Free-Lancer Becomes Longest Incarcerated Journalist In U.S. History (Protest Footage)

[Hissyspit]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/J/JAILED_JOURNALIST?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

Feb 6, 8:01 PM EST
Calif. Journalist Jailed Record 169 Days

By MARCUS WOHLSEN
Associated Press Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A freelance videographer jailed for refusing to turn over footage of a violent demonstration to federal investigators became the longest incarcerated journalist in U.S. history Tuesday.

Josh Wolf, 24, spent his 169th day in a federal prison after declining to turn over unaired videotape he shot of the 2005 San Francisco street protest against the G-8 summit in Scotland.

Vanessa Leggett, a Houston-based freelancer, served 168 days in 2001 and 2002 for declining to reveal unpublished material about a murder case. "Josh Wolf should not be in prison. Josh Wolf should be honored as a hero," said Sarah Olson, a freelance journalist who recently fought a subpoena to testify against an Army officer who refused to deploy to Iraq; it was dropped as part of a pretrial agreement.

Olson appeared at a rally Tuesday on the steps of San Francisco City Hall along with several other journalists, lawyers and politicians to call for Wolf's release and the passage of a federal shield law for reporters.

- snip -

Some have questioned whether Wolf, an openly left-wing freelancer, was acting as a journalist at the protest rather than an active participant. His attorney, Martin Garbus, has said Wolf was there solely for newsgathering purposes

[Deja Q]

1. If I was in *that* field and had seen something violent and taped it,

it'd be my civil duty to turn over a copy of it.

Maybe I'm missing something, but perpetrators of violent acts should be put behind bars. And not aided and abetted like this.

But aren't most people who withhold evidence fined a grand sum of money and not locked up themselves?

[angstlessk]

2. If the government commits a crime..and a source squeels the government

can do all sorts of harm to the informant...it about protecting sources and information..not about CRIME! Crime happens all the fucking time..and it not tape recorded..how do they solve THOSE crimes?

[R_M]

4. Exactly!

[Hissyspit]

5. You can voluntarily turn the footage over if you want, but there is implication in the Constitution

that the press and governmental, military, and police entities are separate. See the other posts.

[Nikki Stone1]

3. What are the G8 really afraid of in the footage?

Considering they are the globalists running our country in to the ground, I'd be interested to know what is in that footage.