Breaking: ND Prosecutor Seeks "Riot" Charges Against Amy Goodman For Reporting On Pipeline Protest

UPDATE: District Judge John Grinsteiner decided NOT to authorize riot charges against Amy Goodman for her reporting on an attack against Native American-led anti-pipeline protesters. She had this to say, “This is a complete vindication of my right as a journalist to cover the attack on the protesters, and of the public’s right to know what is happening with the Dakota Access pipeline. We will continue to report on this epic struggle of Native Americans and their non-Native allies taking on the fossil fuel industry and an increasingly militarized police in this time when climate change threatens the planet.”

End of update, read original story below.

State’s Attorney Ladd R. Erickson filed charges on Friday before District Judge John Grinsteiner against the award-winning journalist, Amy Goodman, charging her with participating in a “riot”. Translation= she was merely there doing her job as a journalist and caught an attack on Native American-led anti-pipeline protesters. Goodman is the host and executive producer of Democracy Now!, a national, daily, independent, award-winning public television/radio news program that airs on over 1,400 stations worldwide. She’s also co-authored six New York Times bestsellers.

If the charges are approved, she will appear at Morton County court today at 1:30 p.m. CDT. It’s a proud day for American when the press are charged with doing their jobs.

From the article:

“I came back to North Dakota to fight a trespass charge. They saw that they could never make that charge stick, so now they want to charge me with rioting,” said Goodman. “I wasn’t trespassing, I wasn’t engaging in a riot, I was doing my job as a journalist by covering a violent attack on Native American protesters.”

Annnndddd that’s the issue. There was an attack on Native American people who were protesting the HORRENDOUS INJUSTICE- another one- being done to them on THEIR LAND and no one wants that kind of press to get out. Makes the US government, and the company behind the pipeline, look more like what they are: thieves who don’t care about anyone but their bottom line. Not us, not them, not the environment- nothing but lining their pockets.

And state’s Attorney Erickson, is a real genius writing in an email to Goodman’s attorney that she, “was not acting as a journalist.” Rather, “She’s [Amy Goodman] a protester, basically. Everything she reported on was from the position of justifying the protest actions.” Too bad the First Amendment doesn’t mention that you’re only safe if the content of your story agrees with the government!

The problem and resulting charge come from Democracy Now!’s coverage of the protests against the Dakota Access pipeline:

“On Saturday, September 3, Democracy Now! filmed security guards working for the pipeline company attacking protesters. The report showed guards unleashing dogs and using pepper spray and featured people with bite injuries and a dog with blood dripping from its mouth and nose.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuZcx2zEo4k

The report went viral, being viewed more than 14 million times on Facebook. It was also rebroadcast on CBS, NBC, NPR, CNN, MSNBC and the Huffington Post. And again, that’s bad for business. So on September 8th, a criminal complaint and warrant were issued for Goodman’s arrest (initially on just the trespassing charge).

Should she appear in court, Amy Goodman will issue a press release in front of the Morton County Courthouse, around 1:45 p.m. CDT, Monday, October 17, 2016.

Source: Democracy Now