Defense falls apart: Don Lemon criminal case update.

Breaking News: A new filing by the Government this week should be required reading for Don Lemon and his co-defendants, especially the “I’m just a journalist” defendants. The First Amendment does not shield journalists from criminal prosecution merely because they were allegedly gathering or reporting the news when they violated the law. How did Don Lemon’s “journalistic privilege” claim fall apart? I break it all down! Timestamps below: 0:04 Government’s new filing emphasizes there is no enhanced First Amendment protection for journalists vis-a-vis other people 0:25 Debunking Don Lemon’s “journalist privilege” defense to criminal conduct 1:04 First Amendment rights of journalists do not take precedence over First Amendment rights of worshippers 1:57 Journalists have no special First Amendment right to speak above any other speaker 2:37 Journalists have no special right to access crime scenes (as the activists’ conduct caused the Church to become a crime scene) 2:58 Journalist-defendants say they were reporting on the activist-defendants’ conduct at the Church 3:29 “Undercover journalism” is different from “undercover police work” 3:36 Do the journalist-defendants claim they were “embedded” with the activist-defendants, for reporting purposes? 4:05 If embedded with the activist-defendants, do journalist-defendants say they were coerced to go along with criminal activity out of fear? 4:37 The Pastor wasn’t the subject of the journalist-defendants’ investigation 5:14 Lemon’s “embedded with activists” defense collapses if he cannot show coercion or fear 5:33 Unlike law enforcement, journalists cannot trespass or violate other laws to obtain the story 5:52 Lemon asserts that journalists have the same privilege under the First Amendment as law enforcement in its investigative function