A riot occurred near the campus of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. recently, at an annual party called “Springfest,”
Donned in full riot gear, police officers arrived to disperse the crowd. They fired tear gas and pepper spray into the crowd and made several arrests.
Not surprisingly, members of their student run newspaper, The Breeze, were there observing and documenting what was transpiring.
In the days after the riot, police contacted editors of The Breeze requesting that the newspaper turn over all photographs of the incident in order to find out which other individuals were responsible.
The paper rightfully declined.
The following day, police stormed the office of The Breeze, without a search warrant, and strong-armed them into handing over their photos by threatening to confiscate every piece of equipment these student journalists had in order to obtain the evidence.
Not only was this a gross abuse of power by the police, it was also illegal.
Organizations such as the Student Press Law Center, which provides free legal counsel to student journalists, have already publicly denounced the actions of the police and have demanded the return of the photos.
A free, impartial and unadulterated press is one of the founding ideals of this nation. It is the only position that is specifically mentioned and established in the constitution.
Without the necessary detachment and sovereignty that the press is mandated, it cannot function the way it is designed to.
The officers who raided the newspaper’s offices should be reprimanded and
held accountable for their unconstitutional actions.
Those editors at The Breeze should be applauded for refusing to turn over the
photos to the authorities, who had no right to have them.
We, at the Roundup, would like to assure our readers that we would defend our constitutional rights. We will constantly strive to maintain our roles as journalists, and uphold the responsibilities that come with this position.
That being said, our local law enforcement seems to have a far better grasp of the Constitution than their cousins in Harrisonburg, as we have not felt pressure like this before.
Our stories, our photos and our sources will remain ours, and ours alone.