Blogger Freed After 226 Days in Jail For Contempt

frdmfghtr writes "Over at CNN is a report that a blogger has been freed after spending 226 days in jail — a record for a journalist held in contempt. 'Wolf had been found in contempt for refusing to obey a subpoena to turn over his video from a July 2005 protest during the G-8 economic summit where anarchists were suspected of vandalizing a San Francisco police car. One city officer was struck during the rally and his skull was fractured ... California's shield law allows reporters to keep sources and unpublished material secret. But there is no federal shield law protecting reporters from federal investigations. The National Writer's Union, which represents freelance writers, said in a statement that Wolf should never have been jailed. "The abuses visited on Josh and other journalists are part of an effort by governments at all levels to control the volume, flow and content of the information that reaches the public," the union said.'"

Comments

Journalist?

[gogojcp]

He was not a journalist, and he was not protecting a source. He was a citizen who refused to cooperate with a police investigation. Not a hero, probably just another victim of his own fantasies and ignorance of what freedom of the press actually means.

Ultimately he was only a pawn, used by the real journalists as a sympathetic figure in their attempt to push through some kind of special privileges for themselves.

If these journalists really beleive in what they are doing, why not spend time in jail in the rare case where protecting a source is important? (Not this case.) Soldiers and police put a lot more on the line every day to protect everyone's freedom. Some things are worth the sacrifice and sometimes the sacrifice is the only way to keep those things valuable.

Re:What am i missing?

[KarlHMarx]

How is this any different than the police spying on their own citizens (aka NYC Police Department). It's different because he is a private citizen, and he has the right to publish, or NOT PUBLISH his information. I'm sure that Winston would be quite proud of a person like you, I mean, a thought crime has happened, and by not turning over the information, he's supporting 'them'. The issue here is that the federal government abusing it's power to imprison someone who disagrees with the bush regime's 'control of the media'.

One skull-crushed cop, one free journalist. Win!

[FatSean]

That's right dipshit. Score one for Freedom of Speech and a blow against the building police state. When my government can surveil me with no evidence trail, something is wrong, and I believe a suitable action is to simply not cooperate.

Just like Josh Wolf did. He didn't hurt anyone, but he's not going to help out the police who were abusing him and his fellow protestors.

That's called having principles.