Posted on 08/12/2002 11:56:38 PM PDT by JohnHuang2
WASHINGTON – When former second lady (and almost U.S. Senate candidate) Tipper Gore lectured at American University – for a reported $31,000 fee – this lecture, in April, was open to the public even though none of Washington's electronic media decided to cover it.
One of those in the crowd was American University undergraduate Benjamin Wetmore, of Texas.
Mr. Wetmore operates a website called benladner.com, named for the American University president of that name – and frequently critical of – President Ben Ladner.
Student Wetmore was also critical of the amount of money being paid for Mrs. Gore's speech. So, he brought his camcorder.
American University claims that prior to the Gore speech, an announcement was made that no teletaping could be done. But Attorney Greg Lukienoff, of the Legal and Public Advocacy Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, strongly denies that there was any such prohibition of videotape recording, either at the beginning of the Gore speech, or in flyers advertising her speech. "What was said was only a prohibition of flash photographs," he said during an interview.
So, Wetmore, a sophomore at American U., filmed Mrs. Gore's entire speech.
At the conclusion of Mrs. Gore's speech, plainclothes campus police – who refused Wetmore's request to identify themselves – ordered him to leave the room.
Outside, they pinned him down, handcuffed him and took away his videotape of Mrs. Gore – which they have never returned.
Student Wetmore was subsequently charged with "possession of stolen property(!) the videotaping of Mrs. Gore's intellectual property."
He was put on probation and threatened with expulsion. American University still refuses to return his videotape of Mrs. Gore.
At American University, President Ladner's chief of staff, David Taylor, told me:
"This was an event arranged by the Kennedy Political Union, a student speakers' bureau. Wetmore was approached three times and told that he was not allowed to tape. For Mrs. Gore was there to discuss copy from her book. His camera was returned – but not his videotape."
I asked Mr. Taylor: "Since this was an event open to the public – not just students – and it featured a nationally known former second lady and possible first lady, or U.S. Senate candidate – what if print reporters from local dailies had covered this event and reported many of Tipper's statements?"
Taylor replied: "You can do a report – but not a recording. Our campus newspaper, The Eagle, covered this event."
To which I replied: "In other words, at American University, the First Amendment's press freedom applies only to print media – not to electronic media?"
Mr. Taylor seemed uneasy as he responded:
"No TV stations or networks appeared or asked to cover it. Whether they would have been allowed to, would have been up to Mrs. Gore."
Student Wetmore's case has just been taken by Washington's law firm Ross, Dixon and Bell's partner, Solomon Wisenberger.
Quite welcome, amigo.
Try to get between Teddy Kennedy or Hillary! and a camera and you'd better have your life insurance up to speed.
Her "speech" must really have sucked............hugely.............
Now, there are three words which really don't agree with one another's company.
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