Washington, September 18 (IANS) The Press Club of the country has strongly objected and condemned the incident of misbehavior with a journalist in Dallas, USA, when he asked a question to Overseas Congress President Sam Pitroda.
The National Press Club of America has issued a statement by the club’s president Emily Wilkins on Tuesday. It said that the security personnel present with Sam Pitroda at a hotel in Dallas to receive Rahul Gandhi had no right to object to any question or misbehave with the journalist because the interview was being conducted in a completely professional manner with prior permission.
Wilkins said that the investigation revealed that journalist Rohit Sharma’s mobile was snatched and the recording was deleted. This is a violation of the ‘First Amendment’ rights of National Press Club member Rohit Sharma.
The incident took place during Rahul Gandhi’s recently concluded US visit. According to the statement, Sharma was waiting for Rahul Gandhi’s arrival at a hotel near the Dallas airport. While he was waiting, Sharma interviewed India Overseas Congress (IOC) president Sam Pitroda. The two had met earlier and “the interview was conducted in a professional manner with consent for recording”.
According to the statement, “Several members of the IOC and several members of Shri Gandhi’s advance staff were listening to the interview. On the last question, some in the audience objected to the content and shouted at Sharma, snatched his phone and stopped the interview. The group also included Rahul Gandhi’s staff. They deleted files from Sharma’s phone and kept it away from him.
“Pitroda, who had suddenly left for the airport to meet (Rahul) Gandhi, later apologised to Sharma. He had no objection to Sharma’s question and was in the process of answering it before leaving when the audience erupted in anger. Later during his US visit, Rahul Gandhi too answered a similar question at the Press Club Newsmakers event in Washington.”
Wilkins said in his statement, “The security staff should have known that journalists working in the United States are protected under the First Amendment, regardless of the nationality of the interviewer, reporter or security team. This was an on-the-record interview with ground rules set between Mr. Sharma and Mr. Pitroda. The security team had no role in the content or duration of the interview. They had no authority to take Sharma’s phone or delete content.”
–IANS
AKJ/
