Press freedom and the Occupy movement

The Occupy movement is an on-going protest movement. Journalists covering the movement have been arrested, leading to criticism from press freedom groups.
In 2012, Reporters without Borders listed the United States as 47th in its Press Freedom Index, dropping a full 27 places in just one year. The watchdog group made explicit mention of US response to the Occupy movement, saying: "The United States (47th) also owed its fall of 27 places to the many arrests of journalist covering Occupy Wall Street protests."
Arrests of journalists
September 24 2011, New York City
Journalist John Farley of WNET Metrofocus was arrested while attempting to interview women who had been victims of the pepper-spraying by police. Despite wearing press credentials and identifying himself as press to police, Farrley was arrested. He reported being handcuffed and imprisoned for nine hours. He was initially charged with disorderly conduct but all charges against him were dropped.
October 1 2011, New York City
Three journalists, Natasha Lennard of the New York Times, Kristen Gwynne of Alternet, and documentarian Marisa Holmes were arrested covering the events of October 1..
On October 1, 2011, police arrested about 700 marchers on the Brooklyn Bridge. By October 2, all but 20 of those arrested had been released with citations for disorderly conduct.
On October 4, a group of protesters who were arrested on the bridge filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging that officers had violated their constitutional rights.
November 2 2011, Milwaukee
Kristyna Wentz-Graff of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was arrested while covering an Occupy protest. The arrest drew criticism from Journal Sentinel editors, the Wisconsin News Photographers Association, the Milwaukee Press Club and the National Press Photographers Association. Ultimately, Wentz-Graff was ultimately not charged with any wrongdoing.
November 3 2011, Oakland
Although she was clearly wearing a press pass, Journalist Susie Cagle was arrested in the early hours of November 3 and spent 14 hours at 2 different jails. She was charged with failure to leave the scene of a riot. Journalists' rights in the United States are constitutionally protected through the First Amendment. Cagle is one of several journalists covering the Occupy movement that have been arrested. Additionally, Cagle reported having been subject to and witness to mistreatment of protestors during her imprisonment.
Cagle was again arrested while covering an Occupy Oakland march on January 28, 2012.
November 13 2011, Chapel Hill
Two journalists were arrested: Katelyn Ferral, of The News & Observer, and Josh Davis, a graduate student in Journalism at University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill.
November 15 2011, New York City
Police arrested about 200 people, including journalists representing the Agence France-Presse, Associated Press, Daily News, DNAInfo, NPR, Television New Zealand, The New York Times, and Vanity Fair, as well as New York City Council member Ydanis Rodríguez. An NBC reporter's press pass was also confiscated.
While the police cleared the park, credentialed members of the media were kept a block away, preventing them from documenting the event. Police helicopters prevented NBC and CBS news helicopters from filming the clearing of the park. Many journalists complained of being treated roughly or violently by the police.
The Society of Professional Journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and the New York Civil Liberties Union expressed concerns and criticisms regarding the situation. The Organization of American States Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression issued a statement saying that the "disproportionate restrictions on access to the scene of the events, the arrests, and the criminal charges resulting from the performance of professional duties by reporters violate the right to freedom of expression."
On November 21, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, the Associated Press, Dow Jones, NBC Universal and WNBC-TV joined in a letter written by New York Times General Council George Freeman criticizing the New York Police Department's handling of the media during the raid.
December 12 2011, New York
Dec 12 saw arrests of a number of journalists.
January 28 2012, Oakland
On January 28, Oakland Police arrested about 400 individuals in the largest mass arrest in Oakland history. Among those arrested were at least six journalists.
Among the journalists arrested include Kristin Hanes of ABC News-KGO, Susie Cagle, Gavin Aronsen of Mother Jones, Vivian Ho of the San Francisco Chronicle, John C. Osborn of East Bay Express, and Yael Chanoff of San Francisco Bay Guardian.
One of the imprisoned journalist emerged after 20 hours of imprisonment and reported witnessing police brutality and cruel treatment.
January 31 2012, Miami
Carlos Miller, a member of the National Press Photographers Association, was documenting the eviction of Occupy Miami when he was arrested. Upon his release, his camera footage of his arrest appeared to have been deleted, but Miller was able to recover the footage despite the attempted deletion. Miller is currently facing a single count of resisting arrest.
Citizen journalism
The Occupy movement has sparked new interest in citizen journalism due to fears about censorship and bias in the media. New media outlets formed during the Occupy movement include the Occupied Wall Street Journal and InsightOut News.
The movement also increased the popularity of livestreaming as a way of disseminating information from the front lines of chaotic situations. However, these new media journalists also have complaints about harassment and arrests from the police.

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