I will allow Mr. Ziegler speak for himself about this chilling violation of civil rights and attempt to squash dissent:
more about “Breitbart.tv » Cuffed Over Couric: Zi…“, posted with vodpod
If you are not outraged, you are not paying attention.
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6 Comments
April 21, 2009 at 2:12 pm
This afternoon, the Huffington Post spoke to James Grant, the Executive Director of Media Relations for USC. Their version of events goes a little counter to Ziegler’s narrative.
According to Grant, in the days before his eventual appearance on campus, Ziegler publicly announced his intention to demonstrate at the Couric event. USC was happy to accomodate Ziegler, and provided him with a designated area, where he could register his protest, be seen by event attendees and the student body, and pass out whatever materials he wished. These arrangements were ready upon Ziegler’s arrival.
However, according to Grant, Ziegler showed up for the event making unexpected demands. He was no longer a demonstrator. Now, he was a journalist, with cameramen in tow, insistent that he had a right to enter the event. Told that the event was invitation only, Ziegler contended that he had the right to range up and down the entryway and stick microphones into the faces of attendees.
Said Grant, “The University both respects and facilitates the right to free speech, but we reserve the right to set reasonable ground rules that respect the rights of everyone, and provide for the safety and security of the University community.” Ziegler, opting against the ground rules that had been mutually agreed to, was given the choice of leaving campus or being arrested, and eventually chose to leave campus.
oh and this is private property. Everyone knows that you cannot just set up a camera and start filming things without risk of getting kicked off the property. Ask Michael Moore about this.
April 21, 2009 at 10:16 pm
From Ziegler’s post at BigHollywood.com:
Here is the e-mail that the Dean of the USC journalism school is sending out. In [parentheses] is where I have commented on the parts that are lies, distortions, or nonsensical statements.
Thank you for your communication about the recent incident that took place at the Cronkite Awards ceremony involving an individual named John Ziegler. I want you to know the background of the situation.
In the days before his appearance on our campus, Mr. Ziegler publicly stated an intention to “demonstrate” (not true. I used the word ”protest” and later sent out a private e-mail to my website’s mailing list telling my “followers” NOT to come or protest, my op-ed and press release on the matter said only that I would be giving out copies of my film) against the presentation of a journalism award to Katie Couric. USC was happy to accommodate Ziegler and provided him with a designated area where he could register his protest (not true. that was not offered until after I was handcuffed and was irrelevant because I was not “protesting” but rather asking questions), be seen by attendees at the event, as well as students, and pass out whatever materials he wished.
On the day of the award ceremony, Mr. Ziegler arrived on campus with two cameramen (not true. we arrived separately and they did not work for me), not as a demonstrator, but as a journalist (really?? that’s very interesting and certainly not how they treated me), and demanded (false, I asked and never even pursued entering, only asking for a rationale for why I was not allowed to) that he and his cameramen be allowed to enter the Davidson Center to cover the event. There was in fact, pool coverage set up because the room was not large enough to accommodate multiple camera crews. He was told he could have that feed, which he refused (not true, I would have been happy to have the feed and inquired as to how to get it). After being told repeatedly that the event was by invitation only, he contended he had a right to roam up and down the entryway with his cameramen (I didn’t have the right to be on an “open” campus that takes federal money??!), and he persisted in refusing to comply with the University’s request that he stay within a designated area (not true, that was after I was handcuffed) . After repeated requests for compliance, Mr. Ziegler was given the choice of either being arrested or leaving campus. He chose to leave campus (false, after being handcuffed. I was told I was under arrest and would be booked, then the LAPD and some higher ups arrived and I was told to leave or I would be booked and the camera people would be as well).
The University both respects and facilitates freedom of speech and expression on campus (just not for conservative filmmakers asking about bogus awards given to liberal media members), but also reserves the right to set reasonable ground-rules to avoid disruption to its operations and protect the rights of others (which was in no way endangered in this situation). We at the Annenberg School have a powerful and evident commitment to protecting and promoting freedom of expression and the rights of the press (really??). I respect your feelings about how this incident was handled (gee, I wonder why!).
Sincerely,
Ernest J. Wilson III
Dean and Walter H. Annenberg Chair in Communication
Oh, and standing on a sidewalk at a state university does not constitute trespassing on private property.
April 22, 2009 at 8:16 am
From John Wellington Ennis:
…it was not surprising to see him attempting to heckle Katie Couric, whom he blames for Palin’s downfall. Despite original claims that this was shot by some other company from Orange County that has nothing to do with Ziegler, the microphone he is thrusting in people’s faces is clearly feeding audio to the camera.
Nor was it surprising to see USC security guards lose their patience with Ziegler after he refused to leave despite repeated requests. They asked him, told him, then laid hands on him as he cries out that he is not blocking the sidewalk, and a Borat-like struggle ensues as Ziegler awkwardly attempts to hold his ground.
NOTE: At this juncture, yelling out “I JUST WANT TO ASK A QUESTION!” will not ingratiate you to local authorities. Nor will it grant you the credibility that will make a public relations person representing an event say, “OH! Well if you just want to ask a question…”
I have been in similar situations with a camera many times. As Spinal Tap keenly observed, there is a fine line between clever and stupid. In being confrontational with cameras, there is a fine line between making a point and looking like a dumbass. When you are up close to cops, security, or soldiers, and they say don’t film, they mean it. They are asserting their authority in this situation. If you mock that authority, they don’t like it. They will take it to the next level of deterrence, because if they don’t stand up to you, who else might threaten the thin blue line between society and chaos? Many conservatives tend to sympathize with law enforcement in these situation, particularly when independent media types are manhandled outside of political conventions.
This is where strategies such as “tact” and “respect” come into play, antiquated concepts to John Ziegler. I have consistently found that if you acknowledge the officer’s authority, step off like they request, and inquire as to how you can best get what you want, you will receive similar respect in turn.
Many conservatives seem surprised at the restrictions on non-credentialed media after seeing this happen to someone whose cause they sympathize with. I have been struck by the many outcries on Breitbart about how this proves we live in a fascist/communist society, and that the liberal establishment is clearly picking on an innocent guy for being conservative, or whatever.
No, this video shows what misbehavior in front of security guards on a private campus gets you. If you do not believe me, I suggest you go to a private university, stand outside an event you are not welcome at, and yell “I JUST WANT TO ASK A QUESTION!” Nobody is going to ask you how you voted in the last election, how much you make a year, or whether or not you teabag (not that there’s anything wrong with that). You will make whatever authorities present uncomfortable, and they will remove you because you are freaking people out.
What’s more, the claims that USC is a liberal autocracy are dubious. My first week there as a film student, there was a rally held by the Young Republicans, then the largest extra-curricular group on campus. The rally was in protest of a bill in California that would include homosexuals under job discrimination laws applying to other minorities. The homophobia was like school spirit before the USC vs UCLA football game. When I was writing for the USC paper (the regrettably named Daily Trojan), our opinion section regularly featured outspoken conservative views.
What this video shows is not reflective of USC campus security, who have to police the outlying South Central L.A. neighborhood in bulletproof attire besides telling unwelcome provocateurs to behave. This video is not reflective of a media conspiracy to silence conservative critics. This video shows a guy who craves attention being obnoxious and then being escorted away by security guards, as they are wont to do with someone causing a scene.
What is remarkable is that Ziegler was not charged or cited, and that he was able to walk away with the footage. Perhaps, if this were not a middle-aged white guy in a suit, and instead a young black guy with low-slung pants, there might well have been a different outcome to this standoff. I suspect many young black men who do not seek confrontation with cops might concur.
This type of pseudo-struggle does not bestow any type of journalistic legitimacy. Getting a reaction from people by showing up with cameras and getting in their face is not hard. Michael Moore flogged that horse into dog food decades ago. It is such a tired tactic of self-imposed importance, I parodied it in my documentary FREE FOR ALL! when I crashed Diebold headquarters asking questions.
Yes, we have a glorious First Amendment which says that congress shall pass no law abridging the freedom of speech or freedom of the press. And when an individual shows up uninvited on private grounds, congress is not involved in making laws that prohibit people from kicking a crackpot off their property. While an alarming number of citizen journalists have been restricted, harassed, arrested, even beaten in trying to report from their place in the world, this video is more like a Tom Green bit, and just as painful.
This is more misinterpretation of our country’s founding principles. Like people protesting taxes while they receive tax cuts, this is maligned patriotism, with self-pitying posturing projecting a fallacious air of vindication. John Ziegler is a discredit to his cause, and any who embrace him should be embarrassed.
Oh an Jane, you are wrong. Universities actually tend to have free speech zones for such protests. Private property is private property. And if you think that’s a damn shame that freedom of speech must be partitioned into a special area. You have a Republican to thank as this excerpt from Wikipedia shows us:
The most prominent examples were those created by the United States Secret Service for President George W. Bush and other members of his administration.[3] Free speech zones existed in limited forms prior to the Presidency of George W. Bush; it was during Bush’s presidency that their scope has been greatly expanded.[4
April 22, 2009 at 8:38 am
My goodness! You are quite worked up over this.
Despite your long-winded Huffington Post quote, nowhere do you rebut the fact that Mr. Ziegler’s right to free speech was violated.
You are welcome to think Ziegler is “stupid” and a “dumbass.” The beauty of the 1st Amendment is that it provides “stupid dumbasses” the same free speech rights as brilliant pundits such as yourself. It’s not just “free speech so long as you like what’s being said.”
The United States of America is a Free Speech Zone. Limiting free speech to certain zones is unconstitutional. And they pre-existed GWB’s presidency. Or did you miss the next sentence in the wikipedia entry that reads, “Many colleges and universities earlier instituted free speech zone rules during the Vietnam-era protests of the 1960s and 1970s. In recent years, a number of them have revised or removed these restrictions following student protests and lawsuits.”
Anyway, do you think I would support “free speech zones” just because they were expanded in scope under GWB? I am a Republican; not a Republican apologist. You really ought to know that by now.
So, can you please explain what law John Ziegler violated? That is the issue. It doesn’t really matter what you think of John Ziegler. What is at issue are his rights, and yours.
April 22, 2009 at 8:41 am
Free speech zone madness:
http://janeqrepublican.wordpress.com/2009/01/15/liberals-free-speech-for-me-but-not-for-thee/
April 22, 2009 at 9:28 am
Hey Jane,
Check out the very Wikipedia sentence that you yourself published:
“In recent years, a number of them have revised or removed these restrictions”
From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution
Free speech zones are areas set aside in public places for political activists to exercise their right of free speech as an exercise of what is commonly called “TPM” or “time, place manner” regulation of speech. Free speech zones are set up by the Secret Service who scout locations near which the president is to pass or speak. Officials may target those displaying signs and escort them to the free speech zones prior to and during the event. Protesters who refuse to go to free speech zones could be arrested and charged with trespassing, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. In 2003, a seldom-used federal law was brought up that says that “willfully and knowingly to enter or remain in any posted, cordoned off, or otherwise restricted area of a building or grounds where the President or other person protected by the Secret Service is or will be temporarily visiting” is a crime.[6][7]
A number does not mean all. Private property is private property. Have you ever been upset when Michael Moore was kicked off private property?
Will this free speech comment make it through your new moderator looking over comments before they are published feature?