Harris: I wanted to identify myself for you, put a name to the quote-unquote journalist, and let you know that, according to all professional guidelines I'm aware of, I stand by my story as reported. There is a specific role the press plays in our society, and there are significant questions that go along with putting that into practice. I know that I have a responsibility, though, to provide an accurate record of events, regardless of where my personal sympathies may lie for any given assignment.

...I was uneasy with the conclusions you seem to draw on what I was up to Sunday and wanted to offer some correction. Thanks for your time.

Harris brings up an interesting point... journalists, in the best tradition, are there to watch, to listen, to observe and to record, but never to interfere (name that TV show).  In other words, the conclusions I'd drawn in the initial story were 100%, spot-on, laser-focused accurate.  He was, and admits, to being more interested in getting his story than in preventing violence, vandalism and anti-Christian hatred.

Here's the broader, ethical question... where does the responsibility of a journalist end and the responsibility of a human being, a moral agent, begin?  Is it when there is a possibility of some uncomfortable moments?  Maybe not.  When there is an imminent threat of physical violence?  See how suddenly the line blurs a bit?

According to the City Pulse:

City Pulse was alerted to the Bash Back event through a press release and had no prior knowledge of where the "action" would take place or what it would entail.

In the left's premeditated attack on church-goers at Mount Hope, violence wasn't just a possibility, one could easily argue it was the goal.  One look at the liberal blogs promoting the event certainly erases any doubt that violence was at the very least a serious possibility.  The thugs didn't post pictures of themselves dressed like terrorists, holding weapons and bragging about previous violent "actions" because they were planning on singing Kumbaya with the second graders in Sunday School.  They weren't going there to stage a loud, raucus, legal protest.  Half of them were wearing disguises, for heaven's sake!

The very fact that Mr. Harris and the City Pulse tagged along to the event provides ample evidence that they had a reasonable expectation of serious shenanigans.  Newspapers, even "alternative" newspapers like the Pulse receive dozens of press releases and media advisories every day.  Most of them, frankly, just aren't exciting.  

Even a passing glance at the liberal Michigan blogs promoting this particular event made it abundantly clear, though, that excitement was the order of the day and the instant the radical caravan arrived at Mount Hope church, with Harris willingly in tow, it became even clearer that innocent men, women and children were in immediate danger.

So what's a journalist to do?  Better yet, what's a human being to do?

Let me put it in these terms... had the City Pulse, an "alternative newspaper" received a media advisory about an imminent violent "action" against a local, gay night club would they have sent a reporter to tag along, watch and report on the violence or would they have alerted the proper authorities the moment the target was identified?

Doesn't take a journalist to figure out the answer to THAT question.

They'd have gotten on the horn right away, or alerted security on-site.  And that would have been the RIGHT thing to do.  

They'd have been irresponsible not to... the same way the City Pulse was irresponsible to allow peaceful moms, dads and kids to be victimized by the anti-Christian bigotry and violence of the left at Mount Hope on Sunday.