St. Paul’s mayor Chris Coleman has announced that the city will take the advice of its attorney office and drop charges against the journalists, including Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman (footage above) that were arrested for (doing their job) “unlawful assembly” during the RNC earlier this month. Per Coleman

This decision reflects the values we have in St. Paul to protect and promote our First Amendment rights to freedom of the press.

Coleman says the city will use a broad defitnion of the word journalist (don’t we all these days!), though it might take some time to do the paperwork and notify everyone who was caught up in the mass arrests. Says Dave Tomlin, associate general counsel for the AP:

It’s always good to learn that a bogus charge against you has been dropped. We’re still waiting for police to account for the unprovoked smackdowns of two of our photographers.

Parties, panels and other notable media gatherings

TUESDAY 02.13.07

WHAT: “The Ethics and Politics of Surveillance: New Information Practices & Our Private Lives”
WHO: Shohini Ghosh, Associate Professor, Video and Television Production at the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia, (Central University) New Delhi
WHEN: 6:30PM-8:30PM
WHERE: TamarindArt Gallery, 142 East 39th Street
WHY YOU SHOULD GO: Ghosh — who sounds really, really smart — talks about the emergence of digital surveillance (like hidden cameras — are you listening, Ron Burkle?) in reporting and access — and the inherently thorny ethical implications.

WHAT: The Future of Alternative Journalism
WHO: Abe Peck, Helen Gurley Brown, Amy Goodman, Dealbreaker.com founder Elizabeth Spiers, City Belt publisher John Whiten
WHEN: 6:30PM-8:30PM
WHERE: New York City Center Studio, 4 130 West 56th Street
WHY YOU SHOULD GO: Big topic for small ($7) price.
NOTE: RSVP here.