Professional reporting... (if there really is any left?)

.. is now a Class D felony, according to CNN

That's right, the most transparent administration in history has made it a felony, effective July 1, to get within 65 feet of what the Coast Guard determines are essential recovery efforts. According to Anderson Cooper, officials tried to up that number to 300 feet.

 Yep... that's right... if you try to get close to the issue, you're getting a felony charge.

 Cooper, who claimed federal officials prevented CNN on two occasions from taking photographs in the gulf, seemed frustrated when he reported on the new laws the day they went into effect. The press is "not the enemy here" he pleaded. The new policies, he said, make it "very easy to hide failure, and hide incompetence."

Well, that part in bold is questionable.. (of course, what ever happened to the day when the Press "was" the antithesis to the US Govt.. oh that's right.. Walter Cronkite...), but at least it's slowly waking up some eyes.

So what's the penalty for a Class D felony?

But you only know that if you get close to it, and now you can't without permission. Violators could face a fine of $40,000 and Class D felony charges.

According to one site i found...

The sentence for Class D felony offenses is determined by the court but will not less than two years or be more than 7 years. The minimum and maximum sentence for felony offenses can be enhanced for any crime of a violent nature or one with aggravated circumstances, and reduced for mitigating circumstances. When determining a sentence the court takes into account the nature of the crime and the character and history of the offender. Juvenile offenders face up to four years imprisonment for Class D felonies.

So report on the incompetence of the US govt, get 2 years in jail...  

Oh wait, I'm not done yet...

A felony fine is fixed by the court but is not to exceed the higher of $5,000 or double the amount of the defendants gain from the commission of the crime.

So how do you determine the gain  that a reporter would get from reporting?     Hmm... ratings for a segment?   An advertisers' cost?      But let's just say it's the minimum... so it's $45000 AND 2 years in jail.

Where's Jake Tapper (about the only journalist I'd trust to try it) to actually do this and get arrested?   Let's see how soon the howling starts, shall we?

We really are heading toward Soviet-style crackdowns aren't we? That freedom-of-the-press 1st amendment is getting whittled away just bit-by-bit, isn't it?