Declining to second-guess the actions of police, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman this morning announced that the city will not prosecute journalists — “broadly defined” — who were arrested and cited with misdemeanors while simply doing their jobs during the Republican National Convention.

“This broadly reflects the ideals of the city with regards to the role journalists play,” Coleman said in an interview this morning.

City officials also announced that charges are being dropped against Amy Goodman, host of the left-leaning Democracy Now! Show and two of her producers. Goodman’s arrest had become a cause cÃ©lÃ¨bre among media advocacy groups, although the circumstances of her arrest were unique because she challenged a police line. City Attorney John Choi said no decisions had yet been made on any other individual journalists.

As many as 50 journalists were arrested before and during the four-day event in St. Paul earlier this month, according to a Pioneer Press tally. The city has no such tally. Most were swept up in mass arrests, detained for hours and cited with being present at an unlawful assembly before being released. Pioneer Press photographer Ben Garvin was among them.

It is that specific charge that the new policy is most targeted at, Choi said. Choi’s office, which recommended the policy on not charging journalists, is responsible for determining whether misdemeanor accusations are prosecuted or dropped. More serious felony charges are handled by the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office. Choi and Coleman emphasized that every charge will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Coleman said if prosecutors believe a journalist was breaking the law — “more than just doing their job” — prosecutions might proceed.

So what is a journalist? Unclear.

But the new policy puts the city squarely on a path to step into that can of worms.

On one extreme, reporters, camera operators, bloggers, or anyone else who applied for and received media credentials for the RNC by convention organizers will be considered journalists. “That’s easy,” Coleman said.

On the other extreme, a person who claims to be a journalist merely by virtue that he or she was documenting events will not. “Having a pen in your pocket does not make you a journalist,” Coleman said. “Having a camera in your pocket does not make you a journalist.”

As for the dozens of arrested journalists who fall between those extremes — including freelancers or upstart independent media organizations — Coleman said, “It’s a challenge for us. We don’t live in an era where there are just three to four people covering things.”

Don’t expect today’s announcement to be the end of the discussion.

On Monday, the Society of Professional Journalists is holding a forum on the issue, and on Wednesday, journalism advocates are expected to speak at a public meeting on a host of RNC issues organized by City Council Member Dave Thune. Coleman also has appointed two former federal prosecutors to review RNC-related security decisions and actions.

Declining to prosecute charges doesn’t erase the arrest. If a journalist was on probation for a previous conviction, being swept up and cited by police could have ramifications.

St. Paul police stand by officers’ decisions to arrest journalists during the RNC, said Tom Walsh, a police spokesman. He said officers had probable cause.

“Cops made a good decision at that time,” Walsh said today. “It was an unlawful assembly and it was a public safety issue.” He added, “You have to separate charging and trying from the issue of whether or not someone should be arrested.” he said.

Asked whether there would be a review of department policy on arresting journalists, Walsh said, “I don’t see why.”

Mara H. Gottfried contributed.