This is a great way to ruin the positive coverage the media has been giving these protests. But, then again, the looters and thieves among the crowd probably don’t care much about bad publicity.
Via Politico:
Reporters trying to cover the renewed chaos in this town faced a new threat on Friday: the demonstrators themselves.
Print, video and photo-journalists were all repeatedly and aggressively threatened and harassed when attempting to photograph or videotape any of the looting or property destruction. Many of the demonstrators expressed concern about being identified by police or told reporters that the looting was none of their concern.
Police largely remained on the sidelines on Friday and into the dawn hours of Saturday morning as demonstrators descended on a number of businesses in Ferguson — pulling alcohol, lottery tickets, and merchandise from the vandalized stores.
Reporters were repeatedly and forcefully told to move away, turn around, put down their cameras or simply to leave the area when trying to get close enough to film the scenes of destruction and theft. Most reporters on the scene were simply recording the events as they unfolded — making no effort to interfere or interview participants in the rioting.
Many of the looters carried molotov cocktails and wore bandanas over their faces to conceal their identity. Multiple reporters said demonstrators made repeated threats about being armed or returning with weapons — but no journalist on the scene that POLITICO spoke with reported seeing a weapon.