Secret Service Officers Remove CNN Producer

[cal04]

Secret Service Officers Remove CNN Producer from Hu Photo-Op For Asking Question

President Hu can’t suppress dissent in the United States like he does in China, but the Bush adminstration is helping out where it can.

According to a CNN Wire report, CNN producer Joe Vaccarello was removed by Secret Service officers “from covering a private meeting Friday at Yale University after calling out a question about whether Chinese President Hu Jintao had seen protesters lined up outside”:

Vaccarello was told he had broken a rule against asking questions at the “photo op,” during which Hu and Levin exchanged gifts and Hu met with four students. Vaccarello was escorted from the building by members of the Secret Service who were escorting people in and out of the building.

Vaccarello said he had not been told he could not ask questions at the event.

A Yale spokeswoman actually defended the producers’ removal, calling the talk a “very intimate event” and claiming that every other reporter knew the ground rules.” But she said she could not be sure the CNN staffers were specifically informed that questions would not be allowed at the event. She argued the rule was “obvious.” CNN staffers said they were not aware of the rule. It is not unusual for journalists to ask questions at designated photo ops. Often, the questions are ignored. Already, President Bush has broken protocol by not holding the typical “press availability” with Hu. Instead, the White House limited the session to a few “pool” reporters, under a “mutual agreement” with the Chinese, who did not want a more public setting.

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/04/21/cnn-producer-china/

CNN producer removed from Hu photo-op after asking question
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/04/21/friday/index.html

[stepnw1f]

1. This Too Will Backfire

Don't fuck with our freddoms Mr. GOP!

[pacalo]

5. It's the wrong time for Bush to publicly humor a communist leader

by suppressing freedom of the press. The media is now at a point when it can feel emboldened to call a spade a spade. Bush is running out of influential friends.

[converted_democrat]

11. I feel the same..

You can kick a good dog a couple times without consequence, but after that he's going to start biting your ass..

[titoresque]

2. These sick son-of-a-bitches!!!!!!

And we're supposed to swallow...FREE......DEMOCRACY....BLAH,BLAH,BLAH!
Fucking hell, can't even ask a damn question anymore and not make the news and be escorted out.

Whisper, whisper...."theres the guy who.....GULP...asked a question....GASP.."

[0007]

3. Are under the seal of black fate?

[CottonBear]

4. China cut TV transmissions of the protester at the WH event.

The Secret Service took away the Chinese protester.

Poppy Bush was in my little city a few weeks ago to dedicate a new building at the University of Georgia. A local activist with a small protest sign was told he had to go to a free speech zone (over a block away from the site where Poppy Bush was to speak where no one would see the protest sign) if he wanted to hold the sign. The man assured him that he would not disrupt the ceremony and that he simply wanted to hold his sign.

So much for free speech if you want to silently protest on a major university campus. :(

edit: How was it that UGA blocked protests of former President Poppy Bush but Yale allowed protesters when a sitting president and a foreign head of state were on campus?

[Terran1212]

10. I'm going to UGA next year (beware)

In our very Rightwing state where Hilary Clinton is considered to be "far left," protest and dissent is a stifle-worthy thing, isn't it

[CottonBear]

12. I'm a UGA alum! Go Dawgs!

To be honest, I was very surprised when Drago was escorted away from Poppy Bush's and Sonny's dedication event. (He is a long-time local activist and he is very peaceful and respectful midle aged man.) Last year, he organized a months long display of crosses bearing the names of Georgia's soldiers killed in Iraq. The display was in front of the fence down from the arches. I didn't find out until after the event. John Edwards was also on campus that day. We have a proud tradition of protest here in Athens-Clarke County! The Women in Black hold a silent protest of the war at the arches every Thursday. The Bush event was "free speech zone" is something that has never happened in Athens before that I can remember. When Democrats are back in power then we won't have to worry about this sort of supression of free speech crap.

The Annual Human Rights Festival is coming up soon. It's been going on since 1979 with no corporate sponorship of any kind! We have great speakers, some of whom are very famous and all of whom are passionate about human rightsin addition to great local music. It's downtown and its free!


28th Annual Athens Human Rights Festival

May 6 & 7, 2006

Downtown Athens, Georgia

The Athens Human Rights Festival brings together political activists, musicians
and artists in a call for action on human rights issues as well as a celebration
of advances in the area of human rights.
http://www.athenshumanrightsfest.org/

[Terran1212]

13. I look forward to being active in Athens with progressive Dems/Greens

I don't care much for the Democrats in our government right now (aside from a few bright stars like Kucinich and Conyers); still, even the corporate-crats are a huge jump up from the extreme right my area in Georgia (Cobb County) is populated with.

But I believe in democracy and supporting what you believe in (if everyone did, Bush would never be in office imo). I'll support who I think supports my ideas.

And I've looked into the Human Rights Festival and would love to participate in next year's.

[CottonBear]

14. We'll look forward to havingh another Democrat in town!

I'm involved in local politics and get out the vote activism. We have a great Democratic Mayor, Heid Davison and a great blue city! It's not perfect but I love it here! I'm sure you'll love it here too!

[Terran1212]

15. Glad to hear it!

[Poiuyt]

6. The NERVE of that reporter...asking questions

Whoever heard of such a thing

[lpbk2713]

7. Next stop, Gitmo.

And he will become a non-person.

[Supersedeas]

8. the oligarchy has their rules and you will KEEP them

[Sinti]

9. And they call us commie-sympathizer WTF?

I guess the Chinese do own the place, they're financing Bush's warmongering after all.

We need them to help protect our freedoms from those cave-dwelling terrorists! If you love democracy, you don't ask questions. :sarcasm:

[Neil Lisst]

16. Why didn't this guy refuse to obey the Secret Service?

He should have told them worrying about the president's EGO was NOT part of their job, and asked the president why he was sending his goons over to silence the press. He could have forced the entire event to be about the president using his Secret Service to silence the press.