Yesterday, we directed you to the Phoenix New Times cover story, which detailed how the paper was the subject of a wild witch hunt orchestrated by Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas and a “special prosecutor,” Dennis Wilenchik.

The reaction to the story? New Times founders Mike Lacey and Jim Larkin were tossed into jail last night on misdemeanor charges. They’re now out on bail.

The Arizona Republic has the story here.

Sheriff Joe might survive this–Maricopa County voters have been extraordinarily forgiving of a man whose get-tough-on-crime strategies have led to far too many deaths in his own jail–but this is the beginning of the end for Andrew Thomas. We hope he follows through on those gubernatorial ambitions, just so we can watch him get squashed.

This article appears in Oct 18-24, 2007.

Getting hassled by The Man Mild-mannered reporter

7 replies on “Jailing Journalists”

  2. They wanted national attention, they got it. Now that national spotlight will be on Arpaio’s misdeeds as well as their own (minor) ones. The plot thickens!

  3. Oh, speaking of the rights of journalists, the nominee for U.S. Attorney General, Michael Mukasey, said during questioning that he probably wouldn’t protect reporters who are forced by courts to reveal their sources.

    Also: Mukasey won’t say whether waterboarding or forced nudity are torture! Yep — after all the disgrace the U.S. has brought on itself with Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, secret foreign prisons and extraordinary rendition (among other scandals), we’re about to confirm a new A.G. whose head is nearly as far up his ass as Alberto Gonzales’. Groovy, Marsha.

  4. — There are moments when civil disobedience is merely the last option. We pray that our judgment is free of arrogance.

    i’m going to put that on a t-shirt.

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