Thursday, January 14, 2010

...to Josh Wolf

It's hard for me not to see this story objectively. I feel that by keeping his sources private, Josh protected the integrity of his journalism. He never intended the story to be an expose, or proof of crime, which is what it ultimately became to the SFPD.
However, to deny that he is, in fact, withholding evidence would be foolish and wrong, however romanticized a view one may have of the duty of journalists.
This situation is very unusual though, in that had he forfeited the footage, he could have subjected the innocent in the video to inconvenient and invasive questioning. While the police force has every right, even a responsibility to the city it protects, to make sure that consequences are given to those who break the law, the consequence for Josh Wolf seemed far more dramatic and lengthy than necessary.

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