Tim Tai, the young photographer in question, certainly appeared respectful as he politely though insistently tried to do his job. He calmly observed that the First Amendment gave both protesters and reporters the right to occupy that space. But even had he been abrupt or rude, he was entitled to take his photographs.

The Mizzou students weren’t having a private discussion in their dorm rooms. They were staging a public protest on public property. The public had a right to know about it. They had a right to see it, and the press had an obligation to report it. The protesters were demanding the resignation of university officials and insisting on policy changes at an important public institution. In a free society, it’s unreasonable to insist on making public demands from a private sanctuary.

The protesters might be in pain caused by their mistreatment and alienation in American society. They might deserve our sympathy and support. But they do not deserve our ignorance. They are not entitled to have their public actions spared public scrutiny. Their protest, their motives, their politics, their future intentions are all a matter of public interest.