Bradley Manning, with medals
Al Jazeera offices in Baghdad were attacked by American forces on more than one occasion, despite the organization (contrasted favorably as a news source by Hillary Clinton with the Mainstream Channels) having provided the US Military with the exact location of their offices.
Now the attacks on 1st Amendment rights of journalists are coming home to US soil, with the US Borders being used as the means interfering with Press freedom. Full details here from FreePress.net, including a Petition to Attorney General Eric Holder, an official with a decidedly spotty record on civil liberties -
"For the second week running, WNYC's On the Media has tried to find out why the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol detained one of its journalists for six hours. But so far, authorities have ignored their call for answers.
We can’t stand by while the government abuses journalists in this way. "Pressure, that's what you have to do,” former Rep. Lee Hamilton told On the Media. “You have to create pressure."
Tens of thousands have already joined our call to action. But we need you to raise the heat.
Thanks,
Josh
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Journalists should be able to work without fear of detention or intimidation. But reporters can no longer take these rights for granted.
Last month, we told you about government authorities harassing journalists in the U.K. We’ve since learned that the same kind of thing is happening right here in the U.S.Demand That Attorney General Eric Holder Stop the Harassment of Journalists. WNYC's On the Media just reported that one of its journalists, Sarah Abdurrahman, was detained with her family at the U.S. border in Niagara Falls for six hours without explanation.1
Government officials have detained journalist and filmmaker Laura Poitras more than 40 times at U.S. borders. They’ve interrogated her, seized her laptops and cameras for weeks at a time and denied her access to a lawyer.2
Photojournalist Duane Kerzic has been detained and had his laptop searched too, and now he’s part of a lawsuit filed by the National Press Photographers Association.4
It’s gotten so bad that last week actor and press freedom advocate John Cusack called on Holder to “guarantee the ... safe passage of journalists who have exercised their rights under the First Amendment.”3
We're working with Cusack to put pressure on Holder but we need you to help us deliver a message the attorney general won’t be able to ignore. This government intimidation has got to stop. And as the nation’s top law enforcement official, Holder needs to stop it.
These scare tactics don’t just hurt journalists. Newly released documents reveal that the government has used border crossings to stop a whistleblower and thousands of other travelers, and has seized and examined these individuals' electronic devices without obtaining search warrants.5
Journalists can’t work under these kinds of conditions. We need to speak up and stop the intimidation now.
Sign our letter and we’ll make sure Holder hears our message.
Thanks for all that you do,
Josh Stearns
1. Sarah Abdurrahman, "My Detainment Story or: How I learned to Stop Feeling Safe in My Own Country and Hate the Border Patrol," On the Media, Sept. 20, 2013: http://act.freepress.net/go/15196?t=8&akid=4456.9504174.P3r8GX
2. Peter Maass, "How Laura Poitras Helped Snowden Spill His Secrets," New York Times, Aug. 13, 2013: http://act.freepress.net/go/15194?t=10&akid=4456.9504174.P3r8GX
3. John Cusack, "Will Eric Holder Guarantee NSA Reporters’ First Amendment Rights?" Guardian, Sept. 18, 2013: http://act.freepress.net/go/15193?t=12&akid=4456.9504174.P3r8GX
4. Donald R. Winslow, "NPPA Joins Lawsuit Challenging Constitutionality of DHS Laptop Searches," National Press Photographers Association, Sept. 7, 2010: http://act.freepress.net/go/15197?t=14&akid=4456.9504174.P3r8GX
5. Susan Stellin, "The Border Is a Back Door for U.S. Device Searches," New York Times, Sept. 9, 2013: http://act.freepress.net/go/15195?t=16&akid=4456.9504174.P3r8GX
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Free Press is a nonpartisan organization building a nationwide movement for media that serve the public interest. Learn more at www.freepress.net."
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