Every Tom, Dick and Momta Popat...

Via Blogitics, word of a victory for independent journalism.

President Bush’s re-election campaign insisted on knowing the race of an Arizona Daily Star journalist assigned to photograph Vice President Dick Cheney.

The Star refused to provide the information.

According to an article from The Star, managing editor Teri Hayt became suspicious of possible racial profiling when the unusual demand was made after the name of photographer Mamta Popat was submitted to the Bush/Cheney campaign.

Journalists covering the president or vice president must undergo a background check and are required to provide their name, date of birth and Social Security number. The Star provided that information Thursday for Popat and this reporter. "That's all anybody has been asked to provide," said Hayt, adding that this is the first time in her 26-year career that a journalist's race was made an issue.

So, what kind of rationale was provided for the extraordinary request?

Organizer Christine Walton asked for Popat's race in telephone conversations with two other Star editors before she spoke to Hayt. They also refused to provide the information. Walton told Hayt that Popat's race was necessary to allow the Secret Service to distinguish her from someone else who might have the same name.

Makes sense, I suppose. There must be an awful lot of photographers named Momta Popat in Arizona...

Uh huh.

Apparently Walton eventually realized they meant that Momta Popat, and allowed as how the photographer would "probably" be allowed to work if she appeared at the rally.

Hayt definitely deserves some kind of award for journalistic integrity.