SubscribeABC Backs Withholding Evidence In Cop Beating
From the professional twisters of facts at ABC News:
Jailed Blogger Could Spend a Year in Detention
Dana Hughes Reports:
A federal appeals court has refused to hear the case blogger and freelance journalist, Josh Wolf, who now could end up spending almost a year in prison for his refusal to turn over unedited video of a San Francisco protest he filmed over a year ago.
Wolf posted footage of the 2005 violent protest on his blog, which was picked up by local and national media. During the filmed incident, a police car was vandalized.
Though Wolf denies he filmed the actual attack on the police car, in September a federal judge ordered him to testify and turn over all of the footage, which he refused. According to the new ruling, if he doesn’t turn over the footage and his sources, he will remain in custody until July 2007, when the grand jury expires.
Lucie Morillon, of Reporters Without Borders calls the Federal appeals court decision "absurd."
"Josh Wolf is about to set a precedent as the longest reporter held in the United State s for refusing to disclose his sources," Says Morillon. "He’s not a criminal, he was just protecting his sources which is something many journalists have to do."Dave Heller of the Media Law Resource Center, an legal organization specializing in first amendment rights, says the burden should fall on the government to prove that a journalist’s materials are absolutely needed for a case. He says Wolfe’s jailing is especially troubling.
"The request for information to get his tapes does seem to be somewhat removed from the focus of the investigation, or at least nothing essential to it," says Heller. "In that setting it’s troublesome that the consequence for not cooperating is to be thrown into jail for a lengthy period of time."
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, who prosecuted the case against Wolf says "the incident is under investigation so that the grand jury can determine what, if any, crimes were committed." and that, "this office did not initiate a federal investigation in order to circumvent the California State Shield law.Morillon says jailing journalists for protecting sources is becoming a "chilling trend" in the United States. "More and more journalists are being subpoenaed by federal courts, they are being forced to reveal their sources," she says.
"If confidentiality of sources can’t be granted, where is journalism going to go?"
Last month in Reporter’s Without Borders annual ranking of press freedom, the United States dropped nine places to number 53, in line with such countries as Botswana, Croatia, and Tonga.
This report from Brian Ross’s "Blotter" perfectly illustrates the bald-faced lies that we are fed as "news" everyday by so-called journalists. The article lies about the facts of the case, and it lies by omission as well.
Just for starters:
Morillon says jailing journalists for protecting sources is becoming a "chilling trend" in the United States. "More and more journalists are being subpoenaed by federal courts, they are being forced to reveal their sources," she says. "If confidentiality of sources can’t be granted, where is journalism going to go?"
What "source" is being protected here? This kid took the video himself.
Moreover, Josh Wolf is not a journalist. He is a lunatic leftwing blogger.
Wolf posted some home videos about a leftwing riot he attended on his blog site. His footage captured the brutal, near-fatal beating of a policeman. Not just the "vandalizing of a police car" as the article claims.
From the San Francisco Chronicle:
When Anarchists Attack
Cinnamon Stillwell
Wednesday, July 20, 2005San Franciscans were shocked to hear this month that a police officer had been clubbed over the head by members of Anarchist Action marching through the Mission District to protest the Group of Eight summit. But anyone who follows the political scene in San Francisco should have seen this coming…
This is a photo of the officer who was brutally attacked:
This vicious attack is celebrated in the despicable SF Indymedia.
Mr. Wolf refuses to turn over the video footage of this beating to the proper authorities, so that the perpetrator can be brought to justice as the law requires.
Instead, our hero has decided he can make more of a name for himself — and some real money — by pretending to be a journalist standing upon some imagined journalistic privilege.
In reality, however, journalists have no more rights than the rest of us. Not even Brian Ross can legally withhold evidence of a crime.
Still reporters like to trot out this fantasy of theirs in addition to their usual mendacities every chance they get. Yet, heaven forbid, when a journalist gets even the slightest injury on the job it is headline news for weeks.
Please note that ABC News, being the professional journalists they are, don’t believe that their readers deserve to hear any of the actual facts of the story.
Withholding information from the public is another one of their presumed privileges.
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17 Responses to “ABC Backs Withholding Evidence In Cop Beating”
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November 18th, 2006 at 8:17 pm
Would the college professor who taught Ms Morillon english please stand up !
“”Josh Wolf is about to set a precedent as the longest reporter held in the United States”
Just how “Long” is MR. Wolf????
Your turn 1st
November 18th, 2006 at 9:58 pm
Send ole Josh over to my farm for some remedial English and Patriot training.
And it wont take a whole year either.
Cue up the Theme from RAW HIDE……….
November 18th, 2006 at 11:28 pm
I am almost certain that josh is perfectly happy in jail.
He is getting the attention he craves by dropping the soap 10 times a day.
November 19th, 2006 at 12:08 am
Keep movin’, movin’, movin’,
Though they’re disapprovin’,
Keep them doggies movin’ Rawhide!
Don’t try to understand ‘em,
Just rope and throw and grab ‘em,
Soon we’ll be living high and wide.
My heart’s calculatin’
My true love will be waitin’,
Be waiting at the end of my ride.
Move ‘em on, head ‘em up,
Head ‘em up, move ‘em out,
Move ‘em on, head ‘em out Rawhide!
Set ‘em out, ride ‘em in
Ride ‘em in, let ‘em out,
Cut ‘em out, ride ‘em in Rawhide…
November 19th, 2006 at 5:57 am
Remember, this is the usual media presentation towards all involved:
1) Reporters are always innocent truth-loving people, even if they’re doctoring photos, withholding evidence or working with terrorists. They’re just trying to inform and tell the story!
2) Police should never, ever use force. Not physical force, not TASERs, and never, ever, firearms. I’ve actually read interviews in which the left has said Police should be social workers, and should never use violence or the threat of violence to achieve their aims. Note how many municipalities have “anti chase” laws now, meaning if you commit a crime and have a fast car, you’re free.
Not unlike their take on the military, actually.
November 19th, 2006 at 8:38 am
Police should never, ever use force. Not physical force, not TASERs, and never, ever, firearms. I’ve actually read interviews in which the left has said Police should be social workers, and should never use violence or the threat of violence to achieve their aims. Note how many municipalities have “anti chase” laws now, meaning if you commit a crime and have a fast car, you’re free.
Not unlike their take on the military, actually.
That’s what I was thinking, kucharsk. How many videos of “police brutality” do we see? Where we get only one side of the story - that the criminal was somehow victimized and the cops are the bad guys?
We’re moving towards a nation run by criminals. They will not respond to a touchy, feely approach to law enforcement…save to be inspired to steal, rob, rape, injure, and murder more than they already do. That’s why they’re called “criminals.”
November 19th, 2006 at 9:27 am
Ugh. He has a face I just wanna slap. That hair, and those glasses. I hate those liberal, Garofolo glasses.
November 19th, 2006 at 10:19 am
Damn, that gob is a chunk of vomit to see first thing in the morning…..makes me want to knock that smirk off his face with my tater stick….geeks like that need a tune up, and this asshat needs to be ass whipped daily for about three years.
November 19th, 2006 at 10:48 am
Only because this is out of LaLaLand’s krazy capital city do I believe that this is happening and that a blogger is being shielded by the ‘journalist’ tag in this idiotic story.
Get real DA - charge the little schmuck with conspiracy or complicity in the crime. For the cheap thrill of attempting to make a name by shooting the video and then refusing to let the investigators have the whole video - he is aiding and abetting a criminal (the crime was probably a felony).
Leave it to ABC and two leftist, activist groups to define a wanna-be as something he isn’t. Let’s just hope that his time in jail makes him have an ephiany on criminals. Since it’s implied that our intrepid ‘journalist’ hasn’t been sent to the hoosegow yet - my bet is that this little whinner will sing a new song within weeks.
November 19th, 2006 at 12:56 pm
I wonder if any of us will be shielded in a similar fashion once the Democratic Internet Control using Kos is put in place……but, that doesnt require that much imagination, does it? People like us will be actively sought out, and silenced. Those D.I.C.K.’s will never allow us abusing their right to freedom of speech, not on your life.
November 19th, 2006 at 2:10 pm
The great digger at Free Republic, KCVL, has pointed out several pieces about Mr. Wolf, such as:
November 19th, 2006 at 2:16 pm
KCVL also found this (surprisingly sensible) posting at the “Free Josh Wolf Wiki”:
Remember, ABC News describes this as: “During the filmed incident, a police car was vandalized.”
November 19th, 2006 at 8:46 pm
This has nothing to do with freedom of the press. HE WITNESSED AND PARTICIPATED IN THE CRIME. As far as I’m concerned, he aided and abetted the attempted murders of several police officers. Keep him locked up indefinitely.
On the other hand, that would give him fifth amendment protection from self-incrimination. Why hasn’t he tried that already?
November 20th, 2006 at 5:39 pm
“Wolf doesn’t want to give up the complete, unedited version of the tape. He believes the federal government is indiscriminately monitoring antiwar groups under suspicion of terrorism, and as a journalist he shouldn’t be forced to surrender unused footage in support of that investigation. He won’t say, though, what’s on the 15 or more minutes of the confidential portion of video.”
The logic doesn’t follow. Even if “the federal government is indiscrimately monitoring antiwar groups” that doesn’t justify refusing to turn over the footage of the crime.
November 20th, 2006 at 5:58 pm
>He believes the federal government is indiscriminately monitoring antiwar groups under suspicion of terrorism
November 20th, 2006 at 6:04 pm
Yup they burn police cruisers and violently attack police officers, And then they think the feds might be watching them.
Wow, Who would ever think such behavior would get the attention of the authorities.
Sarcasm off.
November 20th, 2006 at 6:56 pm
The actions of Wolf make no sense, at all. As many here have pointed out, to call him a “journalist” is a stretch at best and to justify his actions as “protecting sources” is simply ludicrous since he is indeed the “source” he ostensibly is “protecting”.
AB made the point above that technically, he could plead the “Fifth” but that ploy is unlikely since he has not been charged with a crime directly related to the riot. To my knowledge, he has been jailed for contempt, nothing more. If prosecutors really wanted to hardball him, an obstruction of justice charge comes to mind.
It’s rather amusing that the 9th Circuit, the most liberal of all judicial districts, refuses to hear the case. IMHO, young Mr. Wolf’s destiny is a stretch in jail, if his present course continues unabated.
The little moonbat needs to realize, his 15 minutes of fame have expired.