Black Reporter Removed from McCain Event
David Knowles
Contributor
Posted:
08/3/08
A strange story out of Panama City, Florida this week. Via the Tallahassee Democrat (which is the name of the newspaper in Florida's capital):
Tallahassee Democrat senior writer Stephen Price on Friday was singled out and asked to leave a media area at the Panama City rally of presidential candidate Sen. John McCain.
Price was among at least three other reporters, and the only black reporter, surrounding McCain's campaign bus--Gov. Charlie Crist and his fiancee, Carole Rome, were already aboard--when a member of the Arizona senator's security detail asked the reporter to identify himself. Price had shown his media credentials to enter the area.
Without explanation, Price was asked to leave. And when another reporter asked the Secret Service detail why Price was being kicked out, she, too, was removed from the area.
Jonathan Block, a member of McCain's advance team later said the following of the incident:
"At the end of the day, your reporter was in the wrong place. I do not know why the other reporters were not moved. The rest of the local press should have been moved as well."
More details when they come in...
