Stop Arresting Journalists

Cops on horseback in a crowd

Courtesy Joseph Rushmore

Too often, police arrest journalists for doing their jobs. These arrests and prosecutions chill important reporting.

Arrests and prosecutions of journalists often violate the First Amendment, and they undermine the public’s right to learn about newsworthy events.

Data from the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker shows that journalists are at heightened risk of arrest while covering protests. But police have also arrested reporters just for gathering news or asking questions. Journalists should never be arrested for doing their jobs.

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    Draconian ‘national security’ law already muzzling Hong Kong’s journalists

    Global Affairs Article

    Hong Kong police have arrested Jimmy Lai, publisher of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, and his two sons under collusion charges associated with the country’s controversial new national security law. Under the notoriously vague law, China has claimed the jurisdiction to silence essentially anyone that criticizes the Chinese Communist Party or publicly supports the pro-democracy movement.