Video of a tense exchange between reporters and protesters on Monday at the University Missouri has caught widespread attention after a communications professor called for "muscle" to remove a cameraman.
The scene happened on the university's campus at a demonstration by Concerned Student 1950, a student group that has been calling attention to racial issues at the university and demanding the resignation of university administrators.
Tim Wolfe, president of the University of Missouri system, and Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin have agreed to step down.
[seealso slug=http://sale-online.click/2015/11/09/mizzou-campus-black%5D%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ETensions between the protesters and the media had been on the rise, with signs asking reporters to stay out of certain areas.
.@CS_1950 explanation for why the campsite on the public commons should be treated as private space: pic.twitter.com/Yvx65TwSX6— Staci D Kramer (@sdkstl) November 10, 2015
In the video, numerous protesters confront what appear to be two reporters, one of whom is holding the video camera and another with a regular camera. The students demand that the reporters back up beyond signs that had been erected.
The photographer has been identified as Tim Tai, a photojournalism student at Missouri's School of journalism who was on assignment for ESPN.
Tai appeared to confirm his appearance in the video.
Wow. Didn't mean to become part of the story. Just trying to do my job. Thanks everyone for the support.— Tim Tai (@nonorganical) November 10, 2015
The reporter gets into a heated exchange with one woman about first amendment rights and later about personal space and respect. "Hey hey, ho ho, reporters have got to go," the group chants at one point.
The cameraman, who on social media lists his name as Mark Schierbecker, eventually peels off an approaches another woman who has been identified as Melissa Click an assistant professor in the school of communications at the University of Missouri.
"I'm media. Can I talk to you?" he asks. Click immediately responds, "No, you need to get out. you need to get out." She also puts her hand on his camera.
"Actually, I don't," he responds. Click then turns to the group and yells, "Who wants to help me get this reporter out of here? I need some muscle over here."
The video then abruptly ends.
Another video from the same cameraman shows media mingling with protesters without confrontation.
Click has been an assistant professor at the University of Missouri since 2008, according to her CV. Her profile page at the school says that she focuses on "popular culture texts and audiences, particularly texts and audiences disdained in mainstream culture."
Some have pointed out that Click had recently been calling on the media for coverage of the protests.
@JoeWalljasper @CaitlinSwieca yet a couple days ago she was courting the media... pic.twitter.com/8uZsQQfv2k— Kevin Hardy (@kevinmhardy) November 10, 2015
Click made her Twitter account private shortly after the video received wider attention.
Schierbecker posted a statement on his Twitter account about 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.— Mark Schierbecker (@Schierbecker) November 10, 2015
It appeared that hatred toward the media had softened on Tuesday. A leaflet was passed out reminding protesters that the media has the right to cover its activities, and encouraged them to embrace the coverage.
Mizzou #ConceredStudent1950 are talking again! pic.twitter.com/MXp3mcUfW1— collier meyerson (@collier) November 10, 2015