To everyone claiming that USC must be considered public if they accept tax money - Do you believe in the school voucher program so often suggested by conservatives? Should private schools that take vouchers be considered public schools and abide by all the same rules as public schools?

Should companies receiving "bail out" money be subjected to salary caps, targeted taxation, etc? They got public money, so they are no longer private companies, right?

In the state of California last year the Top Hat biker gang sued to be allowed to wear their colors while attending the Gilroy Garlic Festival. The court ruled that even though the festival was held on city property with a city permit and used city police for security, it was still considered a private function and the proprietors had the right to deny entry to any people wearing gang colors (not just bikers) without violating their right to free speech. It's a silly example, I know, but it serves to illustrate that just because the government might touch something around the edges,that doesn't automatically make it "public". I would think that anyone who claims a conservative/libertarian mindset would appreciate that, especially within the Peoples Republic of California.

It's interesting enough to see half the people posting on this site don't even have an ensemble of fortitude to overcome their tremendous reading comprehension deficiencies:

USC (University of Southern California) =/= USC or SC (University of South Carolina)

The former is a "private" school while the latter is a "public" university. For crying out loud, if you ever finished a freshman year in any college, you know USC is a private institution. But no, what we have here is garden variety of pseudo intellectual Libertarians who rather pander to their confirmation bias than to do a simple Google query so they can save themselves an embarrassment on a public forum.

Ziegler was on a private property when his pompous attitude towards the attendees, which he was not invited, caused disturbance for the event. He was there, doing a "self-promotion" of his latest cretinous documentary by shoving the DVD into their bosoms. After a while, he was "asked" to leave the perimeter and when he refused the repetitive request by the officers, he was put on a handcuff, escorted out of the area, and let go. What's interesting is that he, with malice and forethought, had planned to make himself a "martyr." Anyone who does not see his act in this video as someone who intentionally misrepresents the situation, suffers from a major intellectual bankruptcy. He squirms, convulses, throws himself on the ground, plays a victim while the officers are stunt as to how long he is going to go along with the act. Ziegler is a charlatan and only seeks attention by resetting the clock for his 15-min of fame. When someone divulges secrets about an ex-girlfriend who had dumped him a year earlier on how she grooms certain "private" parts, this should tell you where this guy's integrity stands.

P.S. Katie's attempt in revealing Palin's lack of readiness for the VP spot wasn't really a rocket science to pull off so the award was not exactly meritorious.

I just took the advice of some of the posters here and USC does indeed receive about 44% of its funding from state sources (taxpayers). Calling it a private university while accepting government funds, be they federal or state is akin to calling Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac private entities. Ziegler got the shaft and Kouric is a joke-check her ratings. A journalist? Pulease!

Perhaps Zeigler should have done his homework so far as USC being a "private" institution; however, his presenting this footage for the world to see can be his 'sweet revenge', per se....

@ Joyce "Do they take any federal funds? Did they let him park and approach the building? Did they ask him to leave when he got set up or only after he started asking questions?

Sounds very selective. If you allow someone in your home, then ask them to leave after you don't like what they say you can not then have them charged with trespassing."

Joyce, this is a free country - still (lets enjoy while it lasts). You can invite someone to your house, and then if you don't like them, ask them to leave. If they refuse, you call the police and have them kicked out. You don't have to sit there and put up with them for as long as they want to stay, JUST BECAUSE YOU INVITED THEM AT SOME POINT. THAT'S CRAZY!!

This is what happened here. This is no argument. As phony as this school obviously is, they had all the rights in the world to kick this guy out. When he was asked to leave, he needed to leave, even if they did tell him it was okay to go in at some point. If you truly believe in preserving our individual rights, and rights to our own private property, this shouldn't even be a conversation.

Judging by the numerous barricades on the campus, the police probably expected protesters. They got one journalist, but he was not "approved" by the School of Journalism.

I wonder if Katie Couric will interview John Zeigler about his episode with the USC police.

Ironic, yes. Double standard, probably.

Is it federally funded or not, I don't know. If it is however, private property, the owners of that property and agents of those owners (ie security) are legally endowed to enforce the owner's rights.

Specifically those being the right of inclusion and right of exclusion on privately owned property.

Welcome to the new Cuba ladies and gentlemen, where political dissent is treason!

If it is private property, make you point (i.e., the irony is unmistakable) but go. If you want to claim you have a right to be there, then stay until they arrest you and then take your chances in court. 'Course, why didn't the RACs just say get out, it's private property and we who have the authority are telling you to leave? Why all the bs? Still, why was Ziegler acting so loopy, almost as if here were drunk or loaded?

It is now after 4 p.m. here on the East Coast and there is as still no ACLU action? I know they are waiting until the evening news to make the announcement!!!!! Maybe Katie Couric can read the story tonight.

Looks like Mr. Ziegler was detained by "rented" security guards. Looks to me like he was in fact held against his will.

If this was a private property then the private property owners should have called the "city/county" police not some yahoos - that appear to have been illegally detained.

There are so many - violations of civil liberties and laws here that "if" its private property they are subject to civil suit for - and could not assert soverign immunity.

Expect Mr. Ziegler to sue and obtain several millions.

I guess these "security" people are part of the new goon squad.

So, either private or public Southern California and these individuals will be sued. Great for them.

Joyce Blythe, you have it wrong. Even if you allow a salesman/Mormon/neighbor into your home, if they do not leave once you ask them, they are trespassing, and you can call the police to remove them and have them charged with that crime. You can even "lay hands" upon them yourself to effect their removal.

If this was Michael Moore in the lobby of the Republican Headquarters, we would all agree he should be leave once he was told to get out. In this case, though USC would probably let reporters from CNN or CBS stay there all day, USC can have someone they don't like removed, and they don't even have a duty to explain why.

Why the hell is he laughing? I'd be screaming bloody murder.

The whole award thing for Katie Couric is bullsh!t. She doesn't belong in journalism. Her serious side comes across as bitchy (she's naturally perky). She would have made a great cruise director, like Julie from "The Love Boat". I truly believe that.

The dolts that have been asserting that USC is a "private" institution, suggesting a simple Google search would support their argument, neglected to include in their Google search "F-U-N-D-I-N-G". A hefty portion of their funding, over 65% my friends, comes from federal and state coffers MEANING that without that funding, USC would not be able to operate and therefore USC is NOT a private institution.

...... a Dockers commercial from the early 90's!! The part at minutes 6-7-8 where the camera ws aimed only at the guys' legs.
Other than that, a very enlightening look at who gets free speech and who enforces who get it. Greenshirts this time. Coming to a public university campus near you too !!!

Do they take any federal funds? Did they let him park and approach the building? Did they ask him to leave when he got set up or only after he started asking questions?

Sounds very selective. If you allow someone in your home, then ask them to leave after you don't like what they say you can not then have them charged with trespassing.

Hey John,
"Campus Police" aren't real officers of the law. They are always ex-cons who can't find work anywhere else.
When one the "play cop" reached for the camera, the cameraman should have broken his arm.
Communist!

Sad, but that's a pretty good analogy for the MSM's attitude toward open debate. It's also closely aligned with the respect they showed citizens during the Tea Parties. I bet the suits standing next to him have no clue how this impacts the brand of Annenberg or what it says about the schools values. Yep, Annenberg is MSM all the way.

Why are people arguing that USC is a state university? Have you heard of google? The information is at your finger tips, look it up, USC is the largest private research university in the West. PRIVATE. sure it sucks they wouldn't let the guy report - it's a joke actually that a journalism school wouldn't allow journalism, but it's a private property and they have a right to tell the guy to get out and he should have left.

But Katie Couric getting any kind of award did give me a good laugh for today...

The liberals here are saying that Ziegler is on private property. That may be true. However, how did he get there. He didn't park 2 miles away. He most likely had to go through a security gate to get there. Then he's arrested at a journalism school for being...a journalist. This is only the beginning. Now to all of you libs killing Ziegler for doing this, you know full well had the shoe been on the other foot you'd all be wailing and gnashing teeth calling for the 2 security guards to be fired(Campus Security for those who asked. All colleges pretty much have them) and the school to be sued. I want to hear you libs praising his arrest when one of your own is ever treated the same way at an NRA convention or something.

Yes, he was on private property and they had the right to tell him to leave. But if were protesting Cheney getting an award, he would not have been told to leave. We all know that. And if he had, the media would be in an uproar claiming critics were being silenced. He did make the security guard look foolish- "you are not the media" - "you must stand here because this is our media area" - loved it.

Where were these Storm Troopers when the students at UNC went ballistic and would not allow Tom Tancredo to give a speech that he was invited to give? Get used to this new version of "freedom" America. It's only just begun. Free speech my a$$. Sad.

A journalist getting arrested at a school of journalism for conducting journalism...priceless!

USC is a state university, funded with tax payer money. I lived in California for 13 years and Judging by the buildings in the back ground he was on the same Campus that I as a citizen (not a student) could freely walk or bicycle ride around on.

I say he has a civil case. The campus is a public property, it has to comply with the same laws and ordinances which apply to public property. He was not trying to enter any of the buildings, just standing out side asking questions like any other reporter would do.

They didn't like the questions he was asking so they used the power of the police to intimidate and detain with the intent to interfere with his reporting and question asking.

Looks like the left is working with their jackbooted thugs to silence any questioning of the left wing DNC. After the DHS report, looks like we all need to be concerned if we don't raise our right hand to der fuhrer Obama and start working on the goosestep.

The legal question is UCLA a public or private facility? The argument can be made that since it is owned by the state, it is truly public. Hmmm...that might be a stretch, but I am sure that the California ACLU is jumping to Ziegler’s defense right now!

USC is a private university. They asked Ziegler to leave. He didn't listen. So what should law enforcement do? It's pretty simple logic. He's lucky he wasn't tazed.

Now he could protest on public property and he'd be within his rights. But oh wait, aren't public places funded by those evil socialists???

You guys are just a bunch of jokers! Pure entertainment, and it's not even been 3 months since that evil, anti-American, jihadi, Kenyan, socialist, fascist, Muslim, blah blah took over. This can only get better!!! About two-thirds of this country is just having a good laugh at you guys. Oh, and keep teabagging - please make it an annual event!!!

PS: Neal, have to give you credit though. Allowing comments on the site is very cool. And posting comments from all sides is nice as well. Wouldn't expect it from a right-wing nutjob like yourself, but I guess everyone can surprise once in a while! And, just for the record, I do agree with you about 10% of the time. If you were less prejudiced, then that number would go up. Think about it! :)

According to their website:

"Located in Los Angeles, a global center for arts, technology and international trade, the University of Southern California is one of the world’s leading private research universities."

If it's private and not public, then he was trespassing and should have left when told to leave. I was pretty shocked when I saw the video, but now understand it's no different than if he were filming at a private hotel, office building, or shopping mall.

Arrest the stupid jerk. He is on PRIVATE PROPERTY, even if it is a dumb left wing university. The word is trespassing.

Pardon my French, but what the hell did you expect? This is California, the home of the Moonbat And the "Terminator." USC? It stands for the United Socialist Community. (OK, so it is kind of hokey. I'll never win an award for journalistic excellence, anyway, so there.)

Barak in the U.S.S.A. - What will it be today - hey! Barak in the U.S.S.A

Sorry Beatles fans, I like the Stones better anyway. 2 tickets to Cancun please.

Just trying to figure out if those guys in uniform were real police, rent-a-cops or Obama's new civilian security guard.

While I completely disagree with Couric getting an award for journalism, the issue here is the USC Campus is private property (it's not a state school, it's private) so what he was doing was trespassing.

Why doesn't anybody seem to realize that the Nazis are in control again? This guy's video is just one small example. The past two weeks have seen bills discussed on the Hill that would allow the banning of books about political candidates, and shutting down the Internet in case of a "national emergency". And now, people who are tired of the tyranny of government have been labeled "terrorists".

Come on, people, WAKE UP. NAZIS ARE IN CONTROL IN WASHINGTON.

Start the revolution NOW!

Neal wrote;
"I am not sure that anything can top the idiotic coverage of the Chicago tea party by CNN's Susan Roesgen."

This tops it.