The conservative Daily Caller, yesterday, continuing its ongoing demonization of Occupy Wall Street protesters:
It took a huge media push to convince people the Tea Party was dangerous, but the huge media push to convince them OWS isn’t dangerous has failed. Occupiers are really nice until you get to know them.
And again, the Daily Caller, earlier today:
Here’s a live feed of the filthy, ignorant, violent Occupy Wall Street crybabies in Zuccotti Park, as they do whatever it is they think they’re doing today. Obviously there’s no way to predict what’ll be said or done..
Story filed by Daily Caller reporters moments later:
While covering Occupy Wall Street’s “Day of Action” Thursday morning, Daily Caller reporter Michelle Fields and videographer Direna Cousins were struck by NYPD officers as police tried to clear Wall Street of protesters.
“The police officers were beating the protesters with batons, and were also beating the media,” Fields told TheDC. “They hit Direna and me with batons. They hit other members of the press in order to get them to move out of the street.”
Both were struck, but neither sustained injuries that required hospitalization.
Clear indications that Fields and Cousins were members of the press didn’t stop the NYPD beating.
“Direna had a camera in her hand and I had a microphone, and we were being hit,” she said. “When I fell to the ground I said at one point, ‘I’m just covering this! I’m covering this!’ And the officer just said, ‘Come on, get up, get up,’ before pulling me up by my jacket.’”
“The protesters came up to me right away and asked if I needed any medical assistance. They were actually very kind and helpful. It was the police officers who were very aggressive,” Fields added.