Two reporters were arrested at a public meeting of the DC Taxi Commission last week.  The arrest of Peter Tucker, a freelance reporter who writes on a site called thefightback.org, was filmed by another reporter, Reason’s Jim Epstein.  Epstein also ended up getting arrested.  The video of Tucker’s arrest was pretty shocking.  Tucker repeatedly says he’s a journalist and he insists he has a right to report at a public meeting. 

Here are a couple of reasons why I think you should care about the arrest of these two guys.  I think it's fun (maybe that’s an inappropriate word? illuminating?  counter intuitive? I don't know.) to learn about incidents like this happening here in the U.S. In Washington DC no less!  We spend so much time covering the lack of journalistic freedoms in other countries.  It’s a reminder that this sort of thing happens here too. 

 The other reason you should care is that these guys were reporters.  They knew their rights.  They (rightfully) publicized this incident and the charges against them were dropped. I’ve been wondering what would have happened if they were just ordinary people.  Just someone recording the hullabaloo on their cell phone.  Chances are, they would have their memory card confiscated or they would have deleted the photo upon the request of a police officer or security official or they may have resisted the request and ended up getting arrested too…but perhaps minus the media attention afterwards.  That does happen.  People are regularly told they don’t have a right to record or photograph things they have a right to record and photograph all across the country.   Many of the incidents just fly under the media radar.