DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Missouri students, professor take heat for blocking photojournalist from capturing protests

Nov 11, 2015 by Gannon Burgett Add Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

TimTaiIIThe University of Missouri has been a hotbed for protests over the past week as students fight back against administration for all but ignoring a handful of racially-charged incidents that have occurred over the past few years.

Although the school administration is at the center of the protests, a new video has come out showing the students, who have set up a small camp on the public school’s quad, blocking student photojournalist Tim Tai – on assignment from ESPN – from capturing the protests.

In the below video, you can see Concerned Student 1950, a student-led activist group whose name is derived from the year black students were first allowed on campus, form a wall to block out any and all media from the tent site they had set up.

In the background of the video, you can hear students shout out ‘you don’t have a right to take our photos’ as Tai attempts to capture the scene. Tai promptly responds by stating ‘I have a job to do […] I’m documenting this for a national news organization […] This is the First Amendment. It protects your right to stand here and protects mine [to photograph].’

Behind the camera is fellow photographer Mark Schierbecker, who is approached near the end of the video by mass media assistant professor Melissa Click, who has been taking heat for her actions and statements.

In the video, you can see Click grab Schierbecker’s camera, command him to leave the area and yell to other protesters, ’who wants to help me get this reporter out of here? I need some muscle over here.’

Screencap of mass media assistant professor Melissa Click pointing for Mark Schierbecker to vacate the premises.

Screencap of mass media assistant professor Melissa Click pointing for Mark Schierbecker to vacate the premises.

Local and national media, as well as fellow students, have called for Click to be removed from the communications department – different from the journalism department – for interfering with Tai’s attempt to document the protests, an act protected by the very amendment she and the Concerned Student 1950 group are protected by as they protest on public property.

The below tweet is an official statement from Schierbecker on the incident:

Official statement: I will not allow students to silence dissent by becoming a human meat wall that rolls over journalists doing their jobs.

— Kayla Schierbecker (@Schierbecker) November 10, 2015

Some people have taken it too far though, sending death threats to Click for her actions, prompting her to shut down her Twitter account. In defense of her and the other students seen in the video, Tim Tai released the following series of tweets:

Have learned that some people in the video with me are getting death threats. That's unacceptable and sickening.

— Tim Tai (@nonorganical) November 10, 2015

My personal intention has never been to vilify the people in the video and I'm not sure why anyone thought it was OK to send them threats.

— Tim Tai (@nonorganical) November 10, 2015

Missouri Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder also made an official statement on the matter, sending out:

On Sunday I stood by the rights of protesters to have their voices heard while also urging the need for governance by University of Missouri leadership. Today, I’m standing for another First Amendment right, the freedom of the press. Actions on Monday by University faculty and staff to infringe on students’ First Amendment rights directly contradict what is taught at our universities. This incident must be examined, and if found necessary, disciplined.

Faculty and staff cannot be allowed to pick and choose which rights, viewpoints and freedoms they respect. I renew my call to restore law and order on campus, so the rights of all are protected. The University of Missouri is funded by taxpayers. It is imperative that it be a place where freedom is paramount and all voices are heard.

Click has since released a formal apology for her actions and resigned her courtesy appointment with the Missouri School of Journalism.

Click Apology

This is far from the end of it, but it seems tensions between the media and protesters is dying down after many apologies, including the above, have been made.

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

University of Missouri Assistant Professor Who Assaulted Photographer Has Been Fired Yale dental students and professor take a selfie with two severed heads Photojournalist permanently blinded by rubber bullet while covering Minneapolis protests Photojournalist arrested and shot with rubber bullets while covering Minneapolis protests

Filed Under: news Tagged With: Melissa Click, photographer, protests, Tim Tai, University of Missouri

Gannon Burgett: from diyphotography.net

About Gannon Burgett

Gannon Burgett is a communications professional with over a decade of experience editing, photographing, and writing content seen through hundreds of millions of pageviews, both online and in print.

« These Sucked Faces Demonstrate How Smartphones Alienate Us From Ourselves And Our Surroundings
This PSD Shows What Every Single Adjustment Layer Does Using Curves Only »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Learn photography

Recent Posts

  • Adobe ordered to pay more than $33 million for patent infringement
  • Hands on with the Kelvin Epos 600 RGBLAC light
  • Hands on with the Godox MG2400Bi LED beast
  • Hands on with the Saramonic WiTalk
  • Another tourist falls off a cliff while taking a selfie

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy