I just ran across this story, and it kind of gives me a warm fuzzy, and makes me angry at the same time. I am just absolutely tickled that the police chief took it upon himself to pull these folks in and give them a talking to. It needed to be done, in a big way.
This little "Police Display" has two major messages, and I hope the journalists present took them to heart.
First: You (the press) are NOT IN AMERICA. The rules that apply there do NOT apply here. I am the Police here, and I will do what is necessary to keep the peace. Up to and including, pulling your dumn asses in here for a good talking to.
Second: Your innacurate reporting has a profound effect on my populace. Because you got something wrong, two people are DEAD, and five are Hospitalized. Don't fuck up again, because over here, people's actual LIVES are at stake. We don't have "polite debates" over here, we have fucking "Jihad's". It's best to keep that in mind when writing your next story.
That is all
Posted by Johnny - Oh at August 25, 2004 09:41 PMI wonder if the policeman was telling the exact truth. I also wonder if he might branch out into discouraging the press from telling truths inconvenient to him.
Posted by: David Weisman at August 25, 2004 10:08 PMI'll go along with your thinking there David, and I'm absolutely positive that there were other things said in that little room. The key for me is that the guy actually pulled in reporters from other nation's. That's a big indicator that he had something really important to say to them. Otherwise he wouldn't have taken the risk to pull in these people who can have such a large impact on his own welfare and livelihood, not to mention his own personal safety. Not to mention that the story has come out in the fashion that it has. It would have been nothing for the journalists to just bug out for thier respective country's, and then write "the truth" as they saw it.
Something just ring's true about this story, and I believe that they got the message.
BTW, thanks for the comment.
Posted by: Johnny - Oh at August 25, 2004 10:27 PMWell, I read it and all I can say is that policeman was DUMB. It was reported by a MIDDLE EAST NEWS CHANNEL that this cleric was turning up there, and he hadn't, thus causing the march to shoot at the police and yet he took a bunch of western journalists hostage? Did I miss something there?
Posted by: Alex at August 26, 2004 03:28 AMYeah Alex, I can see your point there, but what do you want to bet that the Middle East News Channel got their story from the AP or Reuters newswire? Is it possible that the original "wire" story was written by one of the folks who got a talking to? Maybe, I guess. I'd have to look into the backstory a bit, and see what's up.
Posted by: Johnny - Oh at August 26, 2004 08:48 AMI don't approve...
But I understand...
I also giggle a little...
Then I start fantasizing...
"Come with me, Rather, we're going to have a little... talk... Heh, heh, heh...
Posted by: Harvey at August 26, 2004 03:59 PM