The LAPD sent out a so-called press release tonight announcing that it would be organizing media pools, allowing select reporters access to the public demonstration that is Occupy Los Angeles.
According to occupyla.org blogger Ruth Fowler, who was among the first to report on the media pool:
This media pool drew mainstream media into the inner circle, where they were treated to a display of courteous policing and nonviolence by the police. Even I was impressed by the police. The operation was smooth and efficient and tactical.
But, later, she writes:
No bad treatment of protestors occurred while the mainstream media was watching – it was only at the end that this occurred, when the non pool reporters were separated from the pool media, and the reporters not in the pool were shoved and hit by cops…. The police moved in after us, and kettled the 300 left behind. Seeing this, we ran, as a group, a couple of blocks to get away from them, losing people all along the way. Then suddenly a group of police emerged. We were blocked (kettled) in on Alameda between second and first. The police started running towards us – the group was now about 100 people by this point – and everyone ran into a parking lot to escape. The police ran after them and started beating protestors with batons repeatedly as they were running away trying to escape. I saw about ten police hit protestors…. The violence I witnessed was pretty intense. Those cops were pissed and wanted to hurt people. They were running and beating people who were simply RUNNING away, trying to escape!
Earlier that evening, the LAPD announced that it would organize a “pool media”, as they put it in this tweet/text message:
#LAPD meeting to do lottery to select “pool media” for future #OccupyLA activity. Interested media in pool must have rep attend mtg @ 7:15pm
According to reports from Fowler and LA Weekly, they only let in three print reporters, three photographers, four TV broadcast teams and two radio reporters. The pool had to embed with officers and were prohibited from tweeting or using their cell phones during the raid, reports LA Weekly.
First of all, if you are going to invoke historically rare and extreme press policies, at least get the reference right.
The US military defines “media pools,” which the LAPD used to limit coverage of a demonstration tonight, as follows:
A limited number of news media who represent a larger number of news media organizations for purposes of news gathering and sharing of material during a specified activity. Pooling is typically used when news media support resources cannot accommodate a large number of journalists. The Department of Defense National Media Pool is available for coverage of the earliest stages of a contingency. Additionally, the combatant commanders may also find it necessary to form limited local pools to report on specific missions. See also news media representative; public affairs.
—-Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, US Department of Defense, 2005.
The only other place I have heard of media pools is during executions.
No one asked them to “support” the news media. Particularly during a raid on a peaceful protest. The ACLU has already announced plans to file a lawsuit.
