Ethics

VA Violates First Amendment

By Ed Brayton

Balko has this outrageous story:

David Schultz, a reporter for the NPR affiliate WAMU in D.C., had his microphone, headphones, and a digital recorder seized by police and PR reps from the Veterans Administration when he interviewed veteran Tommy Kennedy at a public town hall meeting in D.C. yesterday.

Kennedy was attempting to tell Schultz about the poor treatment he says he's been getting from the VA hospital. VA officials claim Schultz didn't identify himself as a reporter, failed to obtain a VA-approved waiver before speaking with Kennedy, was both exploiting Kennedy and violating Kennedy's right to medical privacy.

Full post as published by Dispatches from the Culture Wars on April 13, 2009 (boomark / email).