COLUMBIA, Mo. — A video that showed University of Missouri protesters restricting a student photographer’s access to a public area of campus on Monday ignited discussions about press freedom.
Tim Tai, a student photographer on freelance assignment for ESPN, was trying to take photos of a small tent city that protesters had created on a campus quad. Concerned Student 1950, an activist group that formed to push for increased awareness and action around racial issues on campus, did not want reporters near the encampment.
Protesters blocked Mr. Tai’s view and argued with him, eventually pushing him away. At one point, they chanted, “Hey hey, ho ho, reporters have got to go.”
“I am documenting this for a national news organization,” Mr. Tai told the protesters, adding that “the First Amendment protects your right to be here and mine.”
The protesters accused him of acting unethically and disregarding their requests for privacy.
“What is so hard about respecting our wishes?” one protester asked. “Because I have a job to do,” Mr. Tai answered. That elicited a retort: “We don’t care about your job.”
As the video nears its end, the person taking the video, Mark Schierbecker, emerged from the scrum and approached a woman, later identified as an assistant professor of mass media, Melissa Click, close to the tents. When he revealed that he was a journalist, Ms. Click appeared to grab at his camera.
At another point in the video, Mr. Tai was also challenged by a university employee. Janna Basler, the director of Greek life and leadership on campus, approached Mr. Tai and, spreading her arms out, demanded that he “back off.”
Ms. Basler and Ms. Click could not be reached for comment.
Mr. Tai said in an interview on Monday that he tried to explain that he had a right to be there.
“We’re documenting historic events with our photographs, and when people are crying and hugging when Wolfe resigns, it becomes a personal issue that people all over the country can connect with,” he said. “It’s my job to help connect those people to what’s going on.”
Why is an ESPN reporter trying to cover student protests?
The cynic in me feels like the professors mentioned don't want the journalist there because they don't want additional media coverage / bad publicity for the university, but idk. Maybe they actually support the students.
Seems a bit odd that the protestors don't want journalists there... How do they expect to effectively spread their message without allowing the media to cover them?
Why is an ESPN reporter trying to cover student protests?
I don't know if you've been keeping up with this particular story, but the protests really started coming to national attention when the football team decided they weren't going to practice or play until the president resigned. That's why ESPN is covering it.
I don't know if you've been keeping up with this particular story, but the protests really started coming to national attention when the football team decided they weren't going to practice or play until the president resigned. That's why ESPN is covering it.
It's really still a big mess even after the president resigned. This guy went on a 8-day hunger strike, and people were camped out on the quad for 8 days too. He finally resigned like you said, when you football team refused to play. It just shows how football is so important to universities and is just a moneymaker.
I don't know if you've been keeping up with this particular story, but the protests really started coming to national attention when the football team decided they weren't going to practice or play until the president resigned. That's why ESPN is covering it.
Ohhh, that was mentioned in one of my classes. I didn't realize it was at this school.
Seems a bit odd that the protestors don't want journalists there... How do they expect to effectively spread their message without allowing the media to cover them?
It may be that they do not want anyone commenting on their message. Propaganda isn't really effective when exposed, so if they can take away anyone who give an outside perspective of their message, they are more likely to keep their propaganda going.
Seems a bit odd that the protestors don't want journalists there... How do they expect to effectively spread their message without allowing the media to cover them?
I mean, they took over public property, do you really think they're gonna respect people's right to report?
This is my university. Currently ashamed to be a student.
The protesters AND the administration are both so disgusting. This is not how you bring about change. No maturity on the side of the protesters but that comes as no surprise.
The ironic thing is that if the protestors had just let him take his pictures, they wouldn't appear nearly as badly as they do now that this video is going viral. What idiots
