Colleagues Mostly Fail to Rally for Amy Goodman, Threatened With Jail for Journalism

[G_j]

http://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/09/16/colleagues-mostly-fail-rally-amy-goodman-threatened-jail-journalism

by Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR)

Colleagues Mostly Fail to Rally for Amy Goodman, Threatened With Jail for Journalism

byJim Naureckas


Amy Goodman reporting on the Dakota Access Pipeline. (Image: Democracy Now!)
When Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman (9/4/16) asked security guards at the Dakota Access Pipeline construction project why they were using pepper spray and dogs to attack Native American protesters, the guards soon backed off, taking their mace and attack dogs with them. It was a dramatic lesson in how journalism can defend the rights of citizens.

The state of North Dakota had a response to this kind of journalism: It issued a warrant for Goodman’s arrest, charging her with criminal trespassing. This is an extraordinary action; Jack McDonald, a lawyer for the North Dakota Newspaper Association and for the Bismarck Tribune, told the Tribune that in 40 years of doing media law in the state he’s never heard of a reporter being charged with trespassing (9/15/16).

So how did reporters respond to one of their own being threatened with arrest for doing her job? Mostly, they ignored it. The story was covered locally, in the Bismarck Tribune (9/15/16), and internationally, in the British Guardian (9/12/16) and a mention in the Toronto Star (9/13/16). The Committee to Protect Journalists (9/12/16) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Representative on Freedom of the Media (9/14/16) put out statements calling on the state to drop the charges.

But most national corporate media outlets—the ones who complain about not getting a seat on a candidate’s plane—breathed not a word on North Dakota’s assault on the press’s ability to cover a major story of the moment. (The internet-based Salon—9/12/16—and Mashable—9/11/16—deserve credit as exceptions.) Elite media coverage of a million issues makes clear that they don’t mind taking sides. It’s a real shame they won’t take the side of the right to do journalism when and where it matters.

[vanlassie]

1. DISGUSTING.

[KT2000]

2. she puts other journalists to shame

She does the in-depth reporting while the others are operating at celebrity level "journalism." She makes them look bad.

[m-lekktor]

9. exactly. well put.

she is the best!

[awoke_in_2003]

3. K&R

The ones who didn't say anything will be squealing like pigs when they get rounded up.

[pangaia]

4. They won't be rounded up. They are not journalists.

[awoke_in_2003]

5. Good point. nt

[Nuclear Unicorn]

33. I was going to quote Benjamin Franklin saying journalists can

hang together or hang separately but your post made that point moot.

[Lucky Luciano]

6. Would love for Hillary to show some leadership here. nt

[BlancheSplanchnik]

8. It would be a great opportunity.

Heyyyy, Hilary campaign and Obama staffers reading here...

[emulatorloo]

16. Curious, Amy ever say anything positive about HRC?

Serious question. I don't follow her, but BIL does. He seems to hate democrats.

[G_j]

21. and as we all know

freedom of the press should hinge upon a journalist's political leanings..

[demmiblue]

27. Pathetic, isn't it? n/t

[emulatorloo]

31. ?

I just asked if she said positive things about HRC.

That's not an odious question in any way.



You pretend I want to behead her or imprison her. Ridiculous. Too much melodrama, G_j.

[G_j]

36. not at all

I just have no idea what that has to do with a journalist being jailed.

[emulatorloo]

42. She shouldn't have been jailed. Journalists should not be jailed, it is wrong

And of course, my question had nothing to do with whether she should be jailed or not.

It was a tangential question of course and perhaps not strictly relevant to the thread according to your viewpoint.

Sadly tangential questions do occur at DU.

I feel uncomfortable that both you and demmiblue seemed to jump to the conclusion I was a Putinesque imprisoner and murderer of journalists.

I'm not.



Thanks for the reply. All good.

[pangaia]

35. As important as the reporting that she does, and the topics she covers,

I have never heard Amy Goodman say anything positive about anything.

About 7 years ago a friend of mine and I were either listening to her or discussing her, something.. he referred to her show as the "To hell in a hand basket' show. And he is as "progressive" as I am. That was when I stopped listening.

[msanthrope]

32. Thanks, Hillary!

What, precisely, is she supposed to do?

[Lucky Luciano]

34. Possibly even one comment saying the pipeline is wrong?! nt

[Liberal_in_LA]

7. k&r

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

10. Amy Goodman has been fighting the good fight for a very long time

with almost no support of any kind. She frequently goes out on the proverbial limb to report news no one else is reporting.

Every morning I wake up to "Democracy Now!" and as a consequence I find myself remarkably well informed about things, even though I never watch so-called mainstream news. I don't own a TV, so I never watch CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, or the dreadful Fox. I have the internet, obviously, and places like DU, and sometimes I'm actually surprised at how much I know about what's going on in the world.

Amy Goodman is a national treasure. Unfortunately, not very many people have any idea who she is.

[Sunny05]

17. Good mention of Democracy Now!

And here's a link to them:
http://www.democracynow.org/

Indeed, their top story right now is about Amy Goodman and journalism not being a crime.

[LWolf]

22. +1

[Sunny05]

11. Sad for journalist, sad for Standing Rock Sioux sovereignty

The journalist's plight is being ignored. What she has been covering, the threat to sovereignty of the Standing Rock Sioux, is being ignored.

[The CCC]

12. Colleagues Mostly Fail to Rally for Amy Goodman, Threatened With Jail for Journalism

I'm not a lawyer, but is there anyway to find out who this judge is and file criminal charges against him/her for violating the Constitution?

[Spitfire of ATJ]

13. They didn't rally to her when she was arrested during the Bush Administration either.

[Sunny05]

15. Tell us more ...

What's the scoop on her being arrested during bush admin.?

[Spitfire of ATJ]

20. Two Democracy Now! reporters were arrested and they arrested her for asking why....

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/9/2/amy_goodman_two_democracy_now_producers

[Sunny05]

23. Thank you for post/link .. and ... arrests are deplorable. n/t

[Sunny05]

14. K&r

[LuvNewcastle]

18. Yeah, she's a real journalist.

A precious few of our tv, radio, and print media know what that is. They're too busy reporting on Kim Kardashian's ass to carry a real story. It's a sad state of affairs.

[burrowowl]

19. Lily Livered Assholes!

Like most of the so-called Fourth Estate!

[librechik]

24. all here at DU must know by now--The media is owned by 6 intl Nazis

some of them literally carrying ID cards (more accurately genealogies) demonstrating their wholehearted devotion to the white racist anti-semitic anti "undesirables conformity to the ancient cause.

Amy is a real journalist, and has few peers anywhere, and none in the Mockingbird Stream Media

[Odin2005]

25. Cowards.

[Blue_Tires]

38. It cuts both ways -- When was the last time Goodman went to the mat for someone?

Where was she during say, the Jason Rezaian case? Most of the "activist" journalists stayed silent on that I seem to remember...

I can name others, too

[G_j]

39. where?

http://m.democracynow.org/search?utf8=✓&query=Jason+Rezaian+&commit=

[Blue_Tires]

40. Good on her, then... I underestimated her commitment...

[sagetea]

26. Protectors not protesters N/T

[Eleanors38]

28. MSM doesn't want to cover this, and haven't. It's thundering silence is not surprising.

[G_j]

29. Remember how they eventually succeeded in crushingly Occupy Wallstreet?

That movement was quite powerful, but this is powerful on even more levels. They will do all they can to crush this movement also. The "media" was totally complicit then, as they are now.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

30. Their response to this is disgraceful.

[Blue_Tires]

37. And? The whole world doesn't revolve around Amy Freakin' Goodman

[spanone]

41. K&R...