Is there a free press?

[MichaelHarris]

The United States Military is still holding award-winning AP photographer Bilal Hussien, 18 months after his arrest as a 'security threat,' says Reporters Without Borders. According to the group, the photographer has never been charged or brought before a judge.

From the RWB press release: "Aged 35, Hussein was arrested by US soldiers in Ramadi, 100 km west of Baghdad, on 12 April 2006. The US authorities attributed his arrest to his physical proximity with insurgents, who had given him permission to take photos of them. Former AP employees have created a support committee for Hussein’s release. A petition can be signed on their website, www.freebilal.org " The Free Bilal Committee recently submitted the petition, with 1500 signatures on his behalf, to several top US officials.

Tom Curley, president of the Associated Press says the case is about press freedom. "It is about the Associated Press. We are the target. Freedom of the press is the target."

http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=23964

http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=20

http://www.freebilal.org/

I'm reposting this because a couple of people mentioned that Reporters Without Borders was a fake organization. That's not true according to some informed individuals from the Photography Forum.

[upi402]

1. No. I read "On Bended Kneee" years ago

and have been actively trying to revert and alert against TV News as propaganda since.

Also, "The Betrayal of Democracy" on the former FRONTLINE (the former PBS).
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/programs/info/1017.html

Must see! Oldie but a goodie. And the reason why.

[charlie]

3. Hertsgaard was one of my toeholds on sanity

during the Reagan years. I couldn't believe others weren't seeing what I was seeing when it was all happening openly in front of their faces. His book gave me profound relief, if only to reassure me that I wasn't alone.

[Richard Steele]

2. Yes, but it's TINY, so you have to look hard to find it these days.

And you have to look FAST as well,
because its members tend to die
unexpectedly under odd circumstances.

recommended

[Oeditpus Rex]

4. Funny, I worked for newspapers for 10 years

and I was never imprisoned, murdered or told what to write by any gummint representative.

I'm feelin' kinda left out. :(

[MichaelHarris]

5. we have a well known DUer

who has been. Maybe they will share their story here.

[Oeditpus Rex]

8. I hope so, too

I'm very interested in first-person accounts of such things.

But a dozen or even a hundred of them hardly means we have no free press. It does mean there are those in government and business who seem to wish we didn't and are quite willing to take extreme measures to that end.

[ConsAreLiars]

6. And the fact that you never offended anyone or suffered retribution

is somehow a refutation of the fact that many real journalists have been murdered by the US and its allies and Bilal Hussien is now in Gitmo? No wonder no one ever gave your "journalism" a second thought.

[Oeditpus Rex]

7. I made no 'refutation'

Just a simple statement of fact in an attempt to provide some balance to a thread that was going the way of "There is no free press in America," which is utter nonsense.

Now, if you have nothing besides personal attacks, I suggest you go bother someone else.

[MichaelHarris]

9. No

see the question mark behind my title? That means I'm asking, not making a statement.

[Oeditpus Rex]

10. I know an accusatory question when I see one

I've asked quite a few. Some were met with answers, some with threats.

[MichaelHarris]

11. Is it an accusatory question

when the body of the post tells the story of an imprisoned journalist? I'm confused.

[Oeditpus Rex]

13. See #8

I'm not about to let this thread run away with the ridiculous claim that the U.S. doesn't have a free press. Such a statement is like citing 20 high-scoring baseball games from all 4,860 in a season and saying, "There's no pitching in baseball anymore."

[MichaelHarris]

14. So you're

100% positive that the imbeds in Iraq could report anything they wanted except something that would harm the troops? Are the reports out of Iraq from American reporters getting to us uncensored?

[Oeditpus Rex]

16. Okay, I'm outa here

If all you guys are gonna do is misrepresent my words, there's no point to this.

[ConsAreLiars]

12. As a "journalist" you might want to learn to read.

Where in the OP was the claim made that "There is no free press in America"? Since that was nowhere in the OP (that would be another discussion), what were you criticizing? Other than trying to somehow justify the crime of imprisoning Bilal Hussien and supporting fascism, that is.

(edit to fix grammar)

[Oeditpus Rex]

15. Ah, a *second* personal attack

You really need to try a different tack, and also to look at posts 1 and 2, which say, respectively, there is no free press in America and there is, but it's "tiny."

[ConsAreLiars]

17. Creating a straw man out of whole clloth.

How convincing. You must be very proud of your achievement. Obviously, to any one who can read (a useful skill, maybe hire a tutor?) neither said what you claim.

[Red Zelda]

18. I worked for newspapers for 25 years

and was told over and over again what NOT to write by asshat managing editors who had their own agendas. Funny how they were all either right-wingers or Jesus freaks.

[NNN0LHI]

19. Have you been to Afghanistan lately? And which "papers" have you worked for?

http://www.rcfp.org/news/2002/0212postre.html

Post reporter claims U.S. troops detained him at gunpoint

A spokesman for the Department of Defense said he "has a hard time believing" a reporter's claims that he was threatened by soldiers while investigating a U.S. missile attack in Afghanistan.

A Washington Post reporter said an unidentified U.S. troop leader threatened to shoot him if he went near the scene of a U.S. missile strike in Afghanistan last week.

In an audio interview on the Post's Web Site, Doug Struck said he was in a car when he approached a site surrounded by armed American soldiers. He got out of the vehicle, and a commander told him "don't move or we'll shoot."

In the interview, Struck recounted his experience: He was detained at gunpoint from 15 to 20 minutes while he explained that he was an American reporter. The commander, who refused to identify himself, continued to deny Struck access to the scene. Struck persisted and asked what would happen if he went forward. Again, he was told he would be shot.

At a news briefing, Rear Adm. John Stufflebeem, a spokesman for the Department of Defense, said he wasn't sure he believed Struck was threatened.

[intheflow]

20. Kick!

[spanone]

21. i think we have a complicit press. they are free to be complicit.

[aikoaiko]

22. Its easily now to create, display, and desseminate writing and images than ever before

In this way the press is more free than ever. But the case of the imprisoned journalist is troubling.