The USC Response to the Frogmarching of John Ziegler

John Ziegler / Katie Couric at USC from Orange County Films on Vimeo.

The University of Southern California has responded to the April 15, 2009 FLAP with conservative filmmaker John Ziegler. Note it is reported on an employee of the Annenberg Center who just happens to be a liberal, left-wing journalist, Marc Cooper’s blog.

Here’s the statement from Annenberg Dean Ernie Wilson:

“In the last 24 hours, the School has received a number of calls and messages related to an incident that took place on Wednesday at the Cronkite Awards ceremony involving an individual named John Ziegler. Understandably, there has been confusion, questions and concerns. I want you to know the background of the situation.

In the days before his appearance on our campus, Mr. Ziegler publicly stated an intention to “demonstrate” against the presentation of a journalism award to Katie Couric. USC was happy to accommodate Ziegler and provided him with a designated area where he could register his protest, be seen by attendees at the event, as well as students, and pass out whatever materials he wished.

On the day of the award ceremony, Mr. Ziegler arrived on campus with two cameramen, not as a demonstrator, but as a journalist, and demanded that he and his cameramen be allowed to enter the Davidson Center to cover the event. There was in fact, pool coverage set up because the room was not large enough to accommodate multiple camera crews. He was told he could have that feed, which he refused.  After being told repeatedly that the event was by invitation only, he contended he had a right to range up and down the entryway with his cameramen, sticking a microphone in other people’s faces, questioning them on camera.  He persisted in refusing to comply with the University’s request that he stay within a designated area. After repeated requests for compliance, Mr. Ziegler was given the choice of either being arrested or leaving campus.

He chose to leave campus.

The University both respects and facilitates freedom of speech and expression on campus, but  also  reserves the right to set  reasonable  ground-rules  to avoid disruption to  its operations and protect the rights of others. We at the Annenberg School have a powerful and evident commitment to protecting and promoting freedom of expression and the rights of the press. We have spoken with Martha Harris, Senior Vice President, University Relations, to express our concern with how Annenberg has been associated with this incident, and to discuss as well as our general philosophy on how these situations can be handled in the future.

If you have further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact James Grant in University Communications. In addition, if you are not already doing so, please refer any media queries about this issue to James Grant at james.grant@usc.edu …”

Sincerely,

Ernest J. Wilson III

Dean and

Walter H. Annenberg Chair in Communication

So, was the University of Southern California who apparently has been taken over by the LEFT in some schools too heavy handed in its treatment of John Ziegler?

In November 2005, David Horowitz, president of the Center of Popular Culture, released a study of professors’ political stances in top colleges throughout the United States.

Horowitz found that professors registered as Democrats outnumbered those registered as Republicans 13-1 at USC’s Annenberg School of Journalism. Democrats also outnumbered Republicans 8-1 among the teaching staff at the USC Gould School of Law.

Or was the conservative Ziegler just an attention seeking MORON who didn’t know his own place?

You be the judge on the matter but if anything Ziegler drew attention to the faux-award given to Katie Couric by a left-wing Norman Lear Center of the Annenberg School of Communications which is cloaking its legitimacy in the donation of a rich leftist to a major university.

What USC won’t do for the money……but it has always been this way.

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Video: John Ziegler – “I Did Absolutely Nothing Wrong”

Video: The USC Trojan Frogmarch of John Ziegler

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