National Press Club Decries Police Raid of Virginia Student Newspaper Office

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Apr 19, 2010, 03:41 ET

WASHINGTON, April 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Press Club called the police raid of a Virginia student newspaper deplorable and urged law enforcement to cease taking any such action in the future.

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James Madison University's The Breeze newspaper reported on its Web site that Marsha Garst, Virginia commonwealth attorney for the region, and Harrisonburg police confiscated 926 photos from the newsroom April 16. Most of the photos depicted a riot the police are investigating. The photos have been temporarily sealed until an agreement can be reached, The Breeze reported today.

"Law enforcement clearly acted rashly in raiding this newsroom,'' National Press Club President Alan Bjerga said. "Journalists are not tools of law enforcement. These materials gathered to report the news were wrongly taken from these student journalists.''

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB:

The National Press Club is the world's leading professional organization for journalists. Founded in 1908, the Club has 3,700 members representing most major news organizations. The Club holds more than 2,000 events including news conferences, luncheons and panels each year, and more than 250,000 guests come through its doors. On the web at www.press.org

SOURCE National Press Club