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Daily News Calls Out Two Impostor Daily News Journalists At Occupy Wall Street
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Oct 9, 2011
Modified Oct 9, 2011
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Oct 9, 2011
Modified Oct 9, 2011
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After an initial period of indifference, the media—both professional and amateur—have swarmed Zuccotti Park to cover the Occupy Wall Street protests. Most are sincere, while a few show up with the goal of poking fun at the demonstrators. But yesterday two men brandishing a video camera and a microphone approached attendees in the park for interviews, telling them they were with The New York Daily News. A Daily News employee snapped their photo and confronted the impostors.
"I see these two guys tell this protester, who agreed to be interviewed, that they were with the Daily News," the paper's social media PA, Colin Jones, tells us. "I didn't recognize them, but I figured they could be freelancing or something." After listening to the questions, however, Jones suspected they were lying. "They were asking really weird, condescending questions like, 'Would you vote for a presidential candidate with a facial tattoo?' Stuff designed to make the guy they were talking to look stupid."
Jones tracked them down later and asked them where they were from. "They said, 'the Internet.'" After reminding them that they had told a protester that they were from the Daily News, the men answered, "Well, we lied." Jones then mentioned he worked for the newspaper. "They said, 'oh, well this is awkward.' And just walked away." He then lost them in the ensuing crowd.
Were these impostors part of a right-wing "infiltration" effort as one protester at a recent protest in DC was? Or were they just lying to gain access? "I'm not going to speculate who they were," Jones says, "I just wanted to make everyone aware that these guys were impersonating a legitimate media outlet. What we were worried about was these people ruining our coverage of this movement from day one, which we worked hard on."
Jones tells us that he doesn't carry a NYPD-issue press card, but that he always shows people he's talking to his Daily News ID badge and his business card. "But people shouldn't need those things. Anyone should be able to come down here and report on what they see. That's the whole point of journalism."
Tagged
daily news
daily show
fox news
impostors
media
nypd
occupy wall street
press credentials
Zuccotti Park
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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