I learned of this Newsweek material at another site.
The topic title sums up my views regarding this material.
With regards to the fellow who sold his auto and now only rides trains, even though somehow I think that this Forum's universe is comprised of a far greater portion of Members who are qualified to own and drive a motor vehicle and simply choose not to that of the population as a whole. It is one thing to "think twice' before making an auto trip (in my own case miles driven YTD 7-15-08 are 5734 v. YTD 7-15-07 7342 or a 22% decrease) and simply outright declaring "I no longer drive' (again health issues notwithstanding).
To continue, I'm sure the "photography is not a crime" group around here and other railforums would simply love to know both sides of the noted "almost arrested" incident. What surprises me is that an accredited journalist either chose not to obtain advance clearance from Media Affairs or that the latter failed to coordinate with both Operations and Police.
Hopefully, there was not any kind of "I am an accredited journalist and I have my First Amendment Rights" dialogue. If something such as that "went down", I think that journalist, if Staff, should be getting a strong reprimand from his Editor, or if a "Stringer", not to expect too many more gigs.
Finally, it is no wonder I took my last rail photo over twenty years ago - it's just not worth it!
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Mr. Norman, what "almost arrested" photography incident are you referring to? The Newsweek article mentions none that I could find.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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The reference is within the video's audio, Mr. Kisor.
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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I must be stupid. I see no video or references to one in the printed article. What am I missing?
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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The journalist in the video blog says that he was almost arrested for taking video on-board the train, and he had to put it away and turn it off (or words similar to that). He did not write these words---they are only in the video portion of the report.
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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But WHERE is the link to the video blog? That's what I can't find.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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I liked the video report a lot. Can't beat the guy not stopping to munch whatever it was he had during the interview. And I can see why they are sensitive about photography on the Acela...being the fastest Amtrak train makes an easy target.
No one seems to care much about filming on the long distance trains. I've never been hassled with filming on my many trips on the Chief. In fact on my last trip I did a run through of the train with a video camera and no one bothered me. On another trip I went to the last car (happened to be a sleeper back then) and filmed out the rear window for a long time. No bothers then. And I've been able to film a lot at the ABQ platform without any incidences. I think it just depends on what type of train you're on and where you are for filming.
As a side note, can someone explain why everyone seems to think bluegrass, or what ever style of music that is, fits with trains? It was used on this travel blog video. I hate it, and almost every train video I have has this blasted music with it. My sister jokes and calls it hobo music.
Henry, the video is the first thing on the page. A small square on the left side has a photo of a guy (the reporter). Just click on it to play the video. What browser are you using? Maybe it's not compatible with this video.
-------------------- Matt Visit gallery for photos of our train layouts Posts: 579 | From: San Bernardino Subdivison | Registered: Dec 2001
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Matt, thanks. I was using Firefox 3.0 with a Mac, and it did not show that video box at all. So I switched to Safari, and it did, and I was able to view the video. (Firefox 3.0.1 has just been released and maybe that will work . . .)
That said, I didn't get much out of the video. It did not have an option for closed captions. (I am profoundly deaf.) Almost no streaming video offers closed captions for the hearing impaired, although it's easy to provide those captions.
Most streaming video software has that option. But American news services will not provide the captions until they are forced to by act of Congress, as video movie captions and TV broadcast captions were. American business does not like to spend the tiny amounts of money to accommodate disabilities until it cannot escape the law.
So long as Republicans control the FCC, which oversees disability law for communications, streaming-video captions ain't gonna happen. It will take a Democratic administration for that.
Now back to that video. I am not sure why Stone chose to go "sub rosa." Amtrak management has always been accommodating to the press, even when that press is critical of it. Amtrak Media Relations provides every traveling reporter with an introductory letter, and puts an electronic copy on the manifest of every train so that crew and conductors are aware of his presence.
Stone is very young and perhaps is naive about Amtrak. If his aim was to blow the whistle on government corruption, well, then going undercover would be the logical thing to do. But that clearly was not the case here.
Additionally, Stone is dark, with vaguely Middle Eastern features, and short-haired, which might raise the suspicions of security people who indulge in ethnic profiling. But I don't know if that has any bearing here.
[Later: Firefox 3.0.1 did not show that video choice, either.]
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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My guess as to why L'il Danny Stone's filming endeavors were squelched is that one or more other passengers may have been annoyed by him and complained, thus causing Amtrak officials to make him stop filming. His alledged "near arrest" probably resulted from him taking affront at being stopped and being a "smart-alec".
I viewed the video (twice, just to make sure my first impression didn't change) and found the ex-car owner to be kind and tolerent of the interview, while Stone's snack-eating peer clearly showed a "Get Lost!" attitude to the interview. All in all I found Stone to be rather "silly" and wonder why a major news magazine like Newsweek would hire him as a journalist. My advice to him would be to stick to just writing up his reports and forget about doing video.
To SW Chief - yes, the music is "bluegrass". The Bluegrass genre (and Great Depression folk music and as your sister says "hobo" music) is linked to trains because so many of the songs were about trains and related subjects (Orange Blossom Special, Wreck of the Old 97, Rock Island Line, etc.) The instruments used in bluegrass lend themselves to mimicking the sound of train whistles and wheels-on-tracks. A lot of the WWII Big Band songs dealt with trains also, but I guess the video sound guys get in a rut and use bluegrass because they have the CD handy .
Posts: 20 | From: Zephyrhills, FL | Registered: May 2008
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Newsweek has used him on a great variety of subjects, including the papal visit to the U.S. and Ron Paul's presidential run.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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Judging from the page Mr. Kisor located regarding the reporter, Mr. Stone, there is all too great a likelihood some kind of defiant "backtalk' occurred between Mr. Stone and an Amtrak employee.
Oh to be young and apparently not raised in a "yes sir, no sir, no excuse sir' environment. But somehow my own "life path" of boarding school from 7th grade onward, college; barracks or frat house, military service, railroad industry, CPA, did not allow for too much "irreverence' along the way as somehow I think did Mr. Stone's.
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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I used to think the Vietnam generation developed a healthy disrespect for **incompetent** authority as a result of that war. Perhaps the current younger generation has taken that attitude a tad too far, viewing **all** authority as a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic.
A mature journalist respects competent authority. Mr. Stone seems yet to learn this truism.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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This Viet Nam Veteran (67-68; was there for Tet) certainly agrees with your immediate statement, Mr. Kisor.
Presumably, Newsweek has enough contacts about town to smooth over any feathers Mr. Stone may have ruffled. But if he ruffled some, Newsweek may choose to open the door for him to pursue a path within the "underground" journalism community.
Best not see his byline at The Times.
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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quote:Originally posted by Henry Kisor: I used to think the Vietnam generation developed a healthy disrespect for **incompetent** authority as a result of that war.
For this one at least, not so much the war itself, but the way it was handled by all and sundry in the political realm. And a lot of poeple in the military leadership that were more game players and self-important manipulators playing to achieve their next promotion that had no concept of reality. One of our joke when running around in the snow in the silliniess that primarily characterised OCS (Officer Candidate School) to prepare for war in the tropics was, "What is the difference between the Army and the Boy Scouts? Answer: The Boy Scouts have adult leadership."
I will refrain from comment on what I think of the anti-war crowd both then and now.
Posts: 2808 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
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quote:Originally posted by Ira Slotkin: I will refrain from comment on what I think of the anti-war crowd both then and now.
Of course by saying that, you have, I think, actually commented under the guise of not commenting. As a member of the "anti-war crowd" then and now, by all means, please be forthright with your opinions vs labels of "crowds", and own them as such, rather than utilize innuendo. [/QB][/QUOTE]
Posts: 300 | From: Denver, CO USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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The references to being arrested were made to filming in Was Union Station. The owners of union station have, apparently, instructed the station security personnel (not Amtrak Police) to not allow any video filming in the station.
The Wash DC fox news channel did a report a couple months ago regarding not being allowed to film inside the station, complete with filming of the security guard approaching them and threatening (sp) to have them arrested if they don't stop the filming. The news channel then showed a follow up where they were interviewing Atk's chief PR person, Cliff Black, at Union Station, where he is stating that "anyone is welcome to film in the station, there are no rules against it." and as soon as that statement came out of his mouth, here approaches a security guard shouting, and this is all on tape, "shut that camera off, you are not allowed to film in the station" He of course wouldn't give his name but told the fox reporter "those are the rules" and then is shown calling for help on the radio. This was all written up in the Wash Post with a link to the fox video.
Posts: 332 | From: Long Island, NY USA | Registered: Jan 2004
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Good thing wars are not fought aboard passenger trains, except in those awful latter-day commando movies by that ponytailed chop-sockey actor who wears padded raincoats to hide his burgeoning belly -- what was his name? It was on the tip of my tongue, but . . .
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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Maybe he's "grown up" a bit since his University of California - Davis days. I guess what I must accept is that irreverence to established institutions is part of the "making of a journalist'. After all, the Daily Illini, even if it is a recognized publication of the College of Media, was not exactly, or at least back in my day, the Administration's mouthpiece.
However, Mr. Stone appears to be an individual who at best could be called "sassy". His attitude as expressed in the video as well as Mr. Kisor's submission would suggest he is the kind of person who would think it "fun' to go to an aircraft's washroom while in flight, and exit from it wearing a Red headband and carrying a Koran, but otherwise doing nothing other than return to his seat. His "sport" would have been if any authority such as a Flight Attendant "said anything'
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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quote:Originally posted by Floridian: My guess as to why L'il Danny Stone's filming endeavors were squelched is that one or more other passengers may have been annoyed by him and complained, thus causing Amtrak officials to make him stop filming. His alledged "near arrest" probably resulted from him taking affront at being stopped and being a "smart-alec".
I think your "annoying the riders" theory probably has some merit. And very likely he didn't tell the crews what he was up to. I notice he was only asked to stop filming. H made no reference to anyone trying to confiscate his video tape, so one must assume it was OK for him to possess what he already had. I also noticed he passed two security guards at the beginning apparently without incident.
I think maybe he was using 9/11 fears as an excuse to cover his own ill manners with the camera.
In all it seemed rather amateurish for a major news organization.
Posts: 2649 | From: California's Monterey Peninsula | Registered: Dec 2000
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If Mr. Stone was doing a legitimate news story for Newseek, I agree that he should have talked to someone at AMTRAK before he started running his camera all through the train.
As for me, I have NEVER been harassed by anyone for taking pictures of trains, stations, or other passengers, but then again I am not doing a major news story that will be published in the media, and i do try to be "discrete" if there are other people in my photos...
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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I suspect that the certain "f******d" description of Mr. Stone in the link Mr. Kisor submitted, is accurate. IMO.
Posts: 406 | From: La Grange, CA | Registered: Sep 2007
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