In the Spotlight – Citizen Journalism

          Using their phones people across the country are filming elected officials and police, but these officials often don’t like it and, using the power of their positions, they are trying to stop it.  Homes are searched and people are arrested because they film politicians and police.  These bureaucrats argue that citizens are not ‘authorized journalists’ or that the filming violates privacy, but no one’s privacy is violated by filming in a public location and while the press may have fancy badges they remain average citizens.  In this video of an Ohio town hall meeting for Congressman Chabot, his staff allegedly tells police to confiscate cameras from individuals filming in the audience.  In a second video, you can see a police officer doing as Chabot’s staff ordered.    

          Congressman Chabot has a conservative voting record, but his action of banning citizen filming of his public appearances is misguided and stands in the way of freedom of speech.  Ironically, Chabot’s authoritarian action has caused the videos in this blogpost to be seen almost 200,000 times and, I’m guessing, that most of the viewers think his action was heavy-handed and foolish.

          The times are changing.  Now almost everyone has a video camera in their pocket or purse.  Last year in a blogpost titled Arrogance of Power I covered this story and I will continue to do so.  Citizens have the right to film government officials in a public place, they are the servants, citizens are the sovereigns.  The political elites and police can fight the added exposure, but they can no more stop it than they can hold back the dawn. 

          I would like to thank Oath Keepers for bringing this story to my attention.