A nice idea and while we don’t believe the Founders were naive, it’s possible they never could have envisioned a press that mostly disregards their privilege as government watchdogs and would become blatant cheerleaders for one political party over another. The bias is obvious to the point of extreme journalist malpractice. The public is either given one side or not given relevant information at all, to the detriment of everything from civil discord to affecting election outcomes.

A bias, moreover, can be the foundation for investigative journalism. It may prompt the news organization to right a wrong and take up an unpopular cause. Thus, the job of journalists is not to stamp out bias. Rather, the journalist should learn how to manage it. And to do that, the journalist needs to become conscious of the biases at play in a given story and decide when they are appropriate and may be useful, and when they are inappropriate.
— American Press Institute

As a new reporter at the Guam Tribute in 1989, I was told by the newspaper’s editor, “It’s the job of the media to report the news; not incite it.” It’s NOT the job of the media to right wrongs or take up any cause. There should be NO biases, useful or inappropriate. It’s that kind of manipulative thinking that leads to bias-by-omission where, in one example, the medias (legacy and social) intentionally withheld pertinent information we later found swung an election.

A belated “My bad” doesn’t cut it, especially when these same people would be screaming bloody murder if it had happened to them.

The media’s First Amendment protection must be revisited as they have proven themselves undeserving. There are too many recent examples of false reporting and plagiarism that makes them unworthy of any kind of Constitutional privilege and protection. When they lie and are proven to have done so, especially when it damages individuals or groups, the aggrieved should be able to be sue until the offender offers genuine contrition; verbal and monetary. The fact they believe they alone can dictate what is fact and what is not, just because they say so, is obviously not what the Founders intended. “Misinformation” is the latest excuse they use to steer the public towards narratives the press and their preferred politicians desire.

So, let’s go there; declare the Constitution a “living document” and when the press is targeted, bites them in the ass, and costs them jobs, remind them we gave them what they wanted.

On October 14, Duty To Warn events will be held around the country. Mental health professionals and community members will gather at teach-ins to learn and march together, warning the public about the dangers posed by Donald Trump.

Duty To Warn is a group of mental health professionals and other concerned Americans who are acting on their ethical and legal obligation to warn when someone presents a danger. Mental health professionals overwhelmingly describe Donald Trump as psychologically impaired, unfit to serve, and dangerous. Over 60,000 of them have signed a petition to call attention to this impairment and calling for his removal under the 25th Amendment.
— Duty To Warn GoFundMe page

I requested permission to shoot video of the event as this was a legitimate news event and received an email at Friday, October 13th at 1:35 am from event organizer John Gartner granting permission and he asked me to ask for him when I arrived at the event.

A little background on Mr. Gartner….

Upon my arrival at the Kimpton Glover Park Hotel in Washington, D.C., as instructed I asked for Mr. Gartner and a woman at the desk in the lobby escorted me in and pointed to Mr. Gartner. As he was surrounded and talking to attendees, I found a place close to the table where the panel would be sitting and started to set up the equipment. Within a minute, another woman walked up to me and asked me if I had signed the waiver and had proof of company insurance with me; if not, I could not record the event. I told this woman (who it turns out was Carol Dreyfus, event coordinator who also works for The World Bank) that Mr. Gartner had approved me to shoot yet Ms. Dreyfus said that no one could shoot without those documents. Dreyfus attempted to justify by saying that other videographers had to scramble yesterday to get the required documents so no exceptions could be made.

I immediately walked over to Mr. Gartner and informed him about this sudden “requirement”. He replied that this was something he only found out about Friday afternoon around 5:30pm and there was nothing he could do and apologized. I then walked over, got my equipment and was escorted out by Ms. Dreyfus.

As you know, I always like to look at a situation as if it were the other way around.

Let’s say there was a stealth conservative event that centered around the removal of Barack Obama because he was this dangerous narcissist who was undoing policies they liked.

Let’s say this conservative event of around 50 people, only TWO of whom were black and ONE other working, told the ONLY black videographer he had to leave and escorted him out in a rather humiliating fashion. Chances are that black videographer would be now doing the rounds on CNN, MSNBC, maybe ABC This Week, Meet the Press, etc. decrying the racist conservatives that denied him his First Amendment right of Freedom of the Press. It would also be asked why they didn’t want a complete, unedited recording of this event out there?

First, I have been a professional video producer, cameraman, editor on every level of print and video production for over 30 years. I have obtained press credentials to cover events for myself and video crews for events including RNC and DNC conventions. I’ve set up and shot interviews in and around Capitol Hill so I know the protocols and this is the FIRST time I’ve ever run into a requirement that I have “insurance” to cover an event.

Again, had this been the other way around, this would have been deemed racist behavior, so let’s go there!

I don’t know if this “insurance” requirement was dreamed up to weed out those deemed undesirable. It’s clear they don’t want the American people to know what they’re up to, especially those who support President Trump. Even if I decided to shell out the money to obtain “insurance” to cover the event, there was no way at last minute notice I could contact a company after 5:30 late Friday afternoon to obtain such insurance before an event 17 hours later.

Did Ms. Dreyfus look at me and think I was some stupid black man she could just issue some bullshit excuse so she could escort me out like I had done something improper?

What’s ironic is these people, I was told, made much about the First Amendment yet look how they honor it.

And they’re accusing Donald Trump of being a delusional narcissist to the seal claps of almost all in that room.