Reports have emerged over efforts
by the Obama administration to chastise the San Francisco Chronicle, and in
particular its reporter, Carla Marinucci, for reporting on a protest staged
during an Obama fundraiser in support of incarcerated whistleblower, Bradley
Manning.
Marinucci was present during the
San Francisco fundraiser on April 21st when several Obama supporters stood to
address the president with a protest song written specially for such occasions.
Along with other attendees at the
event, the SF Chronicle reporter used her video-capable phone to record the
event. She later posted the video in her report on the episode.
This action, by staunch
supporters of the president, all of whom payed at least the minimum of $5000 to
attend the event, was a stark indicator of how the administration's inhumane
treatment of Bradley Manning is beginning to alienate the president's base, as
he faces into his reelection campaign.
Marinucci's footage was not the
only footage that made it online. It was apparently, however, the only footage
released by an official news outlet. The SF Chronicle was present at the event
as part of the "print pool" - a common arrangement used by the White House when
the full press corps is not able to attend. The conditions for this arrangement
are that reports on the event remain textual, and that the report is submitted
to the White House for redistribution to reporters who were not able to
attend.
These conditions are now being
used as a pretext to exclude Carla Marinucci from the 'print pool' for further
events in the Bay Area. This is a clear demonstration of how authorities exert
control over the media through the use of soft power - under the threat of
removal of access and privileges when journalists start doing journalism.
Besides encroaching on the
freedom of the press to report on matters of high public interest embarrassing
to the president, the move would appear to be redundant, since Marinucci was not
the only party to the event who recorded footage, nor was she the only person to
post that video on the internet.
SAR/SM/KA
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