Now that the Republican National Convention is done, the rush to get on with the business of the fall campaign makes it easy to neglect the serious civil liberties and freedom of the press concerns raised by the arrests that occurred in St. Paul during the convention.

But what happened on the streets of St. Paul is just as important -- and just as troubling -- as what happened inside the city's Xcel Center.

More than 800 people were rounded up by police forces. Many of those detained were, by all account, merely exercising their first amendment right to assemble in protest against their government -- or, in this case, their governing party.

Of those arrested, roughly two dozen were working journalists -- including the Democracy Now! crew and an AP photographer. When security forces paid for with more than $50 million in U.S. tax dollars detain reporters and photographers who step out of the cloistered confines of the convention hall to tell the full story of politics and protest in a convention city, it is not just journalism that is under assault.

The Constitution, itself, takes a battering.

Thankfully, in addition to Free Press and other media reform groups, traditional journalism organizations are stepping up to challenge the abuses.

Here is a fresh release from the Society of Professional Journalists, a 99-year-old organization of working reporters, editors and journalism scholars that takes as one of its chief responsibilities the protection of First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

ATLANTA – Leaders of the Society of Professional Journalists call on St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman to drop charges against journalists who were arrested while covering protests of the Republican National Convention.

According to the Associated Press, at least 19 journalists were arrested Thursday during the closing day of the convention. Other journalists were arrested during protests on Monday, which prompted a response on Wednesday from SPJ.

"We understand that police have a duty to protect and serve the public. And we understand that it can be difficult to discern the press from other rioting in the heat of the moment," SPJ president Clint Brewer said. "But now that the dust has settled, there is no reason to press charges against journalists who clearly identified themselves and were not breaking the law."

SPJ believes that many journalists who were arrested were victims of mistaken identity or otherwise became caught up in protests that turned riotous and unlawful. However, journalists who were caught in the middle, and were legitimately doing their jobs, should not be charged with any crimes.

"If such arrests continue in the future, at political functions or other protests, there will be alarming consequences," said Brewer. "If the trend persists, it will have a chilling effect on journalism and affect how information is obtained and reported.

Comments (17)

1. Uh, oh, you know when the left starts demanding 'freedom of the press' they're looking to censor something. Like using the 'Fairness Doctrine' to put the government in charge of political news content or using 'Free Choice' to take away a worker's right to privacy in voting.

   Posted by pontificus at 09/08/2008 @ 07:50am

2. Somebody at "The Nation" has gotta do a piece on Matthews and Olbermann!

   I know no one wants to admit how left-slanted (more precisely, Obama slanted) the election coverage has been.

   But it's a much bigger story that this, By the way what in the hell is Nichols talking about anyway?

   Posted by bleedingheart at 09/08/2008 @ 08:56am

3. Posted by pontificus at 09/08/2008 @ 07:50am

   Okay, then, PONTI....PROVE your theory.

   What are they looking at "censoring" here?

   Posted by Maskdelta at 09/08/2008 @ 08:59am

4. Mask .. apparently Ponti & Bleeder share Dumbya's "Consitution is just a god damned piece of paper" mentality.

   BTW: Here what Biden was doing this morning? Teaching his Constitutional Law class at Widener University.

   Wonder what Caribou Barbie was doing?

   Posted by leftofcenter at 09/08/2008 @ 09:12am

5. Wonder what Caribou Barbie was doing?------Posted by leftofcenter at 09/08/2008 @ 09:12am

   Prepping a LOT and hoping Gibson lobbed the softballs he likely will. Biggest fear?....he asks her if she plans on voting for Senator Ted Stevens in the fall (either answer is a killer).

   As far as PONTI, he just knee-jerks most of the time and goes into a Limbaugh talking point.

   He sets up his "When the libs talk freedom of the press, they mean censorship" idiocy....and then goes off on the Fairness Doctrine instead of PROVING his bullflop contention.

   Where's the "censorship BY the Left" in this story?!?!??! Seems it's censorship OF the Left by a bunch of scared Republicans in St. Paul.

   Posted by Maskdelta at 09/08/2008 @ 09:28am

6. who needs the press when you've got the lincoln group?

   right, ponti?

   Posted by frosty zoom at 09/08/2008 @ 09:55am

7. wow, here's a headline:

   HURRICANE IKE STRIKES DIRECTLY AT CAMP DELTA.

   Hundreds of Prisoners Escape.

   Invasion of Cuba Seen as Imminent.

   Posted by frosty zoom at 09/08/2008 @ 10:23am

8. Why, suddenly, has the number of GOP cheerleaders mushroomed on TN? No post these days seems to see less than 50% participation from them - often a lot more. Does Palin, in the GOP view, need this much protection from what most GOP-ers would call the "loony fringe?" Hey, how will you guys protect her from the much more voluminous centre-left??

   Posted by oneworld at 09/08/2008 @ 1:03pm

9. Been over 6 hours....PONTI not returned to explain how THIS story shows how "The Left wants to censor something"??!?!!??!?

   Surprise, surprise, surprise!

   LOL

   Posted by Maskdelta at 09/08/2008 @ 2:22pm

10. Maskdelta Why should they return to explain anything about liberal lefty pinko intentions---they are quite clear to any free thinking no kool aid drinking dem who is totally sick of your bs---you are ruining any meager reputaion that we had left after that Kopechne Killer and Monica's boy dealt us! Try to grow up---send Oldermunchie and Mattuseless some money---they need it after their demotions!!!

    Posted by onepennadem at 09/08/2008 @ 7:10pm

11. Posted by onepennadem at 09/08/2008 @ 7:10pm

    See, that's the kind of intellectual discourse and rational thinking that is the hallmark of the conservative movement!

    Would make William F. Buckley Jr. proud!

    LOL!

    Posted by Maskdelta at 09/09/2008 @ 09:20am

12. Dropping charges against journalists should be only the beginning.

    With the help of the ACLU, the City of St. Paul should be sued for millions. Every cop and federal agent who violated the Constitution should be reprimanded or fired. And each one should be sued PERSONALLY. When their homes, cars and pensions are put in jeopardy, it's less likely for cops to act like thugs at the next gathering.

    Posted by tunghoy at 09/09/2008 @ 4:00pm

13. the truth can stand scrutiny. more importantly truth cannot exist without scrutiny. a fact lost on so many Americans is that questioning authority isn`t simply our Constitutional right, but our duty as citizens. it is our moral responsibility to preserving our Constitutional Democratic Republic for the benefit of all. do you check your receipt and count your change when you make a purchase? do you confirm your paycheck for the hours you worked? of course you do! so don`t you think we should check our elected officials as well? why is it the average persons questions of government go unanswered or minimized at best? thieves, scoundrels and despots of totalitarian tiereny can`t survive a free press...a free nation cannot exist without a free press! we need the truth. we need those who are steadfast in their quest of the truth. these people are Patriots! the truth can stand scrutiny! our country cannot stand without it!

    Posted by ReneRene at 09/09/2008 @ 4:08pm

14. the truth can stand scrutiny. more importantly truth cannot exist without scrutiny. a fact lost on so many Americans is that questioning authority isn`t simply our Constitutional right, but our duty as citizens. it is our moral responsibility to preserving our Constitutional Democratic Republic for the benefit of all. do you check your receipt and count your change when you make a purchase? do you confirm your paycheck for the hours you worked? of course you do! so don`t you think we should check our elected officials as well? why is it the average persons questions of government go unanswered or minimized at best? thieves, scoundrels and despots of totalitarian tiereny can`t survive a free press...a free nation cannot exist without a free press! we need the truth. we need those who are steadfast in their quest of the truth. these people are Patriots! the truth can stand scrutiny! our country cannot stand without it!

    Posted by ReneRene at 09/09/2008 @ 4:08pm

15. the truth can stand scrutiny. more importantly truth cannot exist without scrutiny. a fact lost on so many Americans is that questioning authority isn`t simply our Constitutional right, but our duty as citizens. it is our moral responsibility to preserving our Constitutional Democratic Republic for the benefit of all. do you check your receipt and count your change when you make a purchase? do you confirm your paycheck for the hours you worked? of course you do! so don`t you think we should check our elected officials as well? why is it the average persons questions of government go unanswered or minimized at best? thieves, scoundrels and despots of totalitarian tiereny can`t survive a free press...a free nation cannot exist without a free press! we need the truth. we need those who are steadfast in their quest of the truth. these people are Patriots! the truth can stand scrutiny! our country cannot stand without it!

    Posted by ReneRene at 09/09/2008 @ 4:09pm

16. the truth can stand scrutiny. more importantly truth cannot exist without scrutiny. a fact lost on so many Americans is that questioning authority isn`t simply our Constitutional right, but our duty as citizens. it is our moral responsibility to preserving our Constitutional Democratic Republic for the benefit of all. do you check your receipt and count your change when you make a purchase? do you confirm your paycheck for the hours you worked? of course you do! so don`t you think we should check our elected officials as well? why is it the average persons questions of government go unanswered or minimized at best? thieves, scoundrels and despots of totalitarian tiereny can`t survive a free press...a free nation cannot exist without a free press! we need the truth. we need those who are steadfast in their quest of the truth. these people are Patriots! the truth can stand scrutiny! our country cannot stand without it!

    Posted by ReneRene at 09/09/2008 @ 4:10pm

17. The statement from the SPJ makes it sound as if journalists were just trying to do their jobs in the middle of an angry mob. I live in St. Paul, attended the anti-war march and followed other protests very closely through Twitter and the Uptake. The statement neglects to mention the many people on the streets who were protesting peacefully, or just happened to be passing by and were harassed, detained or arrested by police. What about their rights?

    I of course would defend freedom of speech and a free press, and in fact wish journalists would exercise those rights more. So why is it that the SPJ, those champions of free speech, wouldn't think to mention another constitutionally guaranteed right, freedom of assembly, which was also violated on a regular basis during that week in St. Paul?

    You mention freedom of assembly in your blog entry, but the petitions being brought to our mayor, and much of the coverage seems to have a more narrow focus on the rights of journalists. I would love to see those journalists contextualize their response differently, integrating into their response the rights of citizens.

    Posted by cslopez at 09/09/2008 @ 4:34pm