A California police chief reportedly ordered a sergeant to a reporter's home insisting on changes to a news story he perceived to be inaccurate.
The Oakland Tribune reports that Berkeley Police Chief Michael Meehan ordered the sergeant to the reporter's home minutes after reading the report online, a move First Amendments said reeked of intimidation and attempted censorship.
Jim Ewert, general counsel of the California Newspaper Publisher's Association, characterized Meehan's alleged actions as "totally despicable," he told the newspaper.
"It's the most intimidating type of (censorship) possible because the person trying to exercise it carries a gun," Ewert said.
Bay Area News Group reporter Doug Oakley said he was shaken by the 12:45 a.m. Friday knock on the door of his Berkeley home. Oakley said he and his wife initially thought something was terribly wrong, perhaps that a relative had died.
Meehan apologized Friday.
"I would say it was an overzealous attempt to make sure that accurate information is put out," Meehan said. "I could have done better."
Meehan said he didn't think Oakley would be upset or intimidated because the police sergeant, Mary Kusmiss, regularly deals with the media.
"I did not mean to upset [Oakley] or his family last night; it was late, (I was) tired, too," he said. "I don't dispute that it could be perceived badly."
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4 comments:
They are killing us at will and now they want to control how the news is being reported.
Boy, what a sweet deal for them if they get away with it.
So... you send an officer in the middle of the night to this person's home, but didn't mean to scare him??! Sorry, gotta call bullsh** on this one
A cop coming to your house at quarter ot one in the morning to point out your journalistic errors. Happens all the time. And neither one of those cops said to themselves, "hey, this is REALLY wrong"?...nope. Know why? because they are all under the impression that they can do whatevere they want, whenever they want, to whomever they want. And YOU (we, the people) are powerless to do much, if anything, of consequence. THAT'S the message. Should have invited him in and shot him.
Should have invited him in and shot him.
March 13, 2012 6:58 PM
Now there's a thought.
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