Unbelievable. Reporters on Manning trial warned not to use social media during sessions.

I have posted before about the outstanding job that Kevin Gosztola has been doing reporting on the Manning trial. His report today (sentencing phase) reflects that reporters are being "warned" not to post on social media during sessions.

This seems outrageous.

Unless a gag order banning all discussion of a case has been entered, reporters have always been allowed to leave the courtroom to phone their publishers (newspapers, magazines, tv, radio, whatever) with news from the courtroom. Why they are not being allowed to do the same with social media seems like a violation of the First Amendment, assuming someone from the government is doing the warning.

Gosztola did not mention who is "warning" reporters or whether any reason has been given. However, his report today suggests that the warning today is not the first.



http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2013/08/07/sentencing-phase-of-bradley-mannings-trial-day-6-live-updates/

So, Gosztola may have mentioned this phenomenon in an earlier report, giving more information.

Thing is, the mainstream media has, for the most part, been absent from the courtroom. The reporters who are there every day are people like Kevin, who don't have behind them wealthy publishers or press organizations who can fight legal battles on their behalf if they violate the "warning" and get into trouble as a result.

I am going to try to look through Kevin's prior posts to see if I can find more info. Meanwhile, this is very disturbing.

The day is coming.

"The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it's profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theater."

— Frank Zappa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_shootings

A lot of resistance is not even that necessary.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Occupy_Wall_Street

Concentration camps? Way too expensive, anymore.

But, if they privatize them, watch out!