I am always offended and annoyed with the labeling of some recent conduct or person with Nazism or Hitler or drawing analogies with the Holocaust and thereby belittling those horrific events in our history with some current less appalling and even minor occurrences. But I truly believe that the attempt of prosecutors to subpoena "the grades, grading criteria, class syllabus, expense reports and e-mail messages of their journalism students themselves" at Northwestern University warrants and deserves the Gestapo label.
It is a flagrant attempt to intimidate the Medill Innocence Project and other similar projects which have been so successful in overturning wrongful convictions. The alleged justification is that the prosecutors want to determine "whether students believed that they would receive better grades if witnesses they interviewed provided evidence to exonerate Mr. McKinney." So I take it that would mean that every time a detective obtained incriminating evidence, his entire background could be examined in order to determine his motives when interviewing a witness; whether he had received or expected a raise or a promotion; and if so whether he needed money; how much his debt was; what he was paying for rent and alimony, etc. In other words, the scope of the investigation would be extended to the motives of the investigator rather than the witness being investigated and interrogated.
Then there is the equally significant question of whether information directly relating to the guilt or innocence of the defendant can be sought from student journalists. Whether there is or should be a reporter's privilege has been the subject of great debate. If the prosecutor here were seeking incriminating (rather than exonerating) evidence derived from the student interviews, I would gladly withdraw my Gestapo label. At least in that instance, their purpose, but not necessarily their legal position, would be justified and acceptable. But the effort to investigate the students themselves warrants that label. The spokesperson for the prosecutor's office defends its actions:
"At the end of the day, all we're seeking is the same thing these students are: justice and truth." Rather it seems that they are trying to suppress the truth and subvert justice.
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Yeah,
Just like that....
Get real.
Are the notes of journalist given different privacy protection than say a private investigat
You do a gross disservice to all those who were subjected to the brutality of the Gestapo by using it
as you have. Comparing such a sitution to men who wore black uniform with skull on them in order to advance your positon is a bit of a surprise considerin
The sacred status given to studens who happen to be journalism student is a push. Using college students to conduct interview such as this sounds more than a bit suspect.
If this was trully a situation involving the Gestapo, there would be no request for documentat
My family along with millions around the world gave life and limb to wipe the Gestapo off the planet.
The Gestapo no longer exists so making such a comparison not only does not sit well, it is a gross exageratio
As we know, what exists in the classroom and on paper does not always reflect realities on the ground, outside the classroom. As invasive as all of this is, investivga
Again, not saying it is "right" but at the same time would such behavior simply reflective of the nature of the profession and/or business? It is not as if defense attorney's and their staffs have not gone after witnesses against their clients in order to undermine their credibilit
As we know, across the line, across industries and profession
T
There might be journalism schools in this country, but medill certainly isn't one of them.
Also wouldn;'t this set a very disturbing precedent for the policies of major newspapers and pay programs for profession
I have commented twice on the difference between the Gestapo and these prosecutor
There is a difference between the Gestapo and these prosecutor
However, I think the word Gestapo was a very bad choice of words.
http://en.
I have little to no confidence in the American system of justice, where you have the best justice that money can buy.
No money, no justice.
While I understand the subject issues are at state level, the federal judiciary oversees Constituti
The Federal judiciary has failed the American people, in not only the area of minority rights, but also in applying the 14th amendment of equal treatment under law.
The federal judiciary is defeating the main reason the federal judiciary was made independen