Editor's Note: Athens police arrested Eric Jones at Palmerfest 2009 and charged him with several misdemeanors, including riot. Jones was photographing the fest's aftermath as an independent journalist (he is presently a picture editor for The Post). Jones later pleaded no contest to obstructing official business and obstructing a police horse. As part of his sentence, Jones is required to publically apologize to the Athens community and local police.
As Palmerfest approaches, I am sure the events of last year's street festival are still fresh in everyone's mind. The situation deteriorated into one that was unsafe for both the participants and the police officers present. I arrived on the scene as a member of the media, intending to document the event because of its obvious news value.
Unfortunately, my actions were interpreted as being disruptive of police business. For that I would like to formally apologize to the Athens Police Department and to the citizens of Athens. I hope my actions will not reflect poorly upon other members of the media.
For better or worse, I now realize that the media are allotted no greater rights than normal citizens in such situations. This experience has educated me on the limitations and legal issues associated with being a journalist, and will undoubtedly benefit me in my future career.
Eric Jones, a senior studying photojournalism and international studies, is a picture editor for The Post.
4 Opinion
