No Freedom Of the Press If Reporting on Standing Rock-Reporter detained at Canada/US Boarder

Ed Ou is a photojournalist that was crossing into the US from Canada. He told the border agents he was reporting on Standing Rock, and was detained for 6 hours and interrogated. His was told to unlock his cell phone. When he refused, they took them and returned many hours later, the sim cards and security tape were broken of missing.
After the 6 hours and having his phones trashed, the boarder patrol denied him access to the US. They said they couldn't provide details and another officer said it didn't help because he wouldn't give up his phone.(giving info on his sources)

Wow that is terrible, freedom of the press is necessary to ensure our other freedoms.

The recent abusive border search of a Canadian photojournalist should serve as a warning to everyone concerned about press freedom these days.

Ed Ou is a renowned photographer and TED senior fellow who has traveled to the United States many times to do work for The New York Times, Time magazine, and other media outlets. Last month, Ed was traveling from Canada to the U.S. to report on the protests against the Dakota Access pipeline in Standing Rock, North Dakota, when he was taken aside for additional inspection.

The story goes into the fact that the boarder officers based his entery into the US on giving up his sources on his phones, they also took his diary and copied it. His civil rights were violated.

wearechange.org...
Ed’s treatment was unjustified and unlawful. Although CBP has the authority to stop and search travelers at the border for the purpose of identifying people who are inadmissible or engaged in criminal activity, the officers exceeded that authority. They had no legitimate cause to detain Ed for six hours, interrogate him about his professional activities, copy his diary, or search his phones. That abusive and harassing conduct is all the more troubling given that the officers apparently conditioned Ed’s admission to the U.S. on his willingness to assist them in searching his phones.

Pretty sad to see that being truthful and saying that you are a reporter covering "controversial news" may be the cause of detaining. Unless it was another issue, waiting more on further details.

Apparently for smooth, but not always, a reply to what you'll be doing in the country that you are entering: Shopping or recreation activities should be the story. However, age(younger can place you in a drug buying category) can knock you right into suspicion as well as shopping indications.

Maybe visiting a relative would fair better. Though, if you run into a hard 'arse' having a bad day(happened to me crossing back into the US one time), you had better expect a car search, which you'd be lucky if it ended there.

The constitution protects citizens rights but does not guarantee entry of foreigners with ulterior motives.

a reply to: Deny Arrogance

What were his motives?

a reply to: seasonal

I hear the oil companies got drones banned from flying over the area. This happened shortly after damning footage via a drone.

Obviously the US is fast becoming the last place a foreigner will go for a holiday.

Just too much crap.

Thankfully, there are many nice countries that value their tourist industry ... like Australia!

P

a reply to: seasonal

Ask the Obama administration who put him on a watch list.

He was ultimately denied entry, and he said though he was not given a reason, he was told his name matched that of a “person of interest.” During the hours of detention, he was asked to describe how and why he had traveled to each country he had visited in the past five years, and questioned about whether he had seen anyone die.

Agents requested access to his phones and to look through his photos so that they could make sure he was “not posing next to any dead bodies,” he said. When he refused, citing the need to protect his sources as a journalist, they took the phones, he said.

www.nytimes.com...

The states northern border isn't easy to cross. Not even to just visit, many Cdns don't even try anymore....maybe they should put some of the northern border guards on the Mexican border 🤔

Get ready for this to get much worse once Trump is officially in office. He has already talked about attacking the media that doesn't like him.

Welcome to the new Soviet Union!

So how's that wall coming along? Stop and frisk? Racial profiling? Want to vote, show me your documents!

Yep land of the free home of the brave.

Not that I give a #. Haven't been stateside in 20+ years and never will be. Like someone said above there's far more nicer places to spend my cash which is a shame really as I've met a lot of great Americans(along with a few bad apples).

People need to respect the rules of their Host Country, obviously.

I think these people need to remake this song for this topic in general. Ya think?

They could redub it with ....''''We need a Wall, with Legal People'''''.

Playing Devil's Advocate;

The rush of people going there in "support" of Standing Rock and causing nothing but problems wouldn't have anything to do with this would it?
It seems like they are being careful and trying to keep their country safe by trying to confirm his story. They have every right to check through any of your personal belongings if they believe there might be a chance a person is going to cause mischief.
While I don't exactly know where I stand in regards to the pipeline yet, I don't think that protesting and trespassing are ways to make your point known.

a reply to: Swills
This is very funny to me.

Average citizen using a drone to spy on company and learn information and is upset that they are shooting them.

Average citizen complains when police uses drones and threatens to (or does) shoot them down.

originally posted by: seasonal
No Freedom Of the Press If Reporting on Standing Rock-Reporter detained at Canada/US Boarder

America is already becoming great again!