>> THEY CALL THEMSELVES FIRST AMENDMTEN AUDITORS AND CITIZENS JOURNALISTS. THEY'RE ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND KNOWN FOR GETTING IN PEOP'SLE FACES. WELL, NOW THE STATE IS INSTRUCTING ITS 50,000 EMPLOYEES ON HOW TO RESPOND TO THESE TYPES OF VERBAL ATTACKS. BUT WE AOLS WANTED TO HEAR FROM THE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR TSEHE SO-CALLED FRAUD-ITS. TONIGHT A POPULAR SOCIAL MEADI STAR IS OPENING UP TO "7 ACTION NEWS" REPORTER JIM KIERTZNER ABOUT WHAT'S AT STAKE. >> THEY'RE GRABBING ME. THEY'RE GRABBING ME. AM I BEING DETAINED? >> [ BLEEP ] >> [ BLEEP ] . >> YOU MADE CONTACT WITH ME. WHAT'S YOUR NAME AND BADGE NUMBER, OFFICER? >> HEY, DO YOU WTAN TO TELL ME YOUR NAME? BECAUSE I'M HAPPY TO HELP YOU OUT. >> HERE YOU GO, GUYS. THE WALK OF SHAME. >> Reporter: FREEDOM NEWS NOW HAS BEEN POSTING VIDEOS FOR SEVERAL YEARS. THE PERSON BEHIND IT, JUSTIN McDERMOTT. >> THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME THAN NOW TO BE THE FIRST FIRST AMENDMENT AUDIT. >> CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT YOU ARE DOING? ANYTHING? WE HAD SOMEBODY CALLING ABOUT YOU BEING OUT HERE. >> Reporter: THIS VIDEO IS FROM 2017. McDERMOTT IS OUTSIDE THE WARREN TANK PLANT, A FEDERAL CONTRACTOR. HE IS WEARING A FULL FACE MASK LONG BEFORE COVID REFUSING TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT WHO HE IS, WHY HE'S THERE, AND IF HE HAS ANY WEAPONS. >>HE TSE PEOPLE PRESENT THEMSELVES, I MEAN, OFFICERS ARE KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY TRYING TO DO EXACTLY WHAT OFFICER REED AND THOSE OFFICERS WERE DOING. >> Reporter: ARE THEY ASKING LEGITIMATE QUESTIONS? >> OFTENTIMES THEY ARE LEGITIMATE QUESTIONS AND I'M OKAY WITH QUESTIONS FROM OFFICERS AND MY AUDITING STYLE HAS CHANGED THROUGHOUT THE YEARS. >> THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT THAT HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO PROVOKE THE OFFICERS. >> PLEASE. >> OH, THEREY' GRABBING ME. AM I BEING DETAINED? >> Rorepter: THE POLICE COMMISSIONER SAYS THE PLAN CAN BE TO GET EVEN MORE. >> FILE A LAWSUIT. THEY'RE GOING TO GET A SETTLEMENT FROM A CITY. THEY'RE POSSIBLY GOING TO GET THE OFFICER TERMINATED. >> Reporter: THE TREND PROMPTED THIS EMAIL TO GO OUT TO 50,000 STATE EMPLOYEES TELLING THEM HOW TO UPHOLD THE GENERAL RIGHTS OF ETH PUBLIC WHILE REMAINING VIGILANT FOR SUSPICIOUS BEHAVIOR. ETH EMAIL CONTINUES. THE ENCOUNTERS OFTEN INCLUDE BEHAVIOR THAT'S DESIGNED TO PROVOKE A REACTION THAT COULD BE VIEWED AS A VIOLAONTI OF FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT SOME BEHAVIOR IS DELIBERATELY PROVOCATIVE? >> NEXT QUESTION. >> THE EMAIL CONTINUES. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO DO IS TO REMAIN CALM AND PLEASANT. >> HEY, DO YOU WANT TO TELL ME YOUR NAME? BECAUSE I'M HAPPY TO HELP YOU OUT. >> Reporter: IN ANOTHER VEOID OUTSIDE A PRISON IN ADRIAN McDERMOTT SHOOTING VIDEO WITH OTW CAMERAS WHEN HE IS APPROACHED FIRST BY PRISON OFFICIALS AND SAYS THIS. >> THEY ABUSE THEIR INMATES EVERYDAY. MOST OF THEM ABUSE THEIR WIVES. >> Repteorr: YOU DON'T KNOW THAT WHEN YOU ARE OUT THERE. >> YEAH, THEY DON'T HAVE ANY- - THEY DON'T KNOW ANY OF THAT ABOUT MYSELF, EITHER. >> Reporter: GET TH.IS McDERMOTT SAYS THIS IS THE KEY TO HIS FIRST AMENDMENT AUDITS. >> THERE'S NOTHING TO HIDE AND THERE SHOULD BE NOTHING TO FEAR. >> Reporter: AT THE END OF HIS VIDEOS WHEN POLEIC WALK AWAY, HE DRAWS CONCLIONSUS OFTEN CALLING THEM FIRST AMENDMENT FAILS. >> THERE GOES THE WALK OF SHAME, GUYS. >> THESE ARE YouTube CHANNELS. PART OF IT IS ENTERTAINMENT VALUE. >> HEY, DON'T GRAB ME. [ BLEEP ] >> Reporter: A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO ANOTHER TEAM OF THREE FIRST AMENDMENT AUDITORS WERE CONFRONTED BY THE SAGINAW COUNTY UNDERSHERIFF. HE SAYS HE WANTED TO GET VIDEO OF THEIR FACES. THIS WAS THEIR SECDON VISIT TO THAT DEPARTMENT. THEIR FIRST VISIT WAS IN THE LOBBY A FEW DSAY EARLIER SHOOTING VIDEOS THROUGH WINDOWS. THE UNDERSHERIFF SAYS SEVERAL YOG WUNOMEN EMPLOYEES ARE INSIDE. >> EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE. THEY WANT TO KNOW WHY IS THIS GUY RECORDING ME AND WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO WITH THE RECORDINGS OF ME? >> Reporter: AFTER THIS INCIDENT THE MEN FILED A COMPLAINT WITH MICHIGAN STATE POLICE. ETH UNDERSHERIFF SAYS THAT MADE A RECORD OF WHO THEY ARE. >> YEAH, I'M GOOD WITH THAT. GO AHEAD. DO YOUR INVESTIGATION. I WENT UP THERE SO THAT IF SOMETHING WERE TO HAPPEN TO ONE OF MY EMPLOYEES I CAN SAY THESE THREE GENTLEMEN WERE HERE. >> Reporter: I TOLD THE UNDERSHERIFF ABOUT MY QUESTIONS AND LACK OF ANSWERS FROM JUSTIN McDERMOTT. >> THEY BELIEVE IT ONLY WORKS ONE WAY. IF THEY'RE TRULY THE MEDIA, THEN AR'TEN THEY SUBJECT TO THE SAME RULES AS WOULD APPLY TO YOU? >> Reporter: McDERMOTT TELLS ME HE POSTS HIS VIDEOS FOR COMMENTS AND DISCUSSION. HE SELLS MERCHANDISE. HE SEEKS SUBSCRIBERS. HE WANTS TO GROW HIS ONLINE AUDIENCE. IT ISLL A HIS FIRST AMENDMENT
