FCC Guards 'Manhandle' Reporter Just For Asking Questions At Net Neutrality Vote

from the not-so-free-press dept

The FCC apparently doesn't want to talk much about its plan to gut meaningful oversight of some of the least competitive companies in any American industry. Last week, we noted that the FCC had voted to begin the process of gutting popular net neutrality protections, ignoring the overwhelming public support for the rules registered at the FCC's website. This notice of proposed rule making (NPRM) is followed by a 90-day public comment period (you can comment here) ahead of a finalizing vote to kill the consumer protections later this year.

Since the FCC has been getting a few mean tweets over its decision to give consumers the policy equivalent of a giant middle finger, it's understandable that the agency is a bit on edge. That said, veteran defense beat reporter John Donnelly stated last week that this tension culminated in him being shoved up against the wall by two FCC staffers during their May 18 net neutrality meeting. Donnelly was, he stated, "manhandled" for simply trying to ask the agency a question:

. @FCC guards manhandled me, forced me out of building when I tried to ask @AjitPaiFCC & @mikeofcc questions. https://t.co/qQHQ4O82lc 1 — John M. Donnelly (@johnmdonnelly) May 18, 2017

The National Press Club was quick to issue a statement on the incident, saying that the FCC's security detail had even taken to following the reporter to the restroom for some unspecified reason:

"Donnelly said he ran afoul of plainclothes security personnel at the FCC when he tried to ask commissioners questions when they were not in front of the podium at a scheduled press conference. Throughout the FCC meeting, the security guards had shadowed Donnelly as if he were a security threat, he said, even though he continuously displayed his congressional press pass and held a tape recorder and notepad. They even waited for him outside the men’s room at one point. When Donnelly strolled in an unthreatening way toward FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly to pose a question, two guards pinned Donnelly against the wall with the backs of their bodies until O’Rielly had passed. O’Rielly witnessed this and continued walking."

Again, so it's clear, this wasn't even a particularly controversial reporter (not that it should matter), it was a widely respected veteran who has been covering FCC policy for more than a decade. Numerous members of the press were quick to express their disgust at the incident, and GOP Senator Chuck Grassley proclaimed that there was "no good reason to put hands on a reporter who’s doing his or her job."

This apparently all happened in front of FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly, who took to Twitter to apologize, but to deny that he saw the incident occur:

@mikeofcc @FCC @AjitPaiFCC I appreciate the apology. But "put themselves" there makes it sound dainty. They pinned me. — John M. Donnelly (@johnmdonnelly) May 18, 2017

O'Rielly then proceeded, for some reason, to indicate that he was cold and hungry at the time the event happened:

@johnmdonnelly @FCC @AjitPaiFCC John, I am not doubting you one bit. I didn't see physical touching. I was also freezing and starving. I am very sorry this occurred. — Mike O’Rielly (@mikeofcc) May 18, 2017

Clearly the FCC's majority is a little sensitive, but there's absolutely zero justification for this kind of behavior. But it does continue to make it clear that, much like its plan to gut meaningful oversight of telecom duopolies, the fake anti-net-neutrality bot comments flooding the agency's website, or the FCC's potentially-false DDoS attack claims -- there's more than a few subjects the current FCC doesn't want to talk too much about right now.

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Filed Under: fcc, john donnelly, journalism, mike o'rielly, net neutrality, reporting