You have the same right to film police activities as they do. You’ve seen the reality shows on TV where dashboard cameras record police stops. For the TV shows they even have separate cameramen following the action.
Problems can arise when the media gets it’s hands on the recordings, they are not shy about political editing. Take the Trayvon Martin incident where the media made a racial incident out of one that wasn’t by the way it deliberately edited the recording.
And then there’s the Rodney King event where the media caused a riot by not showing the events that preceded the subduing of King who was obviously on PCP or some other mind altering drug. That would have given some context to what appeared to be a case of cops gone wild…when they actually had a wild man on their hands! The riot may never had happened had the public seen the whole story!
China Detains Reporter During Live Broadcast, While U.S. Violates Free Speech Every Day
While China’s police state tactics are familiar to the world, the United States, renowned for its freedoms, has routinely intimidated its citizens for daring to film in public.
Aaron Dykes Prison Planet.com March 16, 2013
While China Censors a Reporter Live on Air, Few Pay Attention to the Daily Abuses of Free Speech and the Ongoing Intimidation of Journalists Inside the United States.
When Sky News reporter Mark Stone was detained by Chinese police during a live broadcast, the communist superpower essentially got caught red-handed while trying to stifle coverage of one of their most embarrassing authoritarian moments — namely Tiananmen Square.
What the world already knows about China’s heavy-handed censorship was put on display after the British journalist made passing mention of the 1989 incident and was dragged away to a police van, with officials apparently unaware that the signal was still going out. This kind of behavior, while shameful, is perhaps expected in a place like China.
But the United States, renowned for its freedoms, has routinely intimidated its citizens for daring to film in public, too, particularly when confronting controversial topics, establishing chilling blows to the First Amendment which guarantees free speech and a free press.
Since 9/11, these freedoms have been openly trashed as law enforcement and security guards have been trained to treat journalists as criminals and anyone with a camera as a potential terrorist. Despite Homeland Security’s repeated attempts to profile journalists, and prosecute those who take pictures of federal buildings or record police or TSA encounters, recent court cases have upheld the fact that photography is NOT a crime, and free speech remains a protected civil right.
This special report details how Infowars reporters have repeatedly been harassed for filming in public places, particularly near government installations and during events, a problem that is compounded by widespread ignorance on the part of police, TSA and security on location:
Founding father Benjamin Franklin warned that any society that would trade liberty for security, would end up with neither.
———————-
LINKS TO FURTHER RESEARCH:
You Have Every Right to Snap That Picture
http://www.aclu.org/blog/free-speech/you-have-every-right-snap-picture
Edgewater man sues Homeland Security over arrest for filming near federal building
http://www.northjersey.com/news/91887729_Camera_operator_sues_Homeland_Security.html
VIDEO: Alex Confronts Feds After Threat To Arrest Infowars Photographer
http://www.infowars.com/video-alex-confronts-feds-after-threat-to-arrest-infowars-photographer/
Life in Prison for Recording Police: Michael Allison Speaks
http://www.infowars.com/life-in-prison-for-filming-police-michael-allison-speaks/
Michael Allison Case Dismissed By Illinois Atty General!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHWfUQyGEVc
Charges Dropped Against Man Who Faced Life In Jail For Recording Cops
http://www.infowars.com/charges-dropped-against-man-who-faced-life-in-jail-for-recording-cops/
Taking Fed’s photo may be taking a chance
http://www.infowars.com/taking-feds-photo-may-be-taking-a-chance/
Supreme Court Upholds Decision Blocking Enforcement Of Illinois Eavesdropping Law
http://chicagoist.com/2012/11/26/supreme_court_upholds_decision_bloc.php
Carlos Miller’s Photography is NOT a Crime Blog
http://www.photographyisnotacrime.com/
“Photography Is Not a Crime” Prosecutor Fired for Abusing Position for Lap Dances
http://reason.com/blog/2013/02/21/photography-is-not-a-crime-prosecutor-fi
TSA Issues Warning Over Opt Out And Film Week
http://www.infowars.com/tsa-issues-warning-over-opt-out-and-film-week/
TSA Blog: Can I Take Photos at the Checkpoint and Airport?
http://blog.tsa.gov/2009/03/can-i-take-photos-at-checkpoint-and.html
ACLU seeks end to prosecutions for recording public conversations with police
http://www.aclu-il.org/aclu-seeks-end-to-prosecutions-for-recording-public-conversations-with-police/
Right to photograph federal buildings upheld
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/19/AR2010101906119.html
Public’s Right to Photograph Federal Buildings Upheld by Settlement
http://www.petapixel.com/2010/10/19/publics-right-to-photograph-federal-buildings-upheld-by-settlement/
You Can Photograph That Federal Building
http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/18/you-can-photograph-that-federal-building/
Reporter Threatened With Arrest For Filming TSA
http://www.infowars.com/reporter-threatened-with-arrest-for-filming-tsa/
Flash protest at SXSW
http://www.infowars.com/flash-protest-of-sxsw/
Free Speech Ban Reversed by City of Austin
http://www.infowars.com/free-speech-ban-reversed-by-city-of-austin/
G20 Police & Military Savagely Attack Peaceful Protesters In Pittsburgh Park – Infowars Reporter Arrested
http://www.infowars.com/g20-police-military-savagely-attack-peaceful-protesters-in-pittsburgh-park/
This article was posted: Saturday, March 16, 2013 at 11:12 am
No comments:
Post a Comment