Protect journalists: Oakland Local supports Newspaper Guild letter to city of Oakland

Susan Mernit Thu, 2 Feb at 8:48am
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ari/6784112575/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ari/6784112575/

At Oakland Local, we stand in strong support of The Newspaper Guild's letter to the city of Oakland condemning the arrest of several journalists during the Occupy Oakland action on Saturday, Jan. 28.

While we understand Saturday's event was chaotic with many moving pieces, there is absolutely no excuse for several journalists, many with identification, to be arrested. Even if the reporters were quickly let go, and in many cases that wasn't the case, the harm was real.

As a media organization with 3,500 daily readers, we hold the First Amendment dear in our hearts and believe strongly that journalists must have clear access to all public events, documents and organizations in order to effectively do its job - inform the people of the actions of their government.

We await a speedy, public investigation of these incidents and call on all investigators currently examining the Oakland Police Department to open a file on this issue.

OPD Letter

About Susan Mernit
Susan Mernit is the founder of Oakland Local. She is also a circuit rider for The Community Information Challenge, a program of The John S and James L Knight Foundation, and a consultant to non-profit and community organizations. Susan lives in North Oakland, near the Santa Fe school, with her partner, her housemate, a rescue dog named Cazzie, and a yard full of ants. She is an aspiring gardener, a long-time blogger & entrepreneur, and a recovering journalist who's found home in Oakland.