Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Media complain about freedom of press suppression by police


Media organizations sent letters on Monday to city officials complaining about the police handling of journalists covering the Occupy Wall Street protests and called for meetings to address their concerns.
They said New York police blocked journalists from seeing when authorities cleared out the Occupy camp in lower Manhattan's Zuccotti Park last week and said police officers used force and arrested some journalists as they were trying to do their jobs.
"The police actions of last week have been more hostile to the press than any other event in recent memory," a coalition of media organizations and journalist groups said in a letter to chief New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne.The New York Civil Liberties Union sent another letter to Mayor Michael Bloomberg and police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, covering similar ground.
"The numerous reports we have received and have learned of make clear to us that the NYPD is aggressively blocking journalists from doing their constitutionally protected work and in some instances is even targeting journalists for mistreatment," that letter said.
Read the rest at the Associated Press via Google
Journalists protest Occupy Wall St police handling
By DEEPTI HAJELA, Associated Press



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