25 years is reasonable

Albert Speer got 20 years for enslaving 5 million people. I think trespassing and tampering with a pipeline are less serious.

[Implacable Death]

Climate protestors count some of the worst scum in the world among their number. Don't get me wrong, most of them are probably good people with genuine worries about the climate, but some of these people just join to stir up shit. Anarcho-communist assholes looking for an excuse.

[The Romulan Republic]

Climate protestors count some of the worst scum in the world among their number. Don't get me wrong, most of them are probably good people with genuine worries about the climate, but some of these people just join to stir up shit. Anarcho-communist assholes looking for an excuse.

Even if true, how is that relevant to this case? Is their any indication this woman did anything wrong?

[Alvecia]

Climate protestors count some of the worst scum in the world among their number. Don't get me wrong, most of them are probably good people with genuine worries about the climate, but some of these people just join to stir up shit. Anarcho-communist assholes looking for an excuse.

Even if true, how is that relevant to this case? Is their any indication this woman did anything wrong?

I assume that what will be discovered in court, right?
Might end up that she was bundled up with the lot of them for convenience and that all charges will be dropped.

[USS Monitor]

There is another thread on this.
viewtopic.php?f=20&t=391990

Based on the other thread, it seems to me to be pretty much against the first amendment.

The Dakota Prosecutor has admitted that there are legal issues with proving the notice of trespassing and has already dismissed that Goodman was acting as a Journalist stating that "She’s a protester, basically. Everything she reported on was from the position of justifying the protest actions."

This quote in particular is pretty telling.

There are actually two different people that were arrested. They are both related to the same series of protests, so I don't think it's too serious of an issue that I didn't notice until after merging the threads, but it's actually different people.

[Cetacea]

There is another thread on this.
viewtopic.php?f=20&t=391990

Based on the other thread, it seems to me to be pretty much against the first amendment.

This quote in particular is pretty telling.

There are actually two different people that were arrested. They are both related to the same series of protests, so I don't think it's too serious of an issue that I didn't notice until after merging the threads, but it's actually different people.

yeah it is two different people and separate protests albeit with the same issue.

I did see the Deia Schlosberg thread but in that case there is an act of vandalism whereas in the Goodman situation there was only the misdemeanor of Trespass which is now being upgraded to Rioting. I didn't want to muddy the waters by tagging the Goodman debate onto the other one.

But it's been done now:( So I suppose the debate will need to shift to focus on sympathetic Journalism and State reaction to it
but just to note Amy Goodman was NOT involved in any act of vandalism

[Hirota]

Because people were throwing their toys out of the pram over the source:

http://uk.reuters.com/article/usa-canad ... KL1N1CJ1IR

[The New Sea Territory]

Half a lifetime for filming government corruption

"Land of the Free" has always been an empty statement. More like "Land of the imperialist white capitalists".

And fucking proud of it!

You guy say this and then act surprised when a Republican party building goes up in flames.

Climate protestors count some of the worst scum in the world among their number. Don't get me wrong, most of them are probably good people with genuine worries about the climate, but some of these people just join to stir up shit. Anarcho-communist assholes looking for an excuse.

We try to put the "struggle" back in "class struggle".

No compromise in defence of mother earth!

[Minzerland II]

And fucking proud of it!

You guy say this and then act surprised when a Republican party building goes up in flames.

Did you whiff the mockery? Or did it pass by? I'm not actually any of that bullshit.

In anycase, it doesn't matter whether we say we're this and that, it appears to happens regardless, because a preconceived notion of the right being the strawman ascribed.

[Cerillium]

A journalist is invited to film the illegal act of tampering with private property in the United States or Canada, endangering the environment by tampering, trespassing and a host of other things. The intent to commit these acts weren't publicly announced beforehand. Police burst in as the crime is being committed. Journalist is arrested. "It's not fair! Free speech! Freedom of the press! She did nothing wrong. She just filmed!"

A journalist is invited to film a gang rape in the United States or Canada. Police burst in as the crime is being committed. Journalist is arrested. "She should have stopped the rape. How disgusting. Why didn't she call the police before the woman was violated?"

Both can be charged as an accessory to the crime. Both failed to adhere to journalism ethnics and standards.

In many countries, a journalist cannot use defences of truth, fair comment or privilege in cases of blasphemy, obscenity or sedition. The journalist bears the responsibility of reporting the crime. We can not make exceptions for a popular movement (the pipeline protestors vs "government") without extending freedoms to the coverage of all illegal activities whereby the journalist is invited by the perpetrators to record the illegal acts as they are committed (rape, larceny, arson, etc).

Freedom of Speech doesn't apply here, nor does Freedom of Press. Freedom of speech is the right to articulate one's opinions and ideas without fear of government retaliation or censorship, or societal sanction. It does not give the right to anyone to participate in or commit a crime.

[PaNTuXIa]

Half a lifetime for filming government corruption

"Land of the Free" has always been an empty statement. More like "Land of the imperialist white capitalists".

Shut up you evil commie! Why do you hate America?

/s

[PaNTuXIa]

Half a lifetime for filming government corruption

"Land of the Free" has always been an empty statement. More like "Land of the imperialist white capitalists".

And fucking proud of it!

_deleted_

[The New Sea Territory]

Both failed to adhere to journalism ethnics and standards.

I wasn't aware truth was valued less than legality in journalistic ethics.

[The 502nd Ghost Division]

She has yet to be convicted, never mind sentenced. It's highly unlikely that she will actually get 45 years.

Sounds like she got caught in the mass arrests

[MERIZoC]

This made me furious when I heard about it. There's a terrifying attack on freedom of speech right now, and hardly anyone seems to care. People are claiming to champion free speech with regards to political correctness, but when it comes to ACTUAL PEOPLE GETTING ARRESTED FOR FULFILLING THEIR FUCKING JOURNALISTIC OBLIGATION they turn a blind eye. Anyone ok with this is offering their support for the enemies of democracy and freedom.

[New Grestin]

A journalist is only a rioting protestor when they're fighting the status quo.

The only thing I'm seeing is a tinpot police state.

Welcome to the 21st Century, sir, where the United States desperately tries to cling to some sense of relevancy that doesn't come from the barrel of a gun.

[Internationalist Bastard]

She has yet to be convicted, never mind sentenced. It's highly unlikely that she will actually get 45 years.

Sounds like she got caught in the mass arrests

That's probably exactly what happened. Granted, I feel that you should arrest people actually committing a crime, but in the frenzy she probably got got.

[Ostroeuropa]

Depends what she was saying. The media has been getting pretty crazy lately. I wouldn't be surprised if she endorsed the actions or encouraged similar actions.

http://hotair.com/archives/2016/06/03/v ... rt-a-riot/

Absent agitating for illegal actions, this is obviously stupid.

[New Rogernomics]

Okay, first of all, RT is essentially a mouthpiece of the Kremlin, and I would not trust anything it reports on politics, particularly American politics.

Yeah, and CNN and MSNBC,etc can be corporate apologists and/or turn a blind eye to political corruption when it slights the Democratic party, and Fox News is well...Fox...telling the 'truth' as always.

[...]In all likelihood, if this person is being charge and facing prison simply for filming a protest, the courts will overturn it. The First Amendment is still generally respected by the courts.

The charges were dropped. But there shouldn't have been a charge in the first place. If it is 'private property' as some of the corporate shills in the state try to claim, then this is the equivalent of charging a reporter for filming a protest at Walmart.

Then there is well, the ethical issues like:

• Bulldozing sacred sites to native Americans.
• Building an oil pipeline under/over a river that just happens to be the major water source of the area.
• The government giving the middle finger to Native Americans and their rights...like they have for the past 240 years.
• Using dogs, tear gas, and all those lovely things to put down protesters.

It all has to make people sick who read about it, unfortunately corporate America often wins over human rights and over what is ethically right in America.