Channel 4’s Gloria Neal rips security at Obama’s Inauguration

Gloria Neal, a strong new addition to the Channel 4 morning-news program, covered last week’s inauguration of President Barack Obama for the station — and her online account of her time in Washington, D.C. was consistently upbeat. However, her January 20 post makes note of some “logistical challenges” she promised to detail upon her return — and this morning, she made good on that pledge, and then some.

Neal was among those with inaugural tickets, but she said personnel were so overwhelmed by the throng on the National Mall that at a certain point, they simply locked entry gates, leaving many of those with passes weeping at the thought that they’d miss a historical moment many of them had traveled thousands of miles to witness. In the end, she and her husband had to sneak into the proper section — a task made easier by the fact that guards who were supposed to be maintaining the safety of the new First Family were busy watching Jumbotrons arrayed around the area. She declared the security as a whole to be “horrible.”

That’s a damning judgment of the sort that got little play amid the euphoria of the big event itself. Neal deserves credit for sharing it, even if the info isn’t as timely as it could have been. Better late than never.