ARE VERY OWN REPORTER JORDAN CHARITON WAS RECENTLY ARRESTED
BY COVERING THE PROTESTS IN ST.
LOUIS.
THERE WERE MASS ARRESTS
OF PROTESTERS WHO WERE BLOCKING HIGHWAY 40, AND ALSO KINGS
HIGHWAY, ALSO A POLICE SPOKESWOMAN SAID ABOUT 143
PEOPLE WERE ARRESTED FOR BLOCKING TRAFFIC.
THAT WAS TO BE
EXPECTED, BUT LUCKILY NOTHING TURNED VIOLENT.
NONE OF THE
PROTESTERS WERE VIOLENT WHATSOEVER.
WHAT IS A CAUSE FOR
CONCERN IS HOW THE MEDIA WAS TREATED SIMPLY FOR DOING THEIR
JOBS, SIMPLY FOR COVERING THESE PROTESTS.
JORDAN CHARITON
HAPPENS TO BE ONE OF THOSE REPORTERS.
THE VIDEO YOU'RE
WATCHING NOW IS POLICE OFFICIALS NOT ONLY ARRESTING THE
PROTESTERS BUT LATER ON IN THIS VIDEO YOU SEE THEM FIRST
ARRESTING TY, THE CAMERAMAN FOR JORDAN, AND THEN THEY PROCEED TO
ARRESTS JORDAN AND DETAIN HIM, HE WAS DETAINED FOR 16 HOURS.
HE
ASKED SEVERAL TIMES OVER AND OVER AGAIN WHY AM I BEING
ARRESTED, WHY ARE THEY BEING ARRESTED.
THEY REFUSED TO ANSWER
ANY OF THE QUESTIONS, LET'S PUT THE AUDIO UP SO WE CAN WATCH.
>>HE'S ABOUT TO PEPPER SPRAY ME.
>>DO NOT FACE ME AGAIN, HE SAID.
DO NOT FACE ME AGAIN.
>>DO YOU HAVE ANY WEAPONS ON YOU?
>>HE JUST ARRESTED MY CAMERA GUY THERE.
>>DO YOU HAVE ANY WEAPONS ON THE?
>>NO.
>>ARE YOU ARRESTING THE PEOPLE WITH CAMERAS FIRST?
>>NO, WE ARE ARRESTING YOU, YOU ARE UNDER ARREST.
>>FOR WHAT?
>>BEING ON THE HIGHWAY, YOU ARE UNDER ARREST.
>>THEY ARE LOCKING UP THE MEDIA.
YOU ARE LOCKING UP THE MEDIA
HERE?
>>MILTON, WHAT'S UP?
>>TIME WITH THE MEDIA.
>>THEY ARE ARRESTING, IT SEEMS --
>>YOU CAN WATCH THE REST OF JORDAN'S VIDEO ON
YOUTUBE.COM/TYTPOLITICS, AND I DID INTERVIEW WITH JORDAN AFTER
HE WAS RELEASED, YOU CAN WATCH THAT ON
YOUTUBE.COM/THEYOUNGTURKS, BUT I WANT TO SHOW YOU SOME HIGHLIGHTS
OF THAT INTERVIEW SO YOU GET A SENSE OF WHAT HAPPENED, WHY HE
WAS ARRESTED, THEY CLAIMED HE WAS BLOCKING THE ROAD BUT HE WAS
FILMING AND REPORTING ON WHAT WAS GOING ON.
AND THEY NEVER
CHARGED HIM WITH ANYTHING.
SO ENOUGH OF MY COMMENTARY, MY
THOUGHTS, I WANT TO GO TO THE FIRST VIDEO WHERE JORDAN
EXPLAINS HOW EVERYTHING WENT DOWN.
>>WAS THERE EVER ANY OFFICIAL EXPLANATION FOR WHY THEY
ARRESTED YOU AND OTHER INDEPENDENT JOURNALISTS?
>>ALL I HEARD WAS YOU ARE ALL GOING TO JAIL.
I HAVEN'T HEARD
ANYTHING ABOUT WHY WE WERE ARRESTED.
IN PAPERWORK IN THE
JAIL I DID SEE TRESPASSING, I'M ASSUMING THEY ARE SAYING
TRESPASSING ON THE HIGHWAY.
I DON'T REALLY GET THAT SINCE IT'S
A PUBLIC HIGHWAY BUT I GUESS THE LAWYERS WILL FIGURE THAT OUT.
WE
GOT NO PAPERWORK, NO FORMAL CHARGES, AND AGAIN THEY DID NOT
TELL THE PROTESTERS AT THE PROTEST TO DISPERSE, THEY DIDN'T
TELL THEM YOU ARE BEING ARRESTED FOR -- AT STANDING ROCK NOT
ALWAYS BUT IN MANY CASES THEY WOULD TELL YOU THIS IS WHAT YOU
ARE BEING ARRESTED FOR.
THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN IN THIS CASE.
AND
AS FAR AS THE JOURNALISTS, WHEN TY AND MYSELF WERE SAYING, KIND
OF DUMBFOUNDED ACTUALLY, WE ARE THE PRESS, THEY DID NOT CARE,
THEY JUST ARRESTED US.
AND THIS IS NOT A FIRST.
THEY ARRESTED A
REPORTER FROM THE ST.
LOUIS DISPATCH A WEEK AGO, AND THEY
HAVE ARRESTED OTHER REPORTERS.
SO EITHER THE ST.
LOUIS POLICE
DEPARTMENT DOESN'T HAVE A COPY OF THE CONSTITUTION, OR THEY DO
AND THEY DON'T CARE.
BUT WE WERE NEVER TOLD WHY WE WERE BEING
ARRESTED.
>>THERE IS A RAGING DEBATE IN THE COUNTRY REGARDING THE FIRST
AMENDMENT AND ARE FREE SPEECH RIGHTS, AND IT ALWAYS, ALWAYS
HAS TO DO WITH WHINY CONSERVATIVES WHO SPECIFICALLY
GO TO LIBERAL COLLEGE CAMPUSES AND COMPLAIN BECAUSE THEY GET
PROTESTED.
AND LOOK, WE SUPPORT THE ARGUMENTS MADE BY THOSE
CONSERVATIVES BECAUSE THEY SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO SPEAK ON
THOSE CAMPUSES.
BUT WHERE IS THE MAINSTREAM PRESS WHEN IT COMES
TO THIS ISSUE?
YOU HAVE INDEPENDENT JOURNALISTS BEING
ARRESTED FOR DOING THEIR JOBS, THAT'S A VIOLATION OF THE FIRST
AMENDMENT.
IT'S ABSURD THAT THIS HAPPENED, JORDAN SPENT 16 HOURS
IN A JAIL FOR DOING HIS JOB, AND NEVER GOT FORMALLY CHARGED
FOR ANYTHING.
>>I HAVE TO SAY, KUDOS TO JORDAN AND TY AND THE WAY THEY HANDLED
IT, I WATCHED THE FULL VIDEO OF THE ARREST AND IT SEEMED LIKE
THEY HANDLED IT PERFECTLY.
JORDAN WAS ASKING THE QUESTIONS,
HE WAS VERY DIPLOMATIC IN HOW HE HANDLED IT, I SAW HIM IN DC
RECENTLY, WE ARE BOTH V-NECK T-SHIRT ENTHUSIASTS, SO KUDOS.
BUT STEVE OH MADE THE COMMENT, THE POLICE SURROUNDED THESE
PEOPLE, HE SAID IT WAS GAME OF THRONES STYLE, THEY SURROUNDED
THEM IN THIS GROUP, AND GEE IT'S NICE THAT THE POLICE WERE
NONVIOLENT WHILE STRIPPING FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS AWAY FROM
PEOPLE, BUT I WOULD RATHER THEY JUST NOT STRIP FIRST AMENDMENT
RIGHTS AWAY FROM PEOPLE.
CALL ME AN IDEALIST.
>>YOU ARE AN IDEALIST.
>>WHEN WE LIVE IN A GREAT SOCIETY IF THE LAWMAKERS AND
PEOPLE IN POWER CARED AS MUCH ABOUT OUR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS
AS OUR SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS?
FIRST MIMICKED RIGHTS WOULD
ALLOW YOU TO SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER, IT WOULD ALLOW THE MEDIA
TO UNCOVER AND REVEAL THE CORRUPTION OF THOSE IN POWER,
THE UNLAWFUL ACTIONS OF THOSE IN POWER -- IT'S SO DEVASTATING NOT
ONLY THAT THIS HAPPENED, BUT THAT IT'S COMPLETELY UNDER THE
RADAR.
NO ONE SEEMS TO BE PAYING ATTENTION TO IT.
>>I LIKE THAT YOU BROUGHT UP HOW THE CORPORATE MEDIA IS
SILENT.
THE CORPORATE MEDIA WAS ALSO SILENT AT DAPL WHEN STUFF
WENT DOWN WITH AMY GOODMAN, THEY WERE SILENT ON THAT, THEY NEVER
TALKED ABOUT IT.
INSTEAD THEY TALK ABOUT HOW THE WHITE HOUSE
FOLKS WERE RUDE TO PEOPLE IN THE BRIEFING ROOM AFTER THEY
TURNED OFF THE CAMERAS.
>>I TALKED ABOUT THIS WITH THOMAS FRANK, HE WAS A GUEST ON
MY SHOW, AND HE WAS ALSO SURPRISED AT THE LACK OF CONCERN
ON THE MEDIA -- OF JOURNALISTS BEING -- WHISTLEBLOWERS WERE
PROSECUTED USING THE ESPIONAGE ACT, NOW WHEN THERE'S A
WHISTLEBLOWER THEY JUST PROSECUTE THEM, WE AREN'T
SUPPOSED TO DO THAT IN AMERICA, OBAMA CAMPAIGNED ON PROTECTING
THEM, NOW WE JUST JAIL THE MEDIA.
IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT
CHELSEA MANNING DID, SHE GAVE STUFF TO A NEWSPAPER OUTLET.
SAME THING WITH SNOWDEN.
THESE WERE PEOPLE TRYING TO HELP
JOURNALISTS.
>>NOT JUST HELP JOURNALISTS, THESE WERE WHISTLEBLOWERS THAT
WERE DISCLOSING WHAT OUR GOVERNMENT WAS DOING.
>>THAT WAS ILLEGAL.
>>EXACTLY, AND THAT IS THE REASON WHY THEY WERE MET
WITH, YOU KNOW, SUCH FORCE FROM OUR GOVERNMENT.
>>CHELSEA MANNING WAS LITERALLY TORTURED.
THAT WAS UNDER BARACK
OBAMA'S WATCH.
WE NOW LIVE IN A SURVEILLANCE STATE, THEY GOT RID
OF HABEAS CORPUS, THE GOVERNMENT USES THE SURVEILLANCE STATE TO
TAP PHONES AND READ EMAILS OF JOURNALISTS, THAT'S WHY THEY
WANT TO DO THIS.
IT'S NOT TO GET TERRORISTS, THEY WANT TO MAKE
SURE THERE AREN'T ANY JOURNALISTS GETTING TOO CLOSE TO
THE CORRUPTION THAT THE INSIDE OUR GOVERNMENT, THAT'S WHY THEY
WANT TO HAVE EVERY EMAIL, TEXT, AND PHONE CALL A JOURNALIST
MAKES.
OR AN ACTIVIST.
THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ABOUT, IT'S
OPPRESSION, NOT ABOUT PROTECTION.
WE LIVE IN A
SURVEILLANCE STATE, BUT MY POINT WAS IT'S ODD THAT THE MEDIA
DOESN'T SCREAM ABOUT THIS MORE THAN THEY DO.
THOMAS FRANK SAID
THE SAME THING.
IT HAPPENS IN ACADEMIA, PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEY
HAVE MADE IT, THEY ARE TENURED, THEY DON'T CARE WHAT HAPPENS TO
THE REST OF THE PROFESSION AND HE SAYS IT FEELS LIKE THE SAME
WAY IN THE MEDIA, I'VE GOT MINE AND I DON'T CARE WHAT HAPPENS TO
THE REST OF THEM.
THE TITLE OF THE VIDEO I MADE ABOUT THIS WAS
CALLED JOURNALISM'S DEATH RATTLE GOING UNNOTICED BY JOURNALISTS.
IT WAS DEMONETIZED.
>>WE HURT JOURNALISM'S FEELINGS.
>>THEY DEMONETIZED THE VIDEO.
>>THAT'S SO WEIRD, I ONLY THOUGHT THEY DID THAT TO
VIDEOS BY CONSERVATIVES.
>>I'M A CLASSICAL LIBERAL, I'M LIBERTARIAN, AND CONSERVATIVE
AND A LITTLE BIT OF A CENTRIST.
THAT'S WHAT A CLASSICAL LIBERAL IS.
>>ONE MORE VIDEO, JORDAN ADDRESSES THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA'S
SILENCE AND ABSENCE AT THESE PROTESTS.
>>THERE HASN'T BEEN ANY COVERAGE OF YOUR ARREST OR ANY
JOURNALISTS BEING ARRESTED IN THE MAINSTREAM PRESS AT ALL
WHATSOEVER, WHICH IS A LITTLE TROUBLESOME CONSIDERING THE FACT
THAT THERE IS A HUGE DEBATE GOING ON IN THE COUNTRY IN
REGARD TO THE FIRST AMENDMENT.
IT TURNS OUT THAT WHENEVER THERE
ARE CRITICISMS TOWARD THOSE WHO VIOLATE THE FIRST AMENDMENT IT
HAS TO DO WITH COLLEGE STUDENTS WHO PROTEST SPEECHES BY
CONSERVATIVE INDIVIDUALS BUT WHEN IT COMES TO ACTUAL
JOURNALISTS COVERING A PROTEST FIRST AMENDMENT VIOLATIONS DON'T
SEEM TO CONCERN ANYONE, WHICH SHOULD WORRY EVERYONE WHO WORKS
IN MEDIA, INCLUDING THOSE IN THE MAINSTREAM.
HAVE YOU HAD ANYONE
REACH OUT TO YOU TO ASK YOU QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE
OR WHY IT WAS YOU GOT ARRESTED?
>>LITERALLY IN 45 MINUTES SINCE BEING RELEASED, BETWEEN MY
OVERBEARING JEWISH MOTHER CALLING ME AND YELLING AT ME AND
16,000 TEXTS, NO, BUT I HAVE BEEN TOLD THERE HASN'T BEEN ANY
OF THE CORPORATE MEDIA JOURNALISTS LIKE YOU WOULD THINK
A CNN'S BRIAN STELTER OR SOME OF THESE PEOPLE WHO COVER MEDIA,
I'VE BEEN TOLD AS FAR AS I CAN SEE THEY HAVEN'T SAID ANYTHING.
WHICH IS SURPRISING TO ME BECAUSE WHETHER YOU ARE
CORPORATE MEDIA, INDEPENDENT MEDIA, YOUNG TURKS,
BREITBART, THE BOTTOM LINE IS --
>>NO ONE SHOULD BE ARRESTED WHILE THEY ARE COVERING
ANYTHING UNLESS THEY ARE BREAKING THE LAW, AND IN
THIS CASE YOU WEREN'T, YOU WERE SIMPLY FILMING WHAT WAS
GOING ON, ASKING SOME QUESTIONS.
>>IT'S CRAZY.
I DON'T KNOW.
BUT IF WE ALLOW THIS TO CONTINUE,
AND WE ALLOW THOSE IN POWER TO STOP ACTUAL JOURNALISTS FROM
UNCOVERING WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE COUNTRY, WE DON'T HAVE A
DEMOCRACY.
REAL JOURNALISM IS SUCH A HUGE AND IMPORTANT PART
OF A FUNCTIONING DEMOCRACY, YOU DON'T HAVE A DEMOCRACY WITHOUT
AN INFORMED AND EDUCATED ELECTORATE, AND WHEN I SAY
EDUCATED I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT COLLEGE DEGREES, I'M TALKING
ABOUT PEOPLE WHO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE COUNTRY, WHO
KNOW THE FACTS ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON, WHO KNOW ABOUT THE
CORRUPTION AND THE BRUTALITY, AND UNFORTUNATELY THIS WILL
CONTINUE HAPPENING BECAUSE YOU ARE RIGHT, JIMMY, THOSE WHO HAVE
ALREADY MADE IT IN THE CORPORATE MEDIA, THEY ARE BRINGING IN THE
MONEY.
THEY ARE MAKING MONEY WITH THOSE MILLION DOLLAR
CONTRACTS, THEY ARE LIVING THE GOOD LIFE, THEY ARE PART OF THE
ENTIRE CORPORATE STRUCTURE, CORPORATE CORRUPT STRUCTURE THAT
WE HAVE IN THE COUNTRY, AND IT'S NOT REAL JOURNALISM.
THEY WILL
TALK ABOUT NONSENSE 24 HOURS A DAY, BUT THEY WON'T TALK ABOUT
THINGS THAT ACTUALLY MATTER TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
AND WHEN
YOU HAVE REAL JOURNALISTS WHO DO THAT AND WE DON'T PROTECT THEM
FROM GETTING ARRESTED LIKE THIS, AND DON'T PROTECT OUR
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS, THAT'S WHEN WE HAVE A REAL PROBLEM.
THAT'S WHEN WE GIVE AWAY OUR DEMOCRACY.