War zones are different because the 1st Amendment doesn’t apply. It does here on the streets of America.
Question is ... w/o press credentials prominently displayed how are LE in Ferguson supposed to know who is and is not a journalist? Used to be that the camera equipment was obviously professional-grade. Now, not so much. Anyone could be a journalist but look like a non-compliant protester.
That news crew they gassed clearly had ID on them and their vehicle.