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Some Minnesota Journalists Embedded With Police at Republican Convention

By David Badertscher, PLL

<p><font size="2"><strong>Source: </strong><em>Crime and Justice News,</em> September 30, 2008.</font></p> <p><font size="2">"Some Minnesota journalists were "embedded" to observe police during this month's Republican National Convention in St. Paul, but a few were 'unembedded' when they were arrested with protesters, says MinnPost.com. when he was arrested along with at least a dozen journalists and hundreds of protesters on the Marion Street Bridge. Two 'embeds' - the Star Tribune's David Chanen and the Pioneer Press' Mara Gottfried - suggested a rough concept to police weeks before the convention. They wanted to ride along with the "mobile field forces" patrolling the streets, or watch the coordination at the command center." </font></p> <p><font size="2">"After internal discussions, the cops set the rules for what became embedding. The key provision was an embargo: Embeds could not report on police strategy until after the convention. Beyond that, Chanen recalls, 'They said, 'We're not your babysitters; we're not looking out for your welfare, you're on your own.' ' The carrot for reporters, other than inside access: They wouldn't be told to leave the scene - even though some journalists were subject to arrest if they didn't follow orders to disperse. Major-media journalists who were smart enough to ask about the embedding got in, but a St. Paul police official did some outreach among direct competitors. Greener or less-connected media likely never knew a "stay out of jail free" card was available." </font></p> <p><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001J7EkJT_uPZsKXHWa0YLbm8YGscSAqFCf7cI6xOXEhHCgx981rZnQ3dlbcYtRqsvR1TeLfZyNtB8GeByrBU_zwv-V5TCpn6pUYh9vvf2CkaJsp4HB8tFJPo61ban6ZSl_KvafRUWrA3JNA0XXWRdO3n8BXBT8L-w47MbIJWeaPhO4394m3Hrr23nJwuXvdeNPvnZCK0spPu7QK0bJP5Y2mPkflEb7TpEs_2glqyA7orE=" shape="rect" color="#0000FF" target="_blank"><font size="2">MinnPost.com</font></a><font size="2"> </font></p>

Full post as published by New York Supreme Court Criminal Term Library on September 30, 2008 (boomark / email).