Illiberty [Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος]

Tuesday's quote-of-the-day was about journalism in the U.S., and juuro pointed out an inaccuracy in the statement I quoted, namely that while American journalists might not need a license to be journalists in the U.S., foreign ones do.

My guess is that LaPierre simply wasn't aware of the rule. I say this because it doesn't seem to be something most people are aware of ... the news stories I've read about it state or imply that many foreign journalists are being caught unawares by it (one article mentioned a belated attempt by the U.S. State Department to get the word out because of that), and it's not something I've seen all that many references to in my casual reading (though I did find a bunch of links when I decided to STFW for it). It had completely slipped my mind at the time I posted that QotD. I hadn't heard about it at all until a few weeks ago, IIRC (but my sense of time may be off).

Anyhow, the reason I'm posting this entry is that I'm not sure how many of my friends check back a couple of days to look for new comments to other people's entries they've already read, and I wanted to point to the collection of links to articles about this issue that I posted in a comment last night. (Because hey, if I wasn't sufficiently aware of it, maybe a bunch of other people aren't either...)

"Why should journalists be more heavily restricted than tourists in a nation that purports to honor freedom of the press?" (from the L.A. Times) The answer appears to be leftovers from McCarthyism -- gotta keep those Subversives out -- "As dissident writers seem to have disappeared from the public sphere, journalists have become the new subversives, even when they have no agenda at all." (from the International Herald Tribune).

~~Land of the Free~~... (Of course, this doesn't count because it only affects them damn furriners; if you're a citizen, and aren't a black Floridian with the same last name as a felon, and not trying to wear an anti-Bush T-shirt outside of a designated "make the protestors invisible" zone, you're still free. My bad. Oh, unless you want to ride mass transit in Boston. Or ... )

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Note that we're not talking about "foreigners coming here to steal our jobs"; this is happening to folks who work for foreign newspapers and television stations coming into the US to cover trade shows and sporting events, interview celebrities, etc., and then leave.

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I just scared myself. I had the vision of Joan or Jake Consumer hearing about this and saying "Why should I care? It's not as if touches me in any way, is it."

I am desparately trying to tell myself that this is not the prevailing attitude of the voting American. I am trying to convince myself that the constituency is aware of the examples in your last paragraph.

I find it hard to believe that the original intent of the rule was to curtail free speech, freedom of the press, etc. but it seems to have been twisted around somehow. Press credentials are often required at media events. I know because in '92-'93, I worked for a foreign newspaper's Washington office. I had one such credential (hanging around my neck like an ID badge) for Congress, one for the Pentagon, and in addition had access to the White House press room by being on some kind of approved database after a security check that took a few months. There must be a procedure for freelance reporters to get these credentials, although mine were sponsored by a media organization. It would be a shame if terrorists were somehow able to exploit the journalist loophole [although they could also exploit the tourist loophole in many cases], so perhaps there should be some kind of process. It should not take a long time and it should not be burdensome or arbitrary (e.g., not based on writing samples but perhaps you need some media organizations to vouch for your professional credibility). Seems like the State Department is trying to give people a chance to become aware of the requirement by allowing them to enter once with a warning.

It is not about any journalist's credentials. It's a bloody special visa for journalists.

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You could have a visa, even press credentials, and still not have access to the information you need. (case in point: Japan's "press clubs.") There are subtler ways to control the media than to deny visas.

I completely understand the requirement for press credentials at media events.

Are you saying that the whole of the United States is a media event that warrants requiring press credentials?

Are you saying that the whole of the United States is a media event that warrants requiring press credentials?

Actually what I am saying is that the problem is with requirements for visas and immigration, not freedom of the press. Once we start looking at the whole system, there are plenty of unfair rules. Students, for example, have had a harder time getting into the U.S. since 9/11. Sometimes the requirements are causing headaches for the State Department, too. For example, now you must have an interview at the Embassy and a few select Consulates to get even a student visa. These students have to prove that they have been accepted at a university in the United States and have enough money to support themselves. They could enter the country on tourist visas but then they wouldn't be able to enroll here. Is this a restriction of academic freedom?

P.S. I'm always up for a good healthy debate... I just don't see one happening here.

No, I agree with you there. We seem to think on parallel lines.

The problem was possibly that not being a native speaker of English, I was unable to comprehend your earlier comment in sufficient depth.

http://www.witchvox.com/wren/wn_detail.html?id=10370

"Slavery is Freedom" - Big Brother, 1984 (George Orwell, 1946)

Thankfully, there was a recent discussion in congress of the legal implications of the USAPATRIOT act. Especially about the places where it crosses over the lines in the constitution.

Most of our constitutional protections have been ruled to apply differently depending on one's class of citizenship. For instance, a soveriegn native of one of the various states cannot be taxed directly IN ANY WAY by the federal government. But a United States Citizen (technically, someone who accepts that citizenship via a number of federal programs) can be - because it is a volunteer citizenship.

Foreign citizens must play the matter quite carefully, to avoid traps which our own populace often gets ensnared in.

http://unitedstatesvisas.gov/visanews/ notes journalists are required to get an I class visa, even if from a visa waiver country (such as Canada). The I class visa allows them to stay for the duration of their assignment.

As of May 21, though, they are supposed to be allowed in once on whatever visa they have.

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Illiberty

Addendum

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Witchvox discussion of the jornalist visas

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Links

January