It used to be that a reporter could stand on a public sidewalk and take pictures. I seem to remember the Constitution guaranteeing a specific freedom to do this, and then tell other people about it.

Is this the freedom of the press we can expect under President Barack Obama:

An ABC News producer was arrested outside a downtown hotel here Wednesday while he and a camera crew tried to shoot footage of corporate donors leaving a meeting with a group of Democratic senators.

Asa Eslocker, who works with the network’s investigative unit, was charged with trespass, interference and failure to follow a lawful order. He was released four hours later on a $500 bond.

“We expect to see this kind of behavior in Myanmar, not in Denver, Colorado, at a national political convention where a reporter is trying to videotape big-money donors trying to meet with elected officials,” said ABC spokesman Jeffrey Schneider.

Here’s video of how it went down.

Considering the threats and intimidation the Obama campaign has used to silence the Ayers ad, this type of behavior is even more troubling. Arrested for trying “to shoot footage of corporate donors leaving a meeting with a group of Democratic senators.”