Friday, August 21, 2009

Is This An Assault or Poor Journalism?

A VIRGINIA NEWS CREW are claiming they were assaulted while trying to get a comment from a man walking out of a courthouse (as seen in the video above and in the station's full story here).

The man had been at the heart of a series of stories done by the news station over several months. His company was being sued by the state attorney general on fraud charges. On the day this video was shot, charges had been dismissed.

The news station filed assault and battery charges against the man following this incident.

Was the man abusive? Was the reporter being overly aggressive?

Does anyone win in this situation?

7 comments:

Andy P said...

I think this is just poor journalism, I don't think the news crew had the right to prevent the family from getting into their own car. That is a little shady. I understand that they were looking to get their story, but I feel that they crossed the line when they physically prevented the man and his family from getting into their car and going on their way.

Khanhly Ng said...

I think the reporter makes a mistake of preventing the interviewee from getting into the car so that's their fault eventhough as a journalist, the reporter has the right to know things but she crosses the line when she does that. The man and the woman are very aggressive and harsh to the news crew but still the reporter shouldn't abuse the interviewee, she still can attack them back with words but not with physical contacts.

ftk said...

WELL, first of the news station was wrong in that they were harassing the woman who was yellin at the end!!! BUt no one wins...remember an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind!!!

Matt L. said...

The press has its right to get the story in the interest of the free press. However, the "interviewee" also has his right to privacy and right not to speak. It is understandable that the reporters are trying to get their stories, but when they prevent others from electing not to respond that is a violation of the individuals' rights and personal space (as seen by the swarm of reporters around the car and the female reporter grabbing the arm of one of the interviewees). Plainly poor journalism.

Lumpy said...

The journalists are at fault in this situation. To try and prevent the man from leaving, by holding his door open, is not only rude, but I consider it to be unprofessional. Also if you look carefully at about 00:17-00:20 it looks like the camera man in the burgandy/red shirt shoves the man off the sidewalk. If anyone was assaulted it was the man they were trying to interview.

Wafai Dias said...

Wow that was something, he was a little abusive as seen in the tape. But then again those journalists were aggressive. I think he should be charged with verbal and physical assault.

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