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usc
politics
Conservative Filmmaker Tries To Get Arrested, Succeeds [Updated]
John Ziegler is an idiot.The conservative filmmaker/activist managed to get himself arrested Wednesday after trying to rile up opposition to a journalism award given to Katie Couric for her Sarah Palin interview. Now he's pushing a 20-minute video of his antics and subsequent arrest, claiming anti-conservative bias.
As a senior at the USC Annenberg School for Communication, I know almost everyone featured in the video, including the university officials, event organizers and campus police who Ziegler claims "literally abused" him. Not too surprisingly, Ziegler is wildly exaggerating what really happened:
In the days leading up to the event, Ziegler had announced his intention to protest the award. USC provided a gated space near the entrance of the event for demonstrators, but Ziegler and his film crew were the only ones to show up. So Ziegler started calling himself a journalist and demanding full access to the event.
Conveniently enough, a film crew is on hand to document Ziegler's plight, either brought by Ziegler or hired for the occasion. Ziegler, microphone in hand, repeatedly tries to get university officials to say something controversial, pouncing at every opportunity and offering slanted commentary to the camera.
Meanwhile, Zeigler still refuses to move to the area provided for visiting demonstrators, ten feet away. After putting up with Ziegler for nearly an hour, campus police tell Ziegler that he's made his point and is no longer welcome on campus. Of course, the university is well within its rights; Ziegler is standing on private property.Ziegler cries foul and resists arrest, grunting, "You guys realize you're breaking all sorts of constitut-- I'm not gonna move!"
He's promptly escorted off campus. Feigning outrage, he went to Greta Van Susteren and Fox News for a softball interview so one-sided that it insults the journalism profession far more than any award.
The Drudge Report did its part by posting a link to the video, and Ziegler's website now reads: "I am simply shocked and horrified by what happened here, as should every freedom loving American. I did absolutely nothing wrong and I was handcuffed, detained and literally abused by law enforcement at the event."What a joke.
Yes, the award was silly. But its actual title was "Special Achievement for National Impact on the 2008 Campaign." Though I don't think Couric deserves an award, it's a bit ridiculous to protest Annenberg for recognizing the national impact of the Couric interviews. Let's remember, Palin botched interviews on plenty of other occasions.
As I've said before about Zeigler, claims of liberal bias can usually be substantiated with the facts. As a registered Republican, I'm usually sympathetic to these claims. But Ziegler seems more intent on generating publicity stunts and manufactured outrage than actually serving any legitimate public interest.
It's an embarrassment to fellow conservatives.
* Update: USC Annenberg professor Marc Cooper writes on his personal blog that campus police responded poorly, but Ziegler showed up "hoping to goad the cops into action." Cooper also links to a revealing April 2005 profile of Ziegler in The Atlantic, which confirms some nagging suspicions about Ziegler's mental stability (remember the Nate Silver interview?).
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Larry
10:20PM 10:20PM Apr 17th 2009
It's so over for you Republicans I am starting to feel sorry for you pathetic bastards.................
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Steven Ungles
1:46AM 1:46AM Apr 18th 2009
Don't gloat too much Larry, when people get fed up with the socialist democratic party, it will be "so over" for you fools as well...Registered Independent
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Angelia
12:48PM 12:48PM Apr 19th 2009
Don't feel sorry for me. You and yours are the ones who will fall. I am also Independent. And once folks get fed up with Nobama and his Socialism, it will fall.
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USAlover
10:35PM 10:35PM Apr 17th 2009
katie couric had him arrested because he was a consertive only. The world revolves around leftie commies.
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Cory
11:30PM 11:30PM Apr 17th 2009
If this was a leftist getting arrested, I suspect this entire column would be quite different and, suddenly, such phony indignation would be absent. Give us a break...clown. We know who the "one-sidedness" belongs to...don't we?
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Cory
11:35PM 11:35PM Apr 17th 2009
Had this been a leftist being arrested, I suspect this entire column would be significantly different...and, suddenly, such phony indignation would be absent. We all know where the "one-sidedness" resides.
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BJV
11:52PM 11:52PM Apr 17th 2009
JOSHUA-YOUR'SE A REPUBLICAN?! SO THAT'S HOW THE KENYAN HYENA WON. KATIE COURIC IS A PUBLIC FIGURE- SHE'S NOT THE POPE- SHE HAD NO RIGHT TO HAVE HER HENCHMEN DETAIN ANYBODY. TYPICAL HYPOCRITE LIBERAL-CAN DISH IT OUT BUT CAN'T TAKE IT.
YES, PALIN DIDN'T DO WELL ON COURIC'S OR GIBSON'S INTERVIEW-BUT SINCE THEY WERE BOTH GOTCHA LANDMINES-I WASN'T SURPRISED.
MAYBE THAT HELPED KATIE"GUMS"COURIC RAISE HER VIEWERS TO FIVE?
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david french
6:30AM 6:30AM Apr 18th 2009
Not sure who is sillier, the person who wrote this garbage or some of the responses. My fav. laugh is the 'Palin ambush'. Right...did it every occur to you she is an arrogant nit wit. A woman who supposedly has a journalism degree yet cannot even put a sentence together. Quit whining. The tea parties where amusing though, gets the whole price is right crowd out for some fresh air.
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Uncla Al
12:38AM 12:38AM Apr 18th 2009
The GOP is dying before our very eyes. They are nothing like what the Republican party used to be, back when I joined them. They've been hijacked by the far right, fundamentalist, phony patriotic chickenhawks that yell hatred for everything they don't personally believe in. I re-registered as an Independent last year. I still believe in the constitution and felt it was necessary.
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Steven Ungles
1:48AM 1:48AM Apr 18th 2009
Don't gloat too much Larry, Americans are getting sick of the socialist democratic party already. It will be "so over" for you democRATS before long. Hopefully before you completely sell us out, and we become the "United Socialist States of America."
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Steven Ungles
1:53AM 1:53AM Apr 18th 2009
Obama and the rest of the socialist democratic party are turning this country into the United Socialist States of America, we are turning from a democratic republic to a socialist republic, and no one seems to give a damn. Hopefully they will, before it's too late.
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M Kennedy
4:52PM 4:52PM Apr 18th 2009
I find it hard to believe that you actually consider yourself a Republican. Maybe the "Senior in Annenberg School of Communications" explains it. Poor old Annenberg. He would be horrified to see what his donation has spawned. Ziegler had as much right to be there as Michael Moore had to be outside GM headquarters until he managed to talk to the GM CEO and make "Roger and Me." I don't agree with Moore but I didn't see any security guards trying to handcuff him, either. You seem to have a weak sense of freedom of expression for a student of communications.
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Curt
1:54PM 1:54PM Apr 18th 2009
Look at these comments! If you all think your going to get the country back that way, you are mistaken. You act like a bunch of whiny school boys saying "he did it!no he did it!". We all did it!!! bottom line. Now we have to fix it. Get over it. The gluttony of the past century is our mistake. A stupid, uninformed and senseless war and the non regulation of the last two administrations finished it for us. Now we have to pay the price for high times. The US is too fat anyway.
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Curt
1:53PM 1:53PM Apr 18th 2009
Silliness! You can tell the lack of intelligent thinking. What does it matter who's fault or what names or who "ambushed Palin"? We need to attend to our problem. Not bicker over stupid nonessential items. We are the United States of America!
United! We are going to have to give until it hurts to get out of this mess we are in. Any one who doesn't is purely UNPATRIOTIC.
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Curt
3:18PM 3:18PM Apr 18th 2009
Silliness! You can tell the lack of intelligent thinking. What does it matter who's fault or what names or who "ambushed Palin"? We need to attend to our problem. Not bicker over stupid nonessential items. We are the United States of America!
United! We are going to have to give until it hurts to get out of this mess we are in. Any one who doesn't is purely UNPATRIOTIC.
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Lamar
5:57PM 5:57PM Apr 18th 2009
The of the school states that Mr. Ziegler was arrested after an hour of putting up with Mr. Zieglers questioning. WHAT A LIE! I have the full video of what happened all 48min of it in real time. John Ziegler was put in cuffs 19min and 51sec after he arrived.
Mr. Ziegler asked repeatedly to have media access inside at which the USC school stated was a pool coverage. At no time did the school accommodate Mr. Zieglers request to cover the event inside (GOT THAT MR.COOPER!!!!)
WHAT A BUNCH OF LAIRS YOU GUYS ARE AT USC. YOU ALL SHOULD BE ASHAMED!
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Clay
8:29PM 8:29PM Apr 18th 2009
Socialism: a means by which people, goods and services get together.Its used worldwide and yes in the United States!Communism: is when you take socialism and ADD the teachings of Leninism,Stalinism,Marxism, and various other parts(as Russia did!)THEN and ONLY THEN, do you get Communism! By the way, anyone doing their homework knows that Socialism is Liberal and Communism is CONSERVATIVE! So all this McCarthyism and Reaganism CRAP doesn't fly! LOL!
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steve
12:30AM 12:30AM Apr 19th 2009
Clay, where did you read that Communism was an ideal of the right. In fact Communism is as far left as you can go. Without writing a thesis, I will explain it. Socialism is a economic structure which is planned by the government, with the government controlling the means of production. That means they control all the companies. Communism is socialism, but with community (government) owning everything. That means you couldn't own a house or even a bed. Everything is owned by the community and as such can be taken from you for no reason. What you are refering to is fascism. But even that has been taken over by the left. What most people fail to realize is that there are two axes in the political realm. A economic axis and a social (personal) axis. For the most part socialism and communism describe points along the economic axis. Fascism is usually considered a point along the social axis. This can be seen in Nazism, which was fascist socialism. For the most part there has always been facists in both parties. A long time ago there were more in the Republican party who wanted to control your life based on religious teaching. But now there are more fascists in the Democratic party who want to control what you think or at least what to ban anything that is again any ideal it holds. (See recent homeland security report for proof). That report basically labels anyone that does not hold the same beliefs as the obama administration as a potential terrorist. Doing homework is not watching CNN and MSNBC. You should actually read some books. In fact you should go as far as to read the writings of Marx and Lenin and the writing of Friedman and other economists. You may actually learn something.
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TRogers
11:50AM 11:50AM Apr 19th 2009
Conservative filmmaker is an oxymoron. Remember those attempts at movie satire about Michael Moore or the one about lefty teachers starring Ben Stein? No? I rest my case.
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eyeswideopen911
2:06PM 2:06PM Apr 19th 2009
MORONS ARE THE LEFT MEDIA KATIE SUCKS BIG TIME, THIS GUY WAS JUST DOING WHAT ALL REPORTERS DO PLEASE STOP THE CRAP, THESE PIGS HAD NO RIGHT TO DO WHAT THEY DID TO HIM, SUE,SUE SUE SUE THE PIGS.WE DO STILL HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN AMERICA, IF IT WAS SOME ONE FROM CNN OR ANY OF THOSE LEFT NEWS CHANNELS EVERY THING WOULD HAVR BEEN FINE,HOW FAIR IS THAT?STAND UP AMERICANS AND FIGHT FOR ARE RIGHTS.TIME WE TAKE BACK ARE AMERICA.LETS ROLL.
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