Josh Fox, director the anti-fracking documentary, Gasland, was arrested today along with his crew for filming a hearing without the proper paperwork. He is charged with unlawful entry. To a hearing which was open to the public.
Also, the hearing was already being filmed by C-SPAN.
Brad Miller (D-N.C.), the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, can be heard at the end of the clip asking Republican Chairman Andy Harris (R-Md.) to halt the arrest and permit Fox to film the public hearing. Harris denies Miller's request as Fox is escorted out of the hearing in handcuffs.
"I was chair of the Subcommittee for four years, and we frequently had people show up the day of a hearing to film," Rep. Brad Miller (D-N.C.) told HuffPost. "We asked for their name, but they were told if they would not disrupt the hearing, they were free to record. A couple of times staff said, 'You're getting in the way, don't stand there,' but other than that, I do not ever recall anything like this. We certainly never turned anyone away for not providing 24 hours' notice."
Politically slanty huffpo link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/01/house-republicans-order-j_n_1246971.html
Also, this, on the same hearing, from Businessweek:
Representative Andy Harris of Maryland, the Republican chairman of the Energy and Environment subcommittee of the House Science Committee, criticized the EPA, saying that the study of groundwater contamination was an example of “politics trumping policy and advocacy trumping science.”
Streisand effect. Good on Fox for remaining calm and being clear in his statements rather than blasting a particular representative.
At least the dystopia is fascinating.
:(