As the Mike Bloomberg's NYPD began removing Occupy Wall Street protesters from Zuccotti Park this morning morning, they immediately created a media-free bubble around their police action, pushing reporters out of view and clearing the airspace of news helicopters. Bloomber and his police commissioner said they were protecting the press.
What ever happened to freedom of the press? Was this Bloomberg's response to reports of police aggression against demonstrators, as well as members of the media? The NY Press is formally filing a complaint against these tactics stating that many journalists were unable to provide first-hand accounts of the clashes because they were so far away.
The hashtag #mediablackout quickly spread on Twitter as journalists, barred from the area around the park, expressed their frustration at the NYPD’s strong arm police state tactics.