Occupy Activists Need To Brush Up On First Amendment Law Regarding Media Coverage

[ProgressiveProfessor]

The Occupy movement activists setting up encampments throughout the country have maintained they are expressing their First Amendment rights to protest by assembling in public.

However, there have been several instances where these same activists have attempted to deny the rights of journalists to record them.

Last week, Occupy Oakland activists demanded that reporters not video record them. Some activists assaulted reporters. One activist even sicced his dog on a reporter.

More here: http://www.pixiq.com/article/occupy-activists-need-to-brush-up-on-first-amendment-law

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The author is Carlos Miller, a photographers rights advocate and a supporter of OWS. He has some interesting points. The more stupid stuff done in the name of OWS, the less the people will think of us.

[lob1]

1. I know some occupiers have yelled down Fox News

reporters so they can't get their story, and I say good for the occupiers. Fox News isn't news, it's propaganda.

[leveymg]

2. It's just common courtesy to not stick a camera into someone's tent or face without asking

I agree though, that demonstrators should be as media friendly as possible under the circumstances, but the media needs to also understand that this is a prolonged encampment and people should be allowed their space and privacy.

[MADem]

7. There's no privacy in public, and that's something that the people out there need to understand.

Yeah, it's difficult, but this isn't supposed to be easy. If it were easy, they could phone it in from home.

[leveymg]

9. Of course, true, to a point.

[Logical]

12. Stick it in their face??? Where did he do that. He was 5 feet away!

[ProgressiveProfessor]

15. No, just plain true and it is an absolute

A while back in the greater Dallas area the locals got annoyed at bar patrons pissing on their yards etc. They organized a camera taskforce and caught a lot of people with their skirts up/pants down and published it. Some of them included the adult children of some high ranking pols and shot callers. Avi Adelman lead it at the Barkingdogs.org site. Video was viral for quite some time. Embarrassed and annoyed people. It also changed things. The story is here: http://www.barkingdogs.org/news/node/539 .

Avi is still at it and the local Dallas pols are at least respectful of him at this point and the Dallas PD quit trying to block his efforts at documenting things. The guy is a testament to what a single person can do in terms of upsetting the status quo
http://www.barkingdogs.org/news/node/219

[elleng]

3. Of course, the more stupid stuff . . . .

NEVER appropriate physically to attack anyone. We assume OWS WANTS publicity, but of course, ASS U ME.

[ixion]

4. A foundation of the movement is peaceful assembly

so if someone claiming to be part of the movement assaulted someone, they're not really part of the movement.

Sounds more like a plant, to me.

[Scuba]

5. Breitbart TV??? Nothing in the video supports the claims made. n/t

[MADem]

8. Well, he's an idiot. NT

[MADem]

6. Goose, gander. They also need to understand that states and communities can and do

make laws for the benefit of the people who live in the community, and they've got to try to work within that framework to a tolerable extent.

There's no need to get shitty or childish. That's the easiest way to be dismissed and marginalized.

[WinkyDink]

10. Maybe the agents provocateurs don't want ot be ID'ed.

[doccraig67]

11. Sounds like Bill O talking point memo posted here.

That's enough for me not to give it much credit. Anybody can find some incidents of bad behavior in any movement this large. And believe me the right is out searching with candles. Hang in there OWS

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x627669

[ProgressiveProfessor]

14. Did you read the link?

I am annoyed the Carlos pulled the clips from Breidbarts...

[Modern_Matthew]

13. The Constitution is to restrict govt, not crowds. nt

[ProgressiveProfessor]

16. And protect individuals from other individuals and groups

There is an damn near absolute right to film in public in the US. Those who deny those rights tend to lose in court and in the court of public opinion. Photographers are often wearing backup body cameras and some of us have transmitting cameras/memory cards. The vast majority of the time it is cops, rent-a-cops, etc. That there are a few ill-educated OWS people in this area is a shame.

[Jkid]

18. Do you have any proof to back this up?

Also,

Photographers are often wearing backup body cameras and some of us have transmitting cameras/memory cards

How do they do that? Where do they get those?

[ProgressiveProfessor]

19. Most photographer rights sites and civil rights/anti cop sites discuss them

For the transmitting, there are two approaches. The camera itself http://imaging.nikon.com/history/scenes/11/index.htm and the memory card http://www.eye.fi/

Body cameras like Flip work well, there are others in that same genre too http://www.theflip.com/en-us/

All off the shelf stuff and readily available.

I originally got my FLIP for recording rides. It lives in my backpack pretty much full time now.

[redgiant]

17. True, but...

...no one has the right, by force or threat of force, to prevent others from doing what is perfectly legal to do.