Reporters Arrested for asking questions in Spin Room at CNN Debate [Archive]

torchbearer

06-06-2007, 12:56 PM

Yeh, i know its a ron paul forum, what alarms me about the above video is the fact that we have reporters being arrested for asking question.
What is this country coming to?

DavyDuke17

06-06-2007, 01:09 PM

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0706/S00036.htm

According to that article, "Reporters were questioning Giuliani staff members on a variety of issues, including his apparent ignorance of the 9/11 Commission Report, according to Bermas. The staff members accused the reporters of Ron Paul partisanship, which press denied. It was at this point that Lepacek, who was streaming a live report, asked a staff member about Giuliani's statement to Peter Jennings that he was told beforehand that the WTC buildings would collapse."

So some reporters were asking the Giuliani members about him not reading the 9/11 commission report. How do they decide not to answer it and instead just claim "Ron Paul partisanship". Isn't it a valid claim either way?

torchbearer

06-06-2007, 02:07 PM

It has to be on other news sources, in the video it looked like several reporters were following him.

denvervoipguru

06-06-2007, 03:59 PM

Has the NHSP responded to widespread alligations that they violated the constitutional rights of a credentialed member of the Press?

Have they issued a statement?

Where/How can we file a formal complaint?

NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE POLICE TELEPHONE NUMBERS:

You may use one of the numbers below to contact the NH State Police to politely comment about their treatment of a journalist and their eagerness to squash the First Amendment

Director’s Office:
(603) 271-2450

Field Operations Bureau:
(603) 271-3793

Major Crime Unit:
(603) 271-2663

Narcotics and Investigations Unit: (603) 271-6610

Terrorism Intelligence Unit:
(603) 271-0300

Communications Maintenance Unit: (603) 271-2421

Ira Aten

06-06-2007, 04:13 PM

Too bad they didn't think about printing out Guliani's statement and having a copy available to specifically direct that "gentlemans" attention to. I have seen and heard the quote with Guliani saying the OEM called them and told them the WTC building he was in was going to collapse.

I wish they had a copy of it, when the guy asked "Where is your documentation", they could have handed the man Guliani's printed quote, and referenced the recording of the news report. I have heard it also.

It is astounding the cops arrested the guy, all he did was ask a question.

I smell a huge lawsuit from that kid.

(Is there a lawyer in the house?)

winston84

06-06-2007, 04:19 PM

Wow, and I'm a the only one that thinks its sad how even the MSM now calls the post-debate reporting area the "Spin Room" Now more than ever, the name seems appropriate.

kylejack

06-06-2007, 04:34 PM

Wow, and I'm a the only one that thinks its sad how even the MSM now calls the post-debate reporting area the "Spin Room" Now more than ever, the name seems appropriate.

They've done that for years. Jon Stewart brings it up on his Crossfire appearance from a few years ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFQFB5YpDZE

Bob Cochran

06-06-2007, 04:41 PM

Giuliani appears to have obedient thugs at his disposal.

What does this say about him?

kylejack

06-06-2007, 04:50 PM

Giuliani appears to have obedient thugs at his disposal.

What does this say about him?

Don't you know that freedom is about authority and about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do?

Brandybuck

06-06-2007, 05:10 PM

I'm not finding a lot of real facts here, just a lot of heated blog posts. Did that reporter get arrested last night? Or was he just expelled from the building? Security guards don't arrest people. Did he just ask a single question, or was he badgering and interfering? Did he calmy leave when told to, or did he make a big stink? Did he actually have a press pass to this event, or did he barge his way in? Some accounts seem to hint that he might have been deliberately trying to create an incident.

Update: I've watched the video from David Weigel, and they aren't security guards, they look like genuine cops. But it also looks like he was merely escorted from the building for badgering and blocking behavior. I also note that all the news stories I've seen are press releases from biased sources.

Bob Cochran

06-06-2007, 05:12 PM

Don't you know that freedom is about authority and about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do?
Uh..................what?:D

kylejack

06-06-2007, 05:13 PM

Uh..................what?:D

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A01E2D9173CF933A15750C0A9629582 60

winston84

06-06-2007, 07:59 PM

He was expelled and arrested by New Hampshire police and NOT at the owner of the building or at the discretion of CNN. Infact, CNN staff tried to persuade police not to arrest the accredited reporter, Matt Lepacek. He has initally been charged to felony criminal trespass (despite having a press pass) and from what I hear they are entertaining the idea of charging him with espionage because of the hidden camera mounted on his laptop that was streaming a live feed (which he happened to announce). From all the individuals from the WeAreChange.org group, Matt is the most professional of the bunch.

Apparently when your an establishment figure like Ghouliani you get to have the local police at your disposal no matter what the circumstance.

Here is the latest report straight from InfoWars.com http://www.infowars.com/articles/ps/giuliani_reporter_arrested_on_orders_of_giuliani_p ress_sec.htm

torchbearer

06-06-2007, 08:07 PM

and while that was going on... cnn was removing our comments from the post-debate website. here is the screenshot of it before it was removed: http://get-sized-up.com/cnn-removed-this.html

X_805

06-06-2007, 08:15 PM

Personally, I think there's a lot of over-reacting going on here.

AgentSmith

06-06-2007, 08:20 PM

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A01E2D9173CF933A15750C0A9629582 60

jesus this guy is SCARY!

Freedom is about authority. Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do.

lucky

06-06-2007, 08:31 PM

What does this say about him?

Desperate?

IrrigatedPancake

06-06-2007, 09:31 PM

Shouldn't this be moved to the "General Politics & Other" board?

Original_Intent

06-06-2007, 09:33 PM

I forwarded this to WorldNetDaily.com's news department. Of all the online news they may dig into this and run a story.

kylejack

06-06-2007, 11:50 PM

George Noory is making some EXCELLENT points on this on Coast to Coast AM right now. Tune in on your local station or listen live at http://www.ktrh.com/main.html

akalucas

06-06-2007, 11:59 PM

Bradley in DC

06-07-2007, 12:37 AM

It is private property. Certainly we should all be able to respect. (not that I agree with their judgement, but that is what a free society is all about)

kylejack

06-07-2007, 12:40 AM

It is private property. Certainly we should all be able to respect. (not that I agree with their judgement, but that is what a free society is all about)

The reporter had credentials. He was not trespassing.

dwdollar

06-07-2007, 12:41 AM

Yes that is true. CNN gave them permission to be there.

X_805

06-07-2007, 12:44 AM

Yes that is true. CNN gave them permission to be there.

Permission with probably a host of small conditions which basically said we can kick you out / arrest you at any time we deem appropriate.

kylejack

06-07-2007, 12:46 AM

Permission with probably a host of small conditions which basically said we can kick you out / arrest you at any time we deem appropriate.

There's no such thing as signing away the possibility of being arrested at any time. If he was invited to be there he was invited to be there. You can't be trespassing when you have an invitation. He did not resist when the police led him away. He walked where they wanted him to. MOREOVER: CNN Staff were apparently asking the police not to arrest him.

Teaching The Untaught

06-07-2007, 05:29 AM

Permission with probably a host of small conditions which basically said we can kick you out / arrest you at any time we deem appropriate.

That is all well and good except the fact that CNN staff, you know the ones who gave him permission to be there, tried to prevent the police arresting him. They didn't even want him to be thrown from the building.

He was also told he was going to be charged with "espionage." The arrest according to some eye witnesses was directed by Rudy's people and the Secret Service. If by a simple nod and a point of the finger a reporter can be arrested by the police for asking a question what's the point of having the media?

Yes him and his people are loud and can come across as "people who just get in the way" but they ask many questions that have to be asked and at times report stories days before the mainstream press get the go ahead to report it.

AgentSmith

06-07-2007, 05:38 AM

Permission with probably a host of small conditions which basically said we can kick you out / arrest you at any time we deem appropriate.

If you pay attention you notice CNN asked the police to not arrest them. The goons were working for Rudy, not the people who rented the facility.

johngr

06-07-2007, 05:43 AM

man, we need to get Ron Paul on coasttocoastam. millions upon millions listen to this show and usually when a guest comes on the show their websites get so many hits that they crash! He has already been invited but so far no acceptance i believe.

They would have accepted already if Noory didn't insist that Dr. Paul go on right after the alien from Planet Niburu.

torchbearer

06-07-2007, 02:08 PM

I agree with property rights, but it was obvious that they were removing people who were asking the "wrong" questions.
Shows you how "real" cable news is... if cnn asked the same question... they would have been escorted from the building... and it was their debate!

lynnf

06-07-2007, 04:12 PM

The reason he was arrested is that he doesn't have a big commercial organization behind him that they knew had the clout to sue the daylights out of them. Maybe there needs to be an organization for independent reporters to join that would have the clout to back independent reporters up. Maybe it even already exists
and we don't know about it.

SeanEdwards

06-07-2007, 05:21 PM

Did anyone see Bill Moyer's skewering of the media leading up to the Iraq war? It's a great documentary. He points out how the press corp totally colluded in a charade of news conferences. Every press question was scripted before hand, and the reporters were assigned specific questions, and a specific order in which questions would be asked. And then, the reporters participated in charade of raising their hands to ask questions, as if it were a spontaneous conference instead of the staged performance it really was. It was truly despiccable.