Thursday, September 6, 2007
Can Camera-Phone Journalism Thwart the "Rally Squad?"
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aclu.org
Can -- and should -- reporters counteract blatant attempts to skew coverage of public events? |
Journalists claim they're always trying to see -- and share -- what powerful people would prefer remain hidden. Here's an opportunity to put that to the test. All you need is a camera phone or video camera. Press pass not required.
Some of the Bush administration's tactics for concealing dissent (specifically from the press, but also from the public and even from the President himself) at public presidential gatherings were disclosed in a heavily redacted version of the October 2002 "Presidential Advance Manual."
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) obtained this document in the course of its lawsuit on behalf of protesters who were arrested because of their critical t-shirts at 2004 Independence Day event attended by President Bush. The manual (trimmed to a mere 12 pages, but still intriguing) is now posted on ACLU's site.
The remaining text describes some tactics used to discourage and conceal protesters. One of the more amusing of these is the "rally squad." From the manual:
"The formation of 'rally squads' is a common way to prepare for demonstrators. ...[It] involves utilizing small groups of volunteers to spread favorable messages using large hand held signs, placards, or perhaps a long sheet banner, and placing them in strategic areas around the site.
"These squads should be instructed always to look for demonstrators. The rally squad's task is to use their signs and banners as shields between the demonstrators and the main press platform. If the demonstrators are yelling, rally squads can begin and lead supportive chants to drown out the protesters (USA! USA! USA!). As a last resort, security should remove the demonstrators from the event site. The rally squads can include, but are not limited to, college/young Republican organizations, local athletic teams, and fraternities/sororities.
"For larger rallies, the quads should be broken up into groups of approximately 15-25 people. A squad should be placed immediately in front of the stage, immediately in front of the main camera platform, close to the cut platform, immediately behind the stage area (if people are being used as the backdrop), and at least one squad should be 'roaming' throughout the perimeter of the event to look for potential problems." (Emphasis added.)
Hmmm... Sounds like being corralled onto the press platform might not be the best way to find compelling, un-canned stories about public presidential appearances. It might be a good idea to dispatch some reporters into the crowd (maybe even sans press pass), bearing video recorders or camera phones.
Then, if you see a "rally squad" swing into action to squelch and conceal dissent, capture the video from angles that show what they were trying to hide, and who they were trying to hide it from. After it quiets down, question rally squad members about why they acted in such an apparently coordinated fashion. Did they receive instructions, coaching, or special access? From whom?
Could make for some interesting quotes -- and useful context.
More analysis of the manual from Slate's Dahlia Lithwick. Hear an interview with Lithwick on the Aug. 31 edition of WNYC's On the Media.
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