To quickly set the scenario: Comedy Central seems to be under the strange delusion that it can control media access on public lands with regard to their infotainment special today, despite the fact that the rules pretty explicitly says that they can’t. J.P. Freire of Pajamas Media seems almost eager to have somebody try to stop his team from filming today:
It does seem a bit incredulous that a rally for “reasonableness” should exclude freely based camera crews exercising their First Amendment rights to cover your attendees walking on public property. Unless this is Prague in 1968. And unless Comedy Central own tanks. Or unless it deploys a Comedy Police with enforcement powers.
On the other hand maybe I got this all wrong…I thought you were merely trying to be clever when you said it was a rally for fear. If is that, then I certainly understand your attitudes and rules.
If the network is dumb, it will try to stop people from filming today. If they do, it will not end well for the network: there’s going to be plenty of groups out there who will be willing to fund the court challenges. In other words, I offer this as sincere advice: fighting this isn’t worth the hassle, Comedy Central, especially since you’re wrong. Let it go.
Moe Lane