Two student photojournalists and their adviser were arrested for rioting during the Republican National Convention in St. Paul Minnesota earlier this week. The students were not working a report especially for the paper, but were going to blog on the event. If the students were doing nothing more than reporting on the event, and not involved in the rioting how dare the police interfere?
I am going to assume that the student reporters were working on reporting and not participating in the riots. Regardless if they are students, reporters or seasoned professionals they were at the scene reporting what was happening and had every right to do so. The police violated their rights by arresting.
Sure, the police may have a job to do, protect the public and serve for the greatest good, however they should have realized that arresting photojournalists while they were doing their duty of reporting is an impediment on the student's rights as reporters.
Do reporters get special privileges? Yes, they are the ones that making a living by getting the public the story on everything that is happening in the world. I am not saying that they get to go out and riot- not by any means, but if they happen to be at such an event then it is the police responsibility to allow the reporters to do their job just as the police are doing their job by attempting to keep the riot under control.
Just as the police feel it is their duty to protect the public it is just as much a reporter's duty to inform the public on events that are taking place. If the police are constantly obstructing reporter's ability to do just that, then the entire America public will suffer consequently.
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