Harassment of indy journalists continues today

Since the 1960s when the FBI and local police engaged in violence and constant harassment against "underground weeklies," repression against dissenting U.S. outlets has deceased. But it has certainly not ended, as in Minnesota during the 2008 Republican Convention. (Three years later, the journalists' suit against the police was settled, with $100,000 in compensation being paid by the St. Paul and Minneapolis Police Departments and the Secret Service. The settlement included an agreement by the St. Paul police to implement a training program aimed at educating officers regarding the 1st Amendment rights of the press and public, including proper procedures for dealing with the press covering demonstrations.)

Or as in Alaska, during the 2010 election for U.S. senator. An online reporter was handcuffed and detained for asking questions of the Alaska Republican senate candidate, Joe Miller. The reporter -- a well-known journalist in the area and founder of Alaska Dispatch -- was handcuffed by Miller's security personnel after a dispute over his questioning of the candidate about his role as a former part-time city attorney. Here's Alaska Dispatch's version of the detention. The critical reporting on Miller's past -- and this heavy-handed incident -- contributed to Miller's stunning defeat in the November election.