Senator McGuire Reintroduces Legislation to Protect Press and Journalists From Being Intentionally Attacked and Detained
Press release from Senator Mike McGuire:
Senator McGuire has reintroduced SB 98, which will extend crucial protections to members of the press as they enter and report on events protected by the First Amendment.
Freedom of the press is foundational to our country. It strengthens our democracy by providing transparency, keeping a check on government, and informing our everyday decisions. But this freedom is under assault here in the United States.
Intentional attacks or detainments of reporters and members of the press in the United States in 2020 increased significantly, particularly during the nationwide anti-racism protests according to the US Press Freedom Tracker, the Freedom of the Press Foundation, and the Committee to Protect Journalists.
At least 117 verified cases of journalists being arrested or detained have been documented this year, a 1200% increase over 2019. More than 36% of these arrests and detainments were accompanied by an assault (source: Freedom of the Press Foundation).
In 2020, reporters have been hit by rubber bullets, struck with batons, sprayed with tear gas, and detained, all while performing their critical role of documenting and informing the public of current events.
“Members of the press risk their personal health and safety each time they attend protests or rallies to get the public the information they need and deserve. Rubber bullets, tear gas, and detainment cannot be the new norm for members of the press. California must lead the way to ensure the freedom of the press and the First Amendment are protected and held to the highest standard,” Senator McGuire said.
SB 98 will ensure that journalists are protected as they attend demonstrations, marches, protests, and rallies. It will prohibit law enforcement officers from obstructing, detaining, assaulting, or otherwise preventing the press from fulfilling their constitutional mandate in reporting on these events.
Additionally, the bill mandates that reporters can challenge their detainment or lack of access by working with law enforcement management on scene. This provides a necessary safety net to reporters who are not granted access or intentionally detained or mistakenly detained.
Recent police action demonstrates that these statutory protections are critical to ensure our democratic system has access to newsworthy information to inform the discussion on the crucial issues that California and the nation face.
During protests throughout California, numerous reporters were injured during incidents with law enforcement. Some examples:
- A reporter for KCRW, a Santa Monica NPR affiliate, was reporting at Beverly Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue when she was hit by a rubber bullet. She was holding her press badge above her head at the time.
- A KPIX CBS affiliate reporter was detained by law enforcement while reporting on protests in Oakland.
- A San Diego Union-Tribune reporter was shot with pepper-spray while he was documenting protests in La Mesa.
- A Buzzfeed News reporter was detained by the Santa Monica Police while documenting a protest.
While California law allows reporters and members of the press to enter natural disaster emergency areas for the purpose of gathering information, these protections do not expressly extend to protests. SB 98 provides these protections.
A version of this legislation passed the Senate and Assembly last legislative session, but was vetoed by the Governor. Senator McGuire, the bills co-authors and support coalition believe the need to protect the first amendment and the press’ freedom is greater than ever and will be working with the Governor to gain his support this year.
The legislation is supported by the California News Publisher’s Association, The California Broadcasters Association, California Black Media, Impremedia, Ethnic Media Services and the First Amendment Coalition.
The legislation is co-authored by: Senators Wiener, Gonzalez, Portantino and Assemblymembers Wicks and Carrillo.
Join the discussion! For rules visit: https://kymkemp.com/commenting-rules
Comments system how-to: https://wpdiscuz.com/community/postid/10599/
On the surface, this bill sounds proper and just. Dig deeper and you’ll figure out what Antifa did in Oregon by having their members claim to be “press” in order to avoid arrest. That’s essentially what will end up happening here. You’ll have members from far-left and far-right groups claiming to be press members when they’re not.
Which means what? A state licensing scheme to determine who is and isn’t a journalist? Journalists like to think of themselves as a protected class but it is journalism, not the journalist themselves that is protected under the US Constitution — and often the best journalism comes from those who don’t declare themselves as “press.”
+ 1 Monster
oh no, not antifa! *gasp*
were they in buses? did they wave around checks signed by george soros? did they look at you and it scared you?
RIGHT ON !!!!
Antifa are punks and vandals, arsonists and thieves, traitors and criminals. They have no other function than to serve as low IQ foot soldiers of the globalists, who sow chaos and dissent to keep the sheeple under control – and to commit massive election fraud. Sanctuary Mike knows this and yet supports their efforts through every means necessary to subvert the republic and the Constitution. Mass media is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Demonrat Party and antifa/BLM (yes, financed by Soros and others). The Sonoma County hippy socialist politician in a cheap suit is as much a career criminal as the faux anarchists in Portland. The fact this or any other website gives his ilk (like Huffenpuff the illegal impeachment traitor) a single column inch says everything you need to know about the evil intentions and anti-American commitment of fake news media, local or otherwise.
I see you threw in election fraud also. First time I’ve heard Antifa blamed for that. I guess with 20 days left the Trumplicans are throwing out any s… and hoping it sticks.
No one is more anti-American than Trump and his seditious gang of enablers. Fake Patriots. You think attaching 20 flags to your vehicle makes you a patriot? You think supporting a bigoted, lying criminal minded Grifter-in-Chief who has been shitting on Democracy AND the Constitution makes you a patriot? You support a weak little man who can’t wrap his mind around the fact that he lost the election. Now whose the Snowflakes?
Yeah, can’t wait to vote for this guy again. This is a constitutional right to not have the press stifled/ intimidated/arrested right… ‘Monster’ time to stop believing the news, all the controversy, and don’t believe the hipe. Take a walk, see tonight’s moon, and tomorrow’s sunrise.
So I can start my own blog and declare myself as press. Great
Yes you can and should (Casey) just as so many have tried before to change the world’s f###ed up sides, by exposing; oppression, hate, racism, sexism, fake news, poverty The list goes on….. You could change the world, if you’re not just a troll trying to just hate on other people for no apparent or good reason. ???
Present blogsite excepted, there are darn few journalists out there anymore. Most of them are representing one opinion or another. Their opinions are either not factual or only telling the part of the truth that they like best, while they let the whole story slide. Most are based on politics, and which ever way they bend.
There are already laws protecting journalists from being kept from their duties to inform the public. No matter which side of the political fence you are on, you will have to agree that there is flagrant bias in the “Press”.
This proposed law is nothing more than political pandering. It is a most unrealistic waste of time when we are being faced with numerous real issues that should be dealt with. Any journalist worth the title of “journalist” knows that when they step into a war zone they don’t have a cape of invulnerability. With privilege comes responsibility. When the police force is trying to keep the peace and restore order, a true journalist needs to know not to interfere. Unfortunately, the journalists of today often cause more harm than good, they get in the way and often report more opinion than fact.
Phony Journalists and pandering politicians demean themselves and society.
Ernie, protecting press is a valiant effort.
The hatred towards press that even you display above is an easy slope to digress downwards.
Trumps contemporary attacks on Democracy itself, representives of it, the press, journalists and journalism of any sorts is the slide towards authoritarianism that the press must be protected against.
America is obviously not free to be free forever.
It’ll take work to protect our Country against people like Trump who will undoubtably prove smarter and nastier in the future.
Get real Brian.
Don’t put words in my mouth. I have the utmost respect for the idea and concept of journalism and real journalists.
You could not even make ONE statement without showing your bias. That is the problem today with the press. See what I mean?
No, I don’t.
What words did I put in your mouth?
And are you saying it’s biased to observe Trumps attacks on media and Government, or are you saying Trump did not attack media and Government?
The exact words you put into his mouth were “The hatred towards press that even you display above…” First you decided Ernie hates “the press”- not unqualified or incompetent or biased press but generic or all press. Then you criticise him for what is essentially your own interpretation that, as Trump has attacked the press at times claiming bias, so Ernie must support Trump because he attacks the press claiming bias. That is a false analogy of the most obvious kind. Do you really think that the press is so perfect they should never be critised? Or do you yourself select which press is worthy of attack as in Fox or whatever rubs you the wrong way? Or have you reconsidered the premise that criticising the press is the same as supporting Trump? Which you dragged in because you seem believe without consideration that finding any comparison, no matter how tenuous, to Trump is enough condemn anyone for anything?
With respect to Ernie, here’s what I saw (all Ernie’s words):
–Present blogsite excepted, there are darn few journalists out there anymore.
That discredits lots of very good work by very good journalists that Ernie simply has no idea about because he already believes the press is mostly bad.
–Any journalist worth the title of “journalist” knows that when they step into a war zone they don’t have a cape of invulnerability.
Is America a warzone?
Or has it become one for journalists?
–When the police force is trying to keep the peace and restore order, a true journalist needs to know not to interfere.
I definitely don’t think that was the idea of a free press.
That’s a bias towards authoritarianism.
–Unfortunately, the journalists of today often cause more harm than good, they get in the way…
Is that respect?
–Phony Journalists and pandering politicians demean themselves and society.
It’s not that I don’t disagree, but by that point it seemed like Ernie only respects Kym as a journalist, and there are others. And it only continued the bias of hate towards a free press.
What did you see?
Corporate Press is not a FREE Press.
https://www.fiercepharma.com/special-report/top-10-advertisers-big-pharma-for-2019
“Despite the complaints from consumers, government, physicians, and insurers, it is clear drug companies see the increase in demand from DTC advertising. Drug companies know that consumers are now a key element in creating demand even though they still saturate the physicians with detailing and journal ads,” said Bob Ehrlich, CEO of consulting firm DTC Perspectives.
I am really satisfied with the comments on this issue.
The reason that I excepted Kym is because it seems rude to bite the hand that provides us a place to express our opinion? I sometimes disagree with her, and I am certain that she sometimes disagrees with me. Still I appreciate what she does. Who was it that said the “You can disagree without being disagreeable”.
I will condense it down for the readers digest version:
Ernie: “See what I mean?”
Answer; “No I don’t.”
But, most get it.
@ kym,
Please delete this. I had connectivity issues in editing while on moderation….triple whammy for glitches.
I tried to delete it.
Thank you.
That’s your version Ernie.
I thought I addressed you respectfully enough and I think you’re making it a silly arguement.
But I’ll play along..
Brian:
Ernie, protecting press is a valiant effort.
Ernie:
Don’t put words in my mouth.
I saw that you tried to make political hay out of nothing. And you did that by assuming the meaning you wanted that wasn’t really said. But then, ulike you say, I think there is a world of valid criticism to be laid at the door of the American press. In fact that is why my news sources are the BBC, CBC, Reuters, Fox, The Tmes of India, South China Morning Post, etc- even the ones I consider politically controlled- because, if only US national media is read, not only will there be agendas and propaganda to be sorted through, but whole masses of news will never have mentioned as of no interest to American reporters. It is very balancing and informative to get perspective on the US through other’s eyes, even if they tend to believe the endless negativity the US press creates out of idea that anything that is not full of vindictiveness must be inaccurate.
I think I made my point clear by using Ernie’s words exactly.
I did not reference FOX or CNN in my comment, I mentioned Trump.
Trump attacked the media relentlessly (including FOX now too) and it’s fair to bring it up in a post about Press security.
Ernie obviously is biased against Press, and I find that to be a dangerous general sentiment at this day and age.
“Present blogsite excepted,”
You mean this Caltrans invested, legal weed profiting, government grown narc site? If you can’t spot the spin, you don’t see spin.
Okay, I can sort of see the first two insults (even though I have my disagreements with Caltrans and profit is not a word I associate with our cannabis farm yet)…but “narc site?”
I do still get a kick out of your comments though so thank you for making chuckle once again.
It’s not an insult. You know less than half of what’s going on through your site. Welcome to the internet, babe…every business has only three walls and the fourth one is an open door.
Babe? as in the pig? Or did you just miss out on the last 50 years of gentle descriptions on how not to condescend to women?
You make me chuckle too.
I never thought you got my sense of humor but I’m glad I’m wrong.
I enjoy your subtleties at least as much as your humor. You can zing past most people better that anyone that I know. Kudos.
Ernie, I’ve always felt a sense of humor was one of the things most necessary for making me fall at least a little bit in love with someone. You and Janice won me over the first time I talked to you both by making me laugh!
“Present blogsite excepted, there are darn few journalists out there anymore”
That’s funny. When I showed Kym Kemp this video ( https://youtu.be/Iu3lm0W6saU ) of the WHO’s blatant corruption and kowtowing to China as proof of their bias and blind allegiance to China, and why they shouldn’t be trusted, she dismissed the information because it happened to be on Tucker Carlson. Never mind that the video can be found elsewhere on the web (until Youtube deletes it for not adhering to leftist group think) That’s not journalism. A large portion of Kym Kemps rebuttals consist only of attacking the source, even if that source is just relaying factual information, like videos of people caught on tape.
I don’t know if Kym Kemp considers herself a journalist. I do not consider her a journalist. I consider her a left-wing blogger for the reasons cited above. Dismissing Tucker Carlson sarcastically as “a beacon of truth” when he was the only one with the balls to interview Tony Bobulinski and expose the blatant, disgusting corruption of Hunter and Joe Biden while EVERY major news source ignored it is a bit ironic, at least if you consider yourself a journalist.
https://youtu.be/2zLfBRgeFFo
https://www.brandyvaughan.com/about/
Women can be profoundly important in helping share information and supporting those who have no voice.
Some can be just as vindictive, dismissive, and ruthless as men.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven%27s_Gate_(religious_group)#Mass_suicide
Don’t join cults.
Getting Married and having children and protecting your family is a gift from God, the universe, the Creator, etc.
Walking around with no real connection to the future can make people forget about LOVE. This is how you come across. (Sad face)
*Family*, The biggest cult of them all.
Sigh, rollin, even lowly journalists are allowed opinions. The comment section is a place for opinions. The news section is a place for reporting but I don’t report on national matters. I’m a hyperlocal reporter. This has been explained to you and others multiple times before. For some reason, you can’t grasp that.
Oh yes you do when it suits. No local reporter has been arrested or even threatened but here this very article is, with the only connection being a representative introducing a bill to the State legislature. Well, we have Congressmen too. Should all national news then be equally “local” by that definition?
McQuire has introduced bills on lots of things from railroads to offshore oil drilling yet they are not reported. This is here because you have a personal interest. Not a local interest. Some of that is to be expected. It guides just about everything here including the whole section on cannabis without any corresponding section on food gardening, a much more universally shared local interest than pot. If some of your readers use the obvious to point out how it limits what you present to them on local issues, then it is reasonable to say. And a knowledge that some of it is inevitable but doesn’t have to be everything. It is not fair for the person in charge to flick off complaints as failing to grasp. They are grasping just fine.
Did you just whine that there was no corresponding section?
I’d say this article fits into the correspondent’s section.
It’s a local matter everywhere.
Sometimes you have to look for middle ground.
Especially on a slow news day.
Don’t shoot the messenger.
Now…
To look up hyperlocal…
Third generation resident after too much coffee…?
High Local? ?
Oh wait, highly local.
“All politics is local.”
Thomas P. (Tip) O’Neill
Start your own news blog then. It’s pretty nice of Kym to offer you this site and comment section that you use to complain about her “biases” and not featuring things you think should be here. If it’s so bad, what are you doing here? It’s easy to be the armchair critic, start your own news site and be on top the never ending local and state news PLUS gardening 365/24/7 like Kym does Plus take criticism gracefully like Kym does , plus moderate the comment threads and see how long you last…….
Kym-I understand perfectly that the comment section is for opinions but it reveals a lot about a person as a journalist. If my neighbor shows me a video of my son breaking into her house and I dismiss the video evidence outright (as you have done) just because I think my neighbors a jerk, then what chance do I have of being a good journalist whose job it is to find the truth wherever it leads?
The irony of calling the ONLY person in a sea of journalists (to report on the Biden’s corruption), a beacon of truth, is too sweet and worth repeating.
All that said I’m sure you were right though, covid probably didn’t start in China.
https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-coronavirus-pandemic-china-only-on-ap-bats-24fbadc58cee3a40bca2ddf7a14d2955
According to Kym Kemp, the independent Humboldt County journalist that originally broke the story regarding police corruption in Rohnert Park back in 2017, the city of Rohnert Park has reportedly agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by Ezekial Flatten for $415,000. This does not end the city’s woes, as it is now facing a federal lawsuit, filed Friday, Aug. 16, that alleges widespread corruption in the Police Department and specifically names two former officers, Brendon Jacy Tatum and Joseph Huffaker, former commander Jeffrey Taylor, former Director Brian Masterson, and Officer Christopher Snyder.
http://www.sonomastatestar.com/news/2019/8/27/city-of-rohnert-park-settles-for-corruption-lawsuit-worth-415000
Rollin- while I agree China is made the UN a tool of their aggressive foreign policy, it is not fair to think it proved anything. It is just what Kym said it was- an opinion piece. Specifics about the 2005 MOU between PRC and WHO, supported by the US, clearly indicate that WHO is incapable of doing anything that rubs China the wrong way, even if it has contributed to huge numbers of deaths around the world as it did when the WHO refused to contact Taiwan over their memo on infectivity that the PRC was at that time refusing to acknowledge. The Taiwanese CDC knew on 12/31/19, the same date the WHO knew about the cases, that the PCR has an analysis but was not willing to share it. And the WHO refused to help. For political reasons.
Then the PRC was still denying human to human infectivity, which lead to early missteps in the US until it was too late, when a visiting Taiwanese doctor found not only was it clearly so but the Chinese knew it because they had already segregated hospital wards to control spread. The WHO refused to consult over politics.
https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-one-year-on-the-taiwanese-scientist-who-tried-to-warn-the-world-of-coronavirus-12152979
https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/taiwans-un-dilemma-to-be-or-not-to-be/
https://www.foxnews.com/world/taiwan-releases-december-email-showing-unheeded-warning-to-who-about-coronavirus
Now the Tucker video did have enough information that unbiased confirmation could have been easily found- if Kym had wanted to find it. But it is typical of people blinded by politics to easily dismiss what important information because they don’t like the source. They don’t check it out to see if has merit. They just forget it. The WHO let a soon-to-be world wide pandemic spread because the PCR wanted to play politics over it. And Kym did the same for the same reason. It’s scary how much politics controls the news. It’s easy to complain about the lack of science in political opponents but apparently blindness to one’s own lack of science is absolute.
Now the Tucker video did have enough information that unbiased confirmation could have been easily found- if Kym had wanted to find it.
But you don’t have to watch racist Tucker to find it!!!!
According to Kym Kemp, the independent Humboldt County journalist that originally broke the story regarding police corruption in Rohnert Park back in 2017, the city of Rohnert Park has reportedly agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by Ezekial Flatten for $415,000. This does not end the city’s woes, as it is now facing a federal lawsuit, filed Friday, Aug. 16, that alleges widespread corruption in the Police Department and specifically names two former officers, Brendon Jacy Tatum and Joseph Huffaker, former commander Jeffrey Taylor, former Director Brian Masterson, and Officer Christopher Snyder.
http://www.sonomastatestar.com/news/2019/8/27/city-of-rohnert-park-settles-for-corruption-lawsuit-worth-415000
Hey there! Perfect solution to your dissatisfaction with Kym’s credible and responsible news site—stop reading it! (Since you don’t believe in her journalistic integrity anyway, you poor right-wing “beacon of truth”.)
Fox News itself kind of sarcastically dismissed Carlson.
https://www.businessinsider.com/fox-news-karen-mcdougal-case-tucker-carlson-2020-9
“given Mr. Carlson’s reputation, any reasonable viewer ‘arrive[s] with an appropriate amount of skepticism’ about the statements he makes.”
When you’ve spewed as much absolute bullshit as Tucker Carlson it’s pretty damn hard to believe anything that comes out of his mouth.
I don’t see why you’re shocked that Kym has suspicions about his interview.
At some point people lose credibility, like Tucker.
embedded journalist put themselves at risk
“Journalists” are frequently active participants in actions and should be treated as such. Was the propaganda arm of the Nazi Party given protections and defense?
Seems like a slippery slope to requiring permits to exercise 1A rights. Gotta be credentialed to be a “real” journalist, right?
Regulating who can and can’t be clubbed at protests? Are they serious? The narrative of the argument is very controlled on this one. It’s intentionally ignoring the fundamental rights of everybody simultaneously. This projects that “protesters” are not our neighbors and fellow citizens, but conglomerated herds of negligible people who make themselves fair targets for abuse. Regardless of affiliation, it plays very big into bipolarization of the general population.
It’s Orwellian enough that our government is cordoning “free speech zones”, outside of which we’ll be given a criminal record for doing the same thing.
McGuire sold us out to developers in a big way again recently. Unlike our congressman and governor, who seem to enjoy their act, the guy seems like a deer in headlights a lot of the time. I wouldn’t doubt he’s been threatened to either play ball or sleep with the fish.
“The legislation is co-authored by: Senators Wiener, Gonzalez, Portantino and Assemblymembers Wicks and Carrillo.”
In general I support press freedom, but I wonder if these folks support pardoning and/ or freeing Julian Assange & Ed Snowden (amongst others). Based on some of their voting records and antipathy towards the second amendment, I doubt they fully appreciate the the depth and power of the bill of rights. One of my heroes is Ira Glasser, the fifth executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) from 1978 to 2001.
Identity politics is the real slippery slope where it is who says, does or doesn’t do something becomes more valued than any principle. Once the press and too many people have become so unpracticed at determining the difference between being a victim and what victimization is, then conflict is inevitable. The remedy for victimization is not to make a victim out of a victimizer but to stop victimization altogether based on principle and only on principle.
Great observation as usual. Precisely why I mentioned Ira, who is now considered controversial in his unconditional support of free speech.
job hazards. Like it or leave it.
The internet and all the various means of telecommunication has changed the nature of journalism.
Not so sure that the proposed new legislation would offer anything of practical value.
An idea is to clarify just who are practicing journalists in the field. Individuals journalists perhaps should carry identification and be clearly marked by it by badge and cap readily seen of participants in the news event.
This is not to say an individual is not free to be a not for pay civilian journalist (lots of nots). The individual would just have be clear in their mind and in their public expression of self whether they are a participant or an observing and gathering fact and opinion with potential to report on an event.
Stay away from crowds, and from ‘comment wars’ on internet blogs, if you can. HNY