Protests on Wikinews!

Two new original reports on Wikinews show that everywhere around the world, where politicians go, protesters show up and the media follows... citizen journalists in this case.

Protesters demonstrate at US Coast Guard Academy

Sage Ross wrote an article (his first on Wikinews) about a demonstration at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. President Bush drew hundreds of protesters and counterprotesters to New London, Connecticut. "Next time I go to something like this I'm going to take extensive notes, write down quotes, and do full-fledged original reporting," he wrote on his blog. We sure hope so, because the Wikinews Original Reporting policy demands so!

Ross was also mentioned in a report from the newspaper Norwich Bulletin :

Yale doctoral student Sage Ross was protesting the president and snapping photos of both sides for the Wikimedia Foundation, which runs the Internet-based, free encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

Pro-troop protesters rebuffed him when he approached them to take photos.

"They didn't quite buy it that I was one of the press," he said with a smile.

The latter was probably because he didn't have a Wikinews Press Card, as Accredited Reports on Wikinews sometimes do. Of course, then he could no longer go "to participate in an anti-war protest", because, as the Wikinews:Original reporting page says: "If you go to a protest to participate in it, leave your Wikinews Press Card at home!" Also, we hope he clearly explained to the reporter that interviewed him that he is not an official representative of the Wikimedia Foundation; Accredited Reporters on Wikinews have a clear disclaimer on their user page:

Accredited Wikinews reporters do not represent the Wikimedia Foundation, but are trusted contributors who the Wikinews community has certified for the purposes of gathering information related to Wikinews articles.

Protesters turn their backs on Australian PM

In Bathurst, Australia, protesters turned their back on Prime Minister John Howard as he arrived for a Liberal Party luncheon. Reporter and Wikinews Admin Nathan Carter had some difficulty balancing the article, because he was able to interview the protesting side, but as he describes on the article talk page he "attempted to speak to some attendees at the luncheon but all approached refused to be interviewed."