Questions Remain After Charges Dropped Against Journos Covering RNC Protests

By: Dave Astor Media groups are happy that charges have been dropped against journalists arrested while covering protests at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, but all is not forgiven.

"This is an important first step, but many questions remain," said Nancy Doyle Brown of Twin Cities Media Alliance in a statement. "We still need answers about why and how journalists got swept up in these arrests in the first place."

She added that "more than anything else, we need to ensure that this never happens again. We'll never know how many important stories never got told because their authors were behind bars, not in the streets."

Among those arrested were Associated Press people and Amy Goodman, the "Democracy Now!" host who also writes a column for King Features Syndicate.

Groups protesting the treatment of journalists by the police included the Free Press media-reform organization, the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, The Newspaper Guild, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Reporters Without Borders, the Society for Professional Journalists, and others.

An earlier Friday story about the charges being dropped can be seen here.

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