With what promises to be the most crowded inauguration in US history, SPLC has issued an advisory to student journalists planning on covering the event:
The Student Press Law Center is advising college journalists who plan to cover events surrounding the Presidential Inauguration to be held January 20 in Washington, D.C., to take several precautionary steps to avoid being arrested or detained by police as were student reporters and photographers attempting to cover past demonstrations in the city.
Let’s hope the DC police and Homeland Security have a better sense of Freedom of the Press than their counterparts in Denver or St. Paul. You may remember earlier this year at both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions numerous arrests were made of working journalists, including ABC’ Asa Eslocker at the DNC (Denver), and Amy Goodman of Democracy Now at the RNC (St. Paul). Both had presented valid credentials at the time of arrest.