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McCain Campaign Boots Black Reporter from Campaign Event, Other Reporters Left Alone |
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If a black reporter was singled out, harassed and kicked out of a McCain campaign event in Panama City on Friday, do you think any of the national press traveling with him would report on it?
Tallahassee Democrat senior writer Stephen Price on Friday was singled out and asked to leave a media area at the Panama City rally of presidential candidate Sen. John McCain.
Price was among at least three other reporters, and the only black reporter, surrounding McCain’s campaign bus.
Price showed his employee identification as well as his credentials for the Friday event.
“I explained I was with the state press, but the Secret Service man said that didn’t matter and that I would have to go,” Price said.
When another reporter asked why Price was being removed, she too was led out of the area. Other state reporters remained.
I corresponded via email with another state reporter at the scene on Saturday who was kicked out of the event. She asked not to be identified by name. She indicated to me that there were several other state reporters in the immediate vicinity, and that Price was specifically singled out. Two other reporters standing nearby were pointed out to the security guard, but were not asked to leave. She also indicated that Stephen Price was wearing a collared shirt and tie, as opposed to the T-shirt one of the other reporters in the area was wearing. To me, this just adds to the suspicion that this incident was racially motivated.
Price and another state reporter were both escorted out of the event by the Panama City Police Department, at the request of McCain’s security staff.
One astute commenter on Tallahassee.com adds, “Lets see if this makes the national news. I doubt it.”
Tallahassee Democrat Executive Editor Bob Gabordi has released a statement:
“We’re deeply concerned and disturbed that our reporter — of all of those in that area — was asked to move,” Gabordi said. “My understanding is that Stephen was the only reporter approached and asked to leave the area, and the only reporter in that area who is black. Another reporter who stood up for Stephen was then asked to leave.”
Both the McCain Campaign and the Panama City Police Department failed to respond to my request for comments.
Is it fair to talk about a systematic pattern of racism coming from the McCain campaign?
Yes, but there are problems.
The campaign shouldn’t do it, because it opens them up to too much criticism.
The outside groups have largely been defunded, so they can’t do it too effectively.
Others are often too timid to go on the attack, insisting on taking the high road.
IMO we should be nailing this guy for agism, racism, incompetence, corruption, etc. Not sure it will happen, though.
Price was interviewed by Keith Olberman for last night’s Countdown. So somebody in the national media has picked it up.
I saw that last night, I think he did pretty well. Was also picked up by Drudge and Digg yesterday, which was nice. No newspapers yet, as far as I know.
Stupid, everyone is so quick to jump to the race conclusion
In this situation do you see an alternative explanation?
Keith Olberman insinuated last night that it may have been the label “Tallahasee Democrat” on his media credentials/badge. Possibly the geriatric-care provider turned hired gun read this as the reporter being an actual Democrat. Unfortunately, this may be an alternative explanation, though no less ignorant than blatant racism. What’s better, blatant in-your-face racism or partisan censorship? I’m sure McCain could make a bumbling case for each.
Interesting. And as you say, disgraceful either way. Who knows, hopefully there are more details forthcoming on this story.
I can be a cynical person, but I’m not so cynical as to think that the McCain campaign is instructing the Secret Service to remove black reporters from campaign events.
This is part of a much larger problem - the ongoing lack of respect that professionals and blacks in general receive from law enforcement in this country. I’m not ready to pin this on McCain.
There’s plenty of other idiocy we need to nail him on - like his moronic assertion that Obama’s energy solutions can be boiled down to tire pressure - when he just unveiledan extensive short-term and long-term vision.
I agree with your point about the ongoing lack of respect from law enforcement. But the Panama City Police were just taking orders from Team McSame, they didn’t instigate this. Whether it came from the top or not someone on the McCain security team was responsible for this man being asked to leave. The buck has to stop somewhere.