• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, November 10, 2015

In case you haven’t seen it, I strongly recommend you watch the video of a standoff between protesters at the University of Missouri and Tim Tai, a student photographer working on a freelance assignment for ESPN.

It pretty much encapsulates the death of free speech at institutions of higher learning in the United States.

In a nutshell, the video conveys the age-old risk of political and ideological conflict -- namely, that when people think they have right on their side, they feel they also have the right to use physical intimidation and bullying tactics, even violence. And it’s not necessarily limited to their opponents.

In this case, the protesters are literally shoving around a journalist for trying to do his job in a public space.

Although I again urge you to watch the video, following is my summary and analysis of some key moments in the exchange. Overall, something to note are the smug self-assurance of the protesters in asserting rights that don’t exist: the invocation of “respect” and “personal space” when they are actually the ones being disrespectful and crowding the photographer.

And finally, the resort to physical force after they wrongly accuse him of doing so. All in all it presents a picture of an Orwellian nightmare, in which the truth is completely inverted for political ends.

0:22 – “They have asked you to respect their space.” The protesters had cordoned off part of the campus, a public space in a public institution, and posted signs prohibiting the media from going any further. This action, which has no legal basis, was justified on grounds of “respect,” but the photographer had done nothing disrespectful.

0:30 – The phalanx of college students begins to push the photographer backwards – something the bearded man had just accused him of doing to them – and he complains: “They’re pushing me, they’re pushing me.” The bearded man shrugs and says “that’s not my problem,” clearly condoning and encouraging the behavior.

0:45 – A male college student says, “You don’t have a right to take our photos,” betraying a complete ignorance of the issue, as he is in a public space.

0:52 – Mindless chanting begins, “Hey hey, ho ho, reporters have got to go.”

1:25 – Photographer says, “I’ve got a job to do.”

1:35 – “Photographer says, “This if the First Amendment, that protects your right to stand here, and mine.”

1:58 – Protester again invokes “respect” as an argument for why the reporter should leave the public space.

2:04 – Protester in sunglasses says, “Sir, I’m sorry, these are people, too.” A complete and utter non sequitur.

2:10 – Same protester, who just approached to within a few inches of photographer, demands he respect her “personal space.”

2:25 – Protester says, “she doesn’t want to talk to you.” Photographer responds, “I don’t want to talk to her.” Protester responds, “She doesn’t want to see you.” Asserting the right not to have to see someone you don’t want to see in a public space -- an alarming idea, to say the least.

2:55 – Protester pushed photographer, who says “Don’t push me.” She responds: “Don’t push me.”  Orwellian reversal at its best.

3:35 – Bald protester says “They can call the police on you.” Photographer responds “No, they actually can’t.”

3:53 – Protester off screen asks, “Did you touch her?” Photographer responds, “No she touched me.”

4:04 – Protest in sunglasses says, “They have a life to live, an education to get and a life to live.” Another non sequitur.

4:19 – Photographer says, “And I’m trying to document it for history!” There is a brief pause at this point, in which I get the sense that at least some in the crowd realize how wrong they really are – but then decide to go forward anyway.

4:30 – Man off screen says, “They’re being respectful, you’re not.”

4:50 – Man off screen says, “You lost this one, bro.”

5:15 – Woman protester says, “You are an unethical reporter, you do not respect our space.” Again, this protests is taking place in a public space.

6:04 – The crowd begins physically pushing the photographer back. One man says, “I’m just walking forward.” Photographer responds “You’re pushing me!”

6:24 – Person taking video tells woman with red hair, “I’m media, do you mind if I talk to you.” Woman responds: “No, you need to get out.”

6:31 – She goes to other protesters and says, “Hey who wants to help me get this reporter out of here? I need some muscle over here!” Remarkably, this woman, Melissa Click, is apparently an assistant professor of mass media at the University of Missouri. Even more remarkably, she had previously asked for media coverage of the event.

This morning, the New York Press Club saluted Tai: "The courage and dedication to journalism displayed by Tim Tai is laudable," said Press Club President Steve Scott. "Mr. Tai was confronted during a public protest in a public space at a public university. Even while being shoved and bullied by demonstrators, he kept taking photos - while also explaining to the protesters that the same First Amendment that allowed them to be there allowed him to be there."