Cases dropped against reporters arrested for covering protests
Photo courtesy of Stephanie Keith
Journalists have the right to cover protests and demonstrations.
Protests are one of the most dangerous places for journalists in America. Journalists are routinely prevented from gathering the news, illegally arrested, and attacked by law enforcement and demonstrators.
Journalists have a First Amendment right to cover public protests. Protecting and expanding that right ensures that the public can learn what’s happening at protests and how they are policed.
Featured Items
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Report: More than 50 journalists arrested or detained while on the job in the US in 2021
The 56 journalists arrested or detained in the United States in 2021 approaches the combined totals of 2017, 2018, and 2019 — an alarming indicator of the state of press freedom, according to a new report released by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.
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Documenting an extraordinary year of press freedom violations
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker has published an overview of a truly remarkable year’s worth of press freedom violations during nationwide protests. The Tracker builds on individually reported incidents to provide the definitive telling of the crackdown on journalists that emerged alongside the protests.
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Intimidation tactic: Police photograph faces, press passes of journalists covering protests
Law enforcement officers have photographed the faces or IDs of nearly three dozen journalists in Oregon and Minnesota in recent months, according to new data published by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. These measures don’t appear to serve any law enforcement purpose beyond intimidating reporters who are doing their job.
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LAPD's flagrant disregard for freedom of the press
After a tumultuous 2020 saw unprecedented numbers of journalists arrested and detained, some held hope that police departments would learn from public backlash and change their behavior. In a coordinated crackdown on protests that included the arrest or detention of more than a dozen journalists, the Los Angeles Police Department showed last week that it has done no such thing.
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Iowa reporter Andrea Sahouri acquitted on charges that never should have been brought in the first place
A jury in Polk County, Iowa voted to acquit reporter Andrea Sahouri after she was arrested last summer while covering a protest. The case has been widely criticized by press freedom and human rights advocates around the world.
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Arrested for covering protests, four journalists are due in court this month
At least four journalists around the country will face trial this month following their arrests while covering Black Lives Matter protests, part of the unprecedented number of legal detentions of reporters in 2020.
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Here’s how we impacted press freedom in 2020, a harrowing year for journalists
Freedom of the Press Foundation releases its 2020 Impact Report, outlining the work we’ve accomplished in the past year, an overview of our major projects and initiatives, and how we will be expanding on our work in 2021.
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New report: A record breaking number of journalists arrested in the U.S. this year
New report, "U.S. Press Freedom in Crisis: Journalists Under Arrest in 2020," details how more than 117 journalists were arrested across the country in 2020.
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An NYPD lie about journalist arrests shows why it must not control press credentials
A photojournalist and a documentary filmmaker were among 10 people violently arrested by NYPD officers on Sunday, undermining the department's denial that journalists were arrested.
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Police accountability depends on transparency. Across the state, New York cops are resisting.
The unfolding story of the Daniel Prude case has been a testament to the importance of transparency laws in police accountability. Across New York State, police departments and unions have resisted those efforts.
