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{
"title": "Photojournalist Nebyou Solomon arrested at Trump rally",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-nebyou-solomon-arrested-trump-rally/",
"first_published_at": "2017-05-18T06:56:39.556525Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-06-23T21:09:37.953905Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-06-23T21:09:37.751459Z",
"date": "2017-04-15",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Las Vegas",
"longitude": -115.13722,
"latitude": 36.17497,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"9gzcz\">Nebyou Solomon, a photojournalist for 8 News Now, was <a href=\"https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-las-vegas/journalist-arrested-during-tax-protest-outside-trump-international-in-las-vegas/\">arrested</a> on April 15, 2017, while documenting a rally held outside Trump International Hotel Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department released a statement saying that Solomon continued recording from private property belonging to the Fashion Show Mall after security officers requested him to move. Amy Rose, of the ACLU's Nevada chapter, said that Solomon was recording from a sidewalk.</p><p data-block-key=\"nohmn\">Solomon was released eight hours later on the night of his arrest. He was charged with trespassing and obstruction of a police officer.</p></div>",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"awjku\">Las Vegas police stand between protesters against and supporters of the election of Republican Donald Trump as President of the United States on Nov. 12, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nevada. </p>",
"arresting_authority": "Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department",
"arrest_status": "arrested and released",
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": "2:19-cv-00652",
"case_type": "CIVIL",
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"state": {
"name": "Nevada",
"abbreviation": "NV"
},
"updates": [
"(2023-12-11 15:24:00+00:00) Photojournalist’s lawsuit dismissed, appeal filed",
"(2019-04-17 13:28:00+00:00) Solomon files First Amendment lawsuit against Las Vegas police",
"(2025-06-12 21:04:00+00:00) Appeals court affirms dismissal of journalist’s lawsuit"
],
"case_statuses": [
"dismissed"
],
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"tags": [
"political rally",
"protest"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Nebyou Solomon (KLAS-TV)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Morning Joe hosts claim that administration officials tried to use Enquirer story as leverage",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/morning-joe-hosts-claim-administration-officials-tried-use-enquirer-story-leverage/",
"first_published_at": "2017-08-01T11:00:27.634361Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-11-25T18:54:08.463989Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-11-25T18:54:08.375657Z",
"date": "2017-04-12",
"exact_date_unknown": true,
"city": "New York",
"longitude": -74.00597,
"latitude": 40.71427,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"g8uvv\">MSNBC hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough claimed in a <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/donald-trump-is-not-well/2017/06/30/97759ee0-5d0f-11e7-9b7d-14576dc0f39d_story.html\">Washington Post op-ed</a> that senior White House officials used the threat of an Enquirer story about their then-private romantic relationship to try to extract an apology from them to President Donald Trump.</p><p data-block-key=\"d0ckg\">According to Scarborough, Jared Kushner was one of the administration officials who spoke with him about the Enquirer story. Scarborough texted with Kushner in April 2017 and the latter said that the host should personally apologize to Trump for negative coverage on his show, according to <a href=\"http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/06/what-happened-between-trump-morning-joe-and-the-enquirer.html\">a report in New York Magazine</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"4wekh\">A <a href=\"http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/06/30/trump-kushner-never-blackmailed-scarborough-source-says.html\">Fox News article</a> citing an unnamed White House aide claimed that the exchange with Kushner was not a quid pro quo and that the suggestion of an apology was merely a suggestion for how Scarborough could get back on speaking terms with the president.</p><p data-block-key=\"y9qva\">On June 30, Trump tweeted, “Watched low rated<a href=\"https://twitter.com/Morning_Joe\"> @Morning_Joe</a> for first time in long time. FAKE NEWS. He called me to stop a National Enquirer article. I said no! Bad show.”</p><p data-block-key=\"g1myw\">Scarborough says that he never called Trump to apologize.</p></div>",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"7hm3m\">MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski arrive for the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, U.S. on April 25, 2015.</p>",
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"state": {
"name": "New York",
"abbreviation": "NY"
},
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"tags": [
"Donald Trump"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Chilling Statement"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Joe Scarborough (MSNBC)",
"Mika Brzezinski (MSNBC)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Egyptian talk show host slapped on the back of the neck",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/egyptian-talk-show-host-slapped-back-neck/",
"first_published_at": "2017-07-31T05:33:59.643118Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-03-20T17:24:41.546419Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-03-20T17:24:41.439595Z",
"date": "2017-04-03",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Washington",
"longitude": -77.03637,
"latitude": 38.89511,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"zy9gy\">Egyptian talk show host Youssef al-Hosiny was accosted by protesters in Washington, D.C. on April 3, 2017, and slapped on the back of the neck. </p><p data-block-key=\"srnqo\">According to <a href=\"https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2017/4/4/egypt-journalist-attacked-by-anti-sisi-protesters-in-washington-streets\">an article</a> in The New Arab (“Al-Araby Al-Jadeed” in Arabic), being slapped on the back of the neck is an extremely insulting form of assault in Egypt.</p><p data-block-key=\"303bs\">Al-Hosiny was in D.C. to cover Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s visit to the White House.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"7rli0\">U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the White House on April 3, 2017. Journalist Youssef al-Hosiny was accosted by protesters while in DC to cover the meeting.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
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"assailant": "private individual",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
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"state": {
"name": "District of Columbia",
"abbreviation": "DC"
},
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"tags": [
"protest"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Youssef al-Hosiny (Cairo Time [Egypt])"
],
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},
{
"title": "Trump administration calls for changing libel laws",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/trump-administration-calls-changing-libel-laws/",
"first_published_at": "2017-08-01T02:23:46.470794Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-03-20T17:18:11.851925Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-03-20T17:18:11.758208Z",
"date": "2017-03-30",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Washington",
"longitude": -77.03637,
"latitude": 38.89511,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"pqxjc\">On March 30, 2017, President Trump tweeted, “The failing @nytimes has disgraced the media world. Gotten me wrong for two solid years. Change libel laws?”</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-raw_html\"><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The failing <a href=\"https://twitter.com/nytimes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@nytimes</a> has disgraced the media world. Gotten me wrong for two solid years. Change libel laws? <a href=\"https://t.co/QIqLgvYLLi\">https://t.co/QIqLgvYLLi</a></p>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/847455180912181249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 30, 2017</a></blockquote>\r\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script></div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"tieka\">There are currently no federal libel laws, and Supreme Court has said that plaintiffs must meet a very high standard in order to win a libel suit. Trump would have a difficult time following through on his threat, <a href=\"https://cpj.org/2016/12/transition-to-trump-first-amendment-attorney-floyd/\">according to First Amendment lawyers</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"gfsh2\"><a href=\"http://money.cnn.com/2017/03/30/media/libel-laws-donald-trump-new-york-times/?iid=EL\">This tweet</a> is not the first time that Trump suggested changing libel laws. On Feb. 26, 2016, during the Republican primary campaign, Trump <a href=\"http://www.politico.com/blogs/on-media/2016/02/donald-trump-libel-laws-219866\">said</a> that he wanted to “open up libel laws.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"fc9bj\">Trump says that he will open up libel laws during a campaign event in Fort Worth, Texas on February 26, 2016.</p>",
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"state": {
"name": "District of Columbia",
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},
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"targeted_institutions": [
"Media"
],
"tags": [
"Donald Trump"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Chilling Statement"
],
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},
{
"title": "ICE denies parole to Mexican journalist seeking asylum",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/ice-denies-parole-mexican-journalist-seeking-asylum/",
"first_published_at": "2017-07-26T02:00:48.560178Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-03-20T17:13:48.378924Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-03-20T17:13:48.273929Z",
"date": "2017-03-28",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "El Paso",
"longitude": -106.48693,
"latitude": 31.75872,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"aj66y\">Martín Méndez Pineda, a Mexican journalist legally seeking asylum in the United States, was denied parole on March 28, 2017. Pineda arrived in the U.S. the previous month on February 5 and entered an asylum claim alleging that he received death threats in relation to his reporting on the federal police in the Mexican state of Guerrero.</p><p data-block-key=\"jxnuq\">On March 1, Pineda <a href=\"https://rsf.org/en/mexican-journalist-held-us-border-past-two-months\">passed</a> a “credible fear interview” to establish whether a real threat exists. U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement refused to grant parole to Méndez, however, on the grounds that he was a “flight risk” and did not have substantial ties to the community.</p><p data-block-key=\"thbap\">Pineda spent almost four months in detention before returning to Mexico in May 2017.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"3mtt9\">Martín Méndez Pineda</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
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"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
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"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
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"state": {
"name": "Texas",
"abbreviation": "TX"
},
"updates": [
"(2017-09-13 12:00:00+00:00) CBP refuses to allow Pineda into U.S."
],
"case_statuses": [],
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"tags": [
"ICE"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Other Incident"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Martín Méndez Pineda (Independent)"
],
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},
{
"title": "OC Weekly intern Frank Tristan attacked at pro-Trump rally",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/oc-weekly-intern-frank-tristan-attacked-pro-trump-rally/",
"first_published_at": "2017-07-30T04:47:56.356311Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-11-25T16:54:50.312682Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-11-25T16:54:50.237493Z",
"date": "2017-03-25",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Huntington Beach",
"longitude": -117.99923,
"latitude": 33.6603,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"qfdtf\">Frank Tristan, an intern at OC Weekly, <a href=\"http://www.ocweekly.com/news/huntington-beach-pro-trump-march-turns-into-attack-on-anti-trump-protesters-press-7991623\">was assaulte</a>d alongside OC Weekly photographers Julie Leopo and Brian Feinzimer on March 25, 2017, while covering a pro-Donald Trump march in Huntington Beach, California.</p><p data-block-key=\"3gn5a\">As demonstrators attacked Brian Feinzimer, Tristan attempted to intervene and was repeatedly punched by an unidentified assailant.</p><p data-block-key=\"xjq75\"><a href=\"http://www.ocweekly.com/news/oc-weekly-reporters-photographers-intern-talk-about-huntington-beachs-trumpbro-free-for-all-7997408\">According to OC Weekly editor</a> Gustavo Arellano, an officer was asked to pursue the man but refused.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"6l8w6\">Demonstrators send off white doves from the beach as they protest in support of U.S. President Donald Trump during a rally in Huntington Beach, California, U.S., March 25, 2017. </p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"assailant": "private individual",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
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"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
"updates": [
"(2024-04-04 09:19:00+00:00) California man sentenced for punching journalist at pro-Trump rally"
],
"case_statuses": [],
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"tags": [
"protest"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Frank Tristan (OC Weekly)"
],
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},
{
"title": "OC Weekly photographer Brian Feinzimer attacked at pro-Trump rally",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/oc-weekly-photographer-brian-feinzimer-attacked-pro-trump-rally/",
"first_published_at": "2017-07-30T04:42:22.006402Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-11-25T16:54:42.265789Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-11-25T16:54:42.173375Z",
"date": "2017-03-25",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Huntington Beach",
"longitude": -117.99923,
"latitude": 33.6603,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"9ncfd\">Brian Feinzimer, a photographer for OC Weekly, was <a href=\"http://www.ocweekly.com/news/huntington-beach-pro-trump-march-turns-into-attack-on-anti-trump-protesters-press-7991623\">assaulted alongsid</a>e OC Weekly photographer Julie Leopo and intern Frank Tristan on March 25, 2017, while covering a pro-Donald Trump march in Huntington Beach, California.</p><p data-block-key=\"7a478\">After photographing a demonstrator who repeatedly hit Leopo with an American flag, the demonstrator turned on Feinzimer. He was then shoved and punched by an unidentified assailant.</p><p data-block-key=\"stl5s\"><a href=\"http://www.ocweekly.com/news/oc-weekly-reporters-photographers-intern-talk-about-huntington-beachs-trumpbro-free-for-all-7997408\">According to OC Weekly editor</a> Gustavo Arellano, an officer was asked to pursue the man but refused.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"r2u0i\">Pro-Trump rally participants mix with Anti-Trump protesters as the two sides clash during a Pro-Trump rally in Huntington Beach, California, U.S., March 25, 2017.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"actor": null,
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"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
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"assailant": "private individual",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
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"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
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"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"protest"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Brian Feinzimer (OC Weekly)"
],
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},
{
"title": "OC Weekly photographer Julie Leopo attacked at pro-Trump rally",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/oc-weekly-photographer-julie-leopo-attacked-pro-trump-rally/",
"first_published_at": "2017-07-28T20:40:15.516833Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-11-25T16:54:35.010942Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-11-25T16:54:34.930035Z",
"date": "2017-03-25",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Huntington Beach",
"longitude": -117.99923,
"latitude": 33.6603,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"2kp4c\">Julie Leopo, a photographer for OC Weekly, was <a href=\"http://www.ocweekly.com/news/huntington-beach-pro-trump-march-turns-into-attack-on-anti-trump-protesters-press-7991623\">assaulted alongside</a> OC Weekly photographer Brian Feinzimer and intern Frank Tristan on March 25, 2017, while covering a pro-Donald Trump march in Huntington Beach, California.</p><p data-block-key=\"b2xm4\">After one demonstrator approached Leopo yelling “fake news” and repeatedly hit her with an American flag, Feinzimer turned his camera on the demonstrator and a violent 30 minute brawl ensued. </p><p data-block-key=\"8iir6\">Leopo <a href=\"http://www.ocweekly.com/news/oc-weekly-reporters-photographers-intern-talk-about-huntington-beachs-trumpbro-free-for-all-7997408\">claims</a> that she reported her attacker to a police officer, but the officer refused to write a report.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/RTX32Q0H.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"dvr2v\">Participants carry flags during the Southern California Make America Great Again march in support of President Trump, the military and first responders in Huntington Beach, California, on March 25, 2017.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"release_date": null,
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"actor": null,
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"denial_of_entry": false,
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"assailant": "private individual",
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"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
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"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
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"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
"updates": [],
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"target_nationality": [],
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"tags": [
"protest"
],
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"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Julie Leopo (OC Weekly)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Journalist, graduate student stopped for secondary screening, electronic devices searched",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-graduate-student-stopped-secondary-screening-electronic-devices-searched/",
"first_published_at": "2019-11-08T17:26:47.213697Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-02-29T20:05:08.224320Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-02-29T20:05:08.123155Z",
"date": "2017-03-05",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Toronto",
"longitude": null,
"latitude": null,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"jui10\">Zainab Merchant, a graduate student at Harvard University and founder of the online publication Zainab Rights, was subjected to secondary screening and her devices searched by Customs and Border Protection officers at preclearance in Toronto, Canada, on March 5, 2017.</p><p data-block-key=\"5pas7\">Merchant is one of 11 plaintiffs in a pending lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the ACLU of Massachusetts. According to <a href=\"https://www.aclu.org/legal-document/alasaad-v-duke-aclu-amended-complaint\">the legal complaint</a>, filed in Sept. 2017, Merchant was returning to the U.S. after visiting her uncle in Toronto. When CBP officers directed her to secondary inspection, they took her laptop and and ordered her to turn over her smartphone.</p><p data-block-key=\"jlxq9\">Merchant objected, in part because her phone contained pictures of her without her headscarf that she did not want the male officers to see, but also because it contained information and communications related to her blog. According to the complaint, a CBP officer told her that her phone would be seized indefinitely if she did not comply.</p><p data-block-key=\"vkb13\">“In tears, Ms. Merchant unlocked her phone. She also provided the password to unlock her laptop,” the complaint added.</p><p data-block-key=\"g0q1b\">During the hour and a half that Merchant’s electronic devices were out of her sight, CBP officers thoroughly searcher her bags, read her graduate school notebooks and questioned her about her religious affiliation and her blog. Officers specifically asked about an article she had written for Zainab Rights describing her experience at the border in 2016 which was critical of CBP’s actions.</p><p data-block-key=\"sguxz\">Merchant spent approximately two hours in the inspection area before she was permitted to leave for the boarding area. When her devices were returned, her Facebook app was open to her friends list, which was not the case when she turned over her phone.</p><p data-block-key=\"5i1dl\">According to a <a href=\"https://www.aclu.org/legal-document/zainab-merchant-administrative-complaint-department-homeland-security\">separate complaint</a> the organizations filed with DHS on Merchant’s behalf in 2018, when she arrived at the boarding gate, she underwent another pat-down.</p><p data-block-key=\"7htp2\">The complaint states that Merchant was also subjected to additional screening when she landed in Newark, New Jersey for her connecting flight. The Transportation Security Administration officer checking Merchant’s boarding pass told her she would need to pass through security again, a process which took an hour and caused her to miss her flight.</p><p data-block-key=\"es87a\">In a 2018 opinion article in The Washington Post, Merchant <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/i-may-have-to-quit-harvard--because-the-tsa-wont-stop-searching-me/2018/08/14/0dbdbb72-9a55-11e8-b55e-5002300ef004_story.html\">outlined how she was detained</a> for secondary screenings <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-graduate-student-stopped-again-secondary-screening/\">multiple times</a> in the previous two year period, including one in 2016 that involved her husband and then-6-month-old baby for six hours. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker includes incidents only from 2017 forward.</p><p data-block-key=\"w66rr\">In the Post, Merchant said that as the stops continued she filed a complaint through DHS’s Travel Redress Inquiry Program, wrote to members of Congress and applied for TSA Precheck and CBP Global Entry, programs designed to expedite domestic and international travel. She said her efforts were to no avail.</p><p data-block-key=\"exu8q\">“Am I being stopped because I am Muslim, or because my family once traveled to Iran to visit a holy shrine? Is it because of my criticism of U.S. policies on the multimedia website I run to raise awareness about injustices around the world? Maybe it’s all three,” Merchant wrote. “Federal officers have asked me about my writing and religion, both of which are protected by the First Amendment.”</p><p data-block-key=\"s01uu\">Merchant did not respond to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker’s requests for comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": "1:17-cv-11730",
"case_type": "CIVIL",
"status_of_seized_equipment": "returned in full",
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": null,
"border_point": "Toronto Pearson International Airport",
"target_us_citizenship_status": "U.S. citizen",
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": true,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": "yes",
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"assailant": null,
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"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "cellphone"
},
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "computer"
}
],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "Canada",
"abbreviation": null
},
"updates": [
"(2019-11-12 12:43:00+00:00) Federal court finds warrantless searches of devices violates Fourth Amendment of travelers",
"(2021-06-28 00:00:00+00:00) Supreme Court declines to hear case on warrantless electronic device searches at border"
],
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"dismissed"
],
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"target_nationality": [
"United States"
],
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"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Border Stop",
"Equipment Search or Seizure"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Zainab Merchant (Independent)"
],
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"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Reporters excluded from press briefing",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporters-excluded-press-briefing/",
"first_published_at": "2017-08-02T06:11:40.032611Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-11-25T19:49:10.346117Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-11-25T19:49:10.241167Z",
"date": "2017-02-24",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Washington",
"longitude": -77.03637,
"latitude": 38.89511,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"j2lah\">Aides to White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer barred 11 news outlets from attending an informal briefing known as a “gaggle” held in lieu of a daily press briefing on Feb. 24, 2017. When reporters tried to enter Spicer's office for the briefing, they were told that they were not on the list of attendees. The press pool was invited to attend along with several handpicked outlets.</p><p data-block-key=\"z9tka\">CNN, The New York Times, Politico, The Hill, the BBC, the Daily Mail, the Guardian, BuzzFeed, Huffington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and New York Daily News were excluded.</p><p data-block-key=\"0mnx2\">White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders claimed that the briefing had taken place in a smaller office and that the press pool had been invited. </p><p data-block-key=\"m6wkl\">“We invited the pool so everyone was represented. We decided to add a couple of additional people beyond the pool. Nothing more than that," she said.</p><p data-block-key=\"9v567\">The pool consisted of Hearst Newspapers and CBS. NBC, ABC, Fox News, One America News Network, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Breitbart, McClatchy and The Washington Times were also invited and attended.</p><p data-block-key=\"vwp5v\">Reporters from The Associated Press, Time and USA Today declined to attend. </p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/RTS107KL.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"xeuyp\">Journalists work in the briefing room at the White House on Feb. 24, 2017. Several major news organizations were excluded from an off camera "gaggle" meeting with White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer.</p>",
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"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
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"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
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"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": null,
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"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
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"assailant": null,
"was_journalist_targeted": null,
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
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"name_of_business": null,
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"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "District of Columbia",
"abbreviation": "DC"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [
"BBC News [United Kingdom]",
"BuzzFeed News",
"CNN",
"Daily Mail",
"HuffPost",
"Los Angeles Times",
"[New York] Daily News",
"Politico",
"The Guardian",
"The Hill",
"The New York Times"
],
"tags": [
"Donald Trump"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [
"Federal government: White House"
],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Denial of Access"
],
"targeted_journalists": [],
"subpoena_statuses": [],
"type_of_denial": [
"Government event"
]
},
{
"title": "Trump calls “fake news” the “enemy of the people”",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/trump-calls-fake-news-enemy-people/",
"first_published_at": "2017-08-01T12:35:39.926199Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-03-20T17:01:48.103741Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-03-20T17:01:48.027203Z",
"date": "2017-02-24",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Oxon Hill",
"longitude": -76.9897,
"latitude": 38.80345,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"onofm\">In a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Feb. 24, 2017, Trump referred to the media as the “enemy of the people.” </p><p data-block-key=\"14b0v\">A week earlier, Trump <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/17/business/trump-calls-the-news-media-the-enemy-of-the-people.html\">had tweeted</a> “The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @CNN, @NBCNews and many more) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American people. SICK!”</p><p data-block-key=\"pvfaw\">During the CPAC conference, Trump <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/us/politics/white-house-sean-spicer-briefing.html\">referenced</a> his earlier tweet, saying that he called the “fake media” the enemy of the people because they had no sources. He also said that the phrase only replied to “dishonest” reporters.</p><p data-block-key=\"7cz40\">During the conference, Trump also said that journalists should not be allowed to use anonymous sources. “They shouldn’t be allowed to use a source, unless the use somebody’s name,” he said.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/RTS106MV.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"76eh5\">U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, in Oxon Hill, Maryland, U.S., February 24, 2017. </p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
"case_type": null,
"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": null,
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"assailant": null,
"was_journalist_targeted": null,
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
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"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
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"state": {
"name": "Maryland",
"abbreviation": "MD"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [
"Media"
],
"tags": [
"Donald Trump"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Chilling Statement"
],
"targeted_journalists": [],
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"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Journalist Tracie Williams arrested at Standing Rock",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-tracie-williams-arrested-standing-rock/",
"first_published_at": "2017-05-24T21:51:13.234889Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-04-17T15:47:20.703736Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-04-17T15:47:20.581636Z",
"date": "2017-02-23",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Morton County",
"longitude": null,
"latitude": null,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"uwf90\">Tracie Williams, an independent photojournalist, was arrested on Feb. 23, 2017, while covering events at the Dakota Access Pipeline camp. Police seized her phone, camera, lenses, external battery packs, blank flash cards, and data discs and held them as evidence.</p><p data-block-key=\"zwj3u\">Williams is charged with physical obstruction of government function, a Class A misdemeanor that could result in a year in jail. According to police records, Williams pleaded not guilty.</p><p data-block-key=\"cpni7\"><a href=\"https://nppa.org/news/confiscated-cameras-returned\">According to the National Press Photographers Association</a>, Williams’ seized equipment was returned to her on March 1.</p><p data-block-key=\"9qya4\">Williams is scheduled to go to trial in June 2018.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/TW_Feed-The-Flame-20_1.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"6iwmg\">A law enforcement officer points his gun at two Water Protectors praying near a Dakota Access Pipeline resistance camp, on Feb. 23, 2017. Photojournalist Tracie Williams took this photograph moments before she was arrested.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "Morton County Sheriff's Department",
"arrest_status": "arrested and released",
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
"case_type": null,
"status_of_seized_equipment": "returned in full",
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": "law enforcement",
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": null,
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"assailant": null,
"was_journalist_targeted": null,
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "camera"
},
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "cellphone"
},
{
"quantity": 3,
"equipment": "storage device"
},
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "recording equipment"
}
],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "North Dakota",
"abbreviation": "ND"
},
"updates": [
"(2018-07-11 17:20:00+00:00) Charges dismissed",
"(2018-01-29 12:00:00+00:00) Tracie Williams statement"
],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"environmentalism",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge",
"Equipment Search or Seizure"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Tracie Williams (Independent)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": [],
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Journalist Tonita Cervantes arrested at Standing Rock",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-tonita-cervantes-arrested-standing-rock/",
"first_published_at": "2017-05-24T22:01:58.221086Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-04-03T21:10:52.224097Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-04-03T21:10:52.095230Z",
"date": "2017-02-22",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Morton County",
"longitude": null,
"latitude": null,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"rrmjn\">Tonita Cervantes, a freelance photojournalist, was arrested on Feb. 22, 2017, while covering events at the Dakota Access Pipeline camp. Police seized her phone, camera, lenses, external battery packs, blank flash cards, and data discs and held them as evidence.</p><p data-block-key=\"ld95m\">Cervantes is charged with physical obstruction of government function, a Class A misdemeanor that could result in a year in jail. According to police records, Cervantes pleaded not guilty.</p><p data-block-key=\"hkdv7\">Cervantes’ seized equipment was returned to her on March 1, <a href=\"http://blogs.nppa.org/advocacy/2017/02/28/nppa-joined-groups-sends-letter-requesting-return-seized-equipment/\">according to the National Press Photographers Association</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"0wv46\">Cervantes is scheduled to go to trial in June 2018.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Cervantes.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"tis06\">Photojournalist Tonita Cervantes was arrested shortly after taking this photo of law enforcement officers enforcing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s evacuation order for the Oceti Sakowin camp in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, on Feb. 22, 2017.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "Morton County Sheriff's Department",
"arrest_status": "arrested and released",
"release_date": "2017-02-23",
"detention_date": "2017-02-22",
"unnecessary_use_of_force": true,
"case_number": "1:22-cv-00211",
"case_type": "CIVIL",
"status_of_seized_equipment": "returned in full",
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": "law enforcement",
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": null,
"did_authorities_ask_about_work": null,
"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [
{
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"equipment": "camera"
},
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "camera lens"
},
{
"quantity": 1,
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},
{
"quantity": 1,
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},
{
"quantity": 14,
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}
],
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"state": {
"name": "North Dakota",
"abbreviation": "ND"
},
"updates": [
"(2022-12-19 00:00:00+00:00) Freelance photojournalist sues ND county, city, officers for wrongful arrest at pipeline protest",
"(2024-03-01 00:00:00+00:00) Journalist’s suit against North Dakota law enforcement dismissed"
],
"case_statuses": [
"dismissed"
],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"environmentalism",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge",
"Assault",
"Equipment Search or Seizure"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Tonita Cervantes (Freelance)"
],
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"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Reporter Jack Smith IV charged with obstruction at Standing Rock",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-jack-smith-iv-charged-obstruction-standing-rock/",
"first_published_at": "2017-05-23T20:20:24.754797Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-04-17T15:48:09.020028Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-04-17T15:48:08.881845Z",
"date": "2017-02-22",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Morton County",
"longitude": null,
"latitude": null,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ya22l\">Jack Smith IV, a journalist with Mic, was arrested on Feb. 22, 2017, while documenting law enforcement’s efforts to clear protesters from the Oceti Sakowin camp at the Standing Rock reservation in North Dakota.</p><p data-block-key=\"owv6v\">Smith described his arrest in a <a href=\"https://mic.com/articles/169482/i-watched-standing-rock-protesters-dance-for-victory-then-the-police-arrested-us\">first-person account published on Mic</a>:</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"de2sa\"><i>When it came time for police to move in, they slowly marched forward in a line on the road above the camp. They stopped at the head of a camp entrance, flag road, leading many to believe the media could be at a safe distance to film while police entered camp.</i></p><p data-block-key=\"ntxct\"><i>But the police didn't veer down the hill along a separate entrance into the camp, as expected. Instead, they sprinted forward on the road toward a handful of protesters and the media covering them, batons waving in full riot gear. Burdened by the weight of luggage, a camera and a hefty portable battery there was no way I was going to continue to retreat quickly enough. They were five feet away. I dropped to my knees, head bowed, hands up. Nine of us were arrested at first — me, an independent journalist and seven water protectors — charged with obstructing a government function (Mic is contesting this charge).</i></p></div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"pbkzo\">Smith was charged with physical obstruction of government function, a Class A misdemeanor that could result in a year in jail. Police also seized his camera and laptop, which have not been returned to him.</p><p data-block-key=\"x0iv8\">Smith is scheduled to go to trial in June 2018.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"2cye7\">Jack Smith IV on the ground at Standing Rock</p>",
"arresting_authority": "Morton County Sheriff's Department",
"arrest_status": "arrested and released",
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
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"status_of_seized_equipment": "returned in full",
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"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
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"equipment_seized": [
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "camera"
},
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "computer"
},
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "external battery"
}
],
"equipment_broken": [
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "camera"
}
],
"state": {
"name": "North Dakota",
"abbreviation": "ND"
},
"updates": [
"(2017-12-07 15:14:00+00:00) Charges dropped",
"(2018-02-01 00:00:00+00:00) North Dakota authorities return equipment a year after seizure, but with damage"
],
"case_statuses": [],
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"tags": [
"environmentalism",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge",
"Equipment Search or Seizure",
"Equipment Damage"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Jack Smith IV (Mic)"
],
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"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Filmmaker Jahnny Lee charged with obstruction at Standing Rock",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/filmmaker-jahnny-lee-charged-obstruction-standing-rock/",
"first_published_at": "2017-05-23T20:03:46.122162Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-04-17T15:49:07.101908Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-04-17T15:49:06.971371Z",
"date": "2017-02-22",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Morton County",
"longitude": null,
"latitude": null,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"5dbq4\">Jahnny Lee, a filmmaker working with the Sundance Institute, was arrested on Feb. 22, 2017, while filming a standoff between police and protesters at Standing Rock. On the day of his arrest, Lee was filming on Highway 1806, along with Jack Smith IV. During his arrest, Lee’s camera and phone were seized.</p><p data-block-key=\"930dq\">Reed Lindsay, who witnessed the arrest, <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/reed.lindsay.33/posts/10154135894940653\">claimed on Facebook</a> that police initially told journalists that they could film events on Highway 1806, but then later arrested journalists who did so.</p><p data-block-key=\"vg9p2\">Lee was charged with physical obstruction of government function, a Class A misdemeanor that could result in a year in jail. He is scheduled to go to trial in June 2018.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/RTSTEZI.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880_iLPlyTo.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"ijpnf\">The Oceti Sakowin camp is seen at sunrise during a protest against plans to pass the Dakota Access pipeline near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, near Cannon Ball, North Dakota, U.S. November 2, 2016. </p>",
"arresting_authority": "Morton County Sheriff's Department",
"arrest_status": "arrested and released",
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
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"status_of_seized_equipment": "returned in full",
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"actor": "law enforcement",
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"assailant": null,
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"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "cellphone"
},
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "camera"
}
],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "North Dakota",
"abbreviation": "ND"
},
"updates": [
"(2018-04-27 12:40:00+00:00) Charges dismissed",
"(2017-02-25 17:17:00+00:00) Law enforcement returns equipment seized during filmmaker’s arrest"
],
"case_statuses": [],
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"tags": [
"environmentalism",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge",
"Equipment Search or Seizure"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Jahnny Lee (Sundance Institute)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": [],
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Reporter John Sepulvado subpoenaed to testify in Bundy occupation trial",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-john-sepulvado-subpoenaed-testify-bundy-occupation-trial/",
"first_published_at": "2017-07-30T22:34:31.227819Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-04-17T15:53:01.981357Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-04-17T15:53:01.868064Z",
"date": "2017-02-16",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Portland",
"longitude": -122.67621,
"latitude": 45.52345,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ag7ba\">Radio journalist John Sepulvado was subpoenaed on Feb. 16, 2017, to testify at trial about an interview he conducted with Ryan Bundy, one of the leaders of the group that forcibly occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in 2016. Sepulvado conducted that interview while still a journalist at Oregon Public Broadcasting; he later moved to California and now works for San Francisco radio station KQED.</p><p data-block-key=\"ofyd4\">Federal prosecutors first asked Sepulvado in 2016 to voluntarily testify about the interview. He refused, and the Obama administration’s Department of Justice declined to issue a subpoena that would force him to testify.</p><p data-block-key=\"84c7h\">But that changed under the Trump administration. Shortly after being sworn in as attorney general, Jeff Sessions personally approved the subpoena, which was then served on Sepulvado.</p><p data-block-key=\"gtvlo\">Although the prosecution did not explicitly ask Sepulvado to testify about his confidential sources, Sepulvado later said that defense attorneys looking to discredit his testimony began asking him about his confidential sources.</p><p data-block-key=\"ox0zd\">In a <a href=\"https://www.portlandmercury.com/news/2017/03/01/18873290/a-former-opb-journalist-just-beat-the-trump-administration-in-court\">first-person piece for The Portland Mercury</a>, Sepulvado wrote that he believed it was his responsibility to <a href=\"https://issuu.com/maxinebernstein/docs/quashsubpoenaopb?e=27254625/44712638\">fight the subpoena</a> and protect his sources.</p><p data-block-key=\"4dp0h\">“To violate the trust of my named source, and the audience, by testifying for or against anyone in a criminal trial would erode both my credibility and OPB’s, impeding our ability to report freely under the First Amendment,” he wrote. “My unnamed sources are people who have entrusted me to protect their identity no matter what, in exchange for information of importance to the public.”</p><p data-block-key=\"sh2n6\">On Feb. 24, a federal judge in Portland ruled in Sepulvado’s favor and <a href=\"https://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-standoff/2017/02/judge_quashes_subpoena_of_form.html\">quashed</a> the subpoena.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/RTX2QS1L.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"818mr\">Leader of a group of armed protesters Ammon Bundy talks to the media at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon, January 8, 2016. </p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
"case_type": null,
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"assailant": null,
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"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": "other testimony",
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": "Federal",
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "Oregon",
"abbreviation": "OR"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"Department of Justice",
"militia"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Subpoena/Legal Order"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"John Sepulvado (Oregon Public Broadcasting)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": [
"quashed"
],
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Trump reportedly urges FBI director James Comey to jail journalists",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/trump-allegedly-urges-comey-jail-journalists/",
"first_published_at": "2017-08-01T11:52:58.226582Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-04-17T15:55:33.448761Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-04-17T15:55:33.349683Z",
"date": "2017-02-14",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Washington",
"longitude": -77.03637,
"latitude": 38.89511,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ccwc4\">During an Oval Office meeting on Feb. 14, 2017, President Trump allegedly asked James Comey, then the FBI director, to consider putting journalists in prison for publishing classified information.</p><p data-block-key=\"zjn8m\">Trump began the private meeting by condemning leakers and telling Comey that he should consider putting journalists in prison, according to a <a href=\"https://static01.nyt.com/files/2018/us/politics/20180419-james-comey-memos.pdf\">memo</a> written by Comey, parts of which were read to <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/us/politics/james-comey-trump-flynn-russia-investigation.html\">The New York Times</a> by an associate of the former FBI director. During the same meeting, Trump allegedly asked Comey to end the FBI investigation, according to the Times.</p><p data-block-key=\"bvyxu\">The Trump administration released a statement disputing the accuracy of information allegedly contained in the memo, saying that it was not a “truthful” or “accurate” representation of the conversation. The statement did not address the statement related to jailing journalists.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/RTSWV5T.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"lnyv2\">President Donald Trump reaches out to shake hands with Federal Bureau of Investigations director James Comey.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
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"assailant": null,
"was_journalist_targeted": null,
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
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"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "District of Columbia",
"abbreviation": "DC"
},
"updates": [
"(2018-04-19 01:06:00+00:00) Comey memo"
],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [
"Media"
],
"tags": [
"Donald Trump"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Chilling Statement"
],
"targeted_journalists": [],
"subpoena_statuses": [],
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Marine Corps bans journalist and veteran James LaPorta from Camp Lejeune base",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/marine-corps-bans-journalist-camp-lejeune-base/",
"first_published_at": "2017-07-17T00:41:58.889842Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-12-21T21:07:53.116415Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-12-21T21:07:53.021764Z",
"date": "2017-02-10",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Jacksonville",
"longitude": -77.43024,
"latitude": 34.75405,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"qz0i4\">James LaPorta, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and independent journalist, was indefinitely barred from accessing Camp Lejeune, a major Marine Corps base in North Carolina, on Feb. 10, 2017.</p><p data-block-key=\"yqvzc\">Camp Lejeune is not open to the general public, but military personnel have access to it and civilians can visit the base if they are sponsored by someone on the base. As a member of the Marine Corps' inactive reserves, LaPorta had free access to the base with his military ID.</p><p data-block-key=\"8zu8l\">LaPorta is a frequent contributor to The Daily Beast and has reported extensively on the Marine Corps, including sensitive subjects like revenge porn and sexual harassment among Marines.</p><p data-block-key=\"3iztf\">On Feb. 5, 2017, LaPorta said, he visited Camp Lejeune to meet with a source who lives on the base. LaPorta said that his source — a woman who accused a high-ranking officer of sexually assaulting her — invited him into her home on the base so that he could interview her. LaPorta said that he did not notify Camp Lejeune's public affairs office before his visit, in part because his source specifically told him that she did not trust the public affairs office.</p><p data-block-key=\"19kcz\">After interviewing the woman, LaPorta said, he went to Camp Lejeune's brig to visit the officer accused of sexual assault. Camp Lejeune's public affairs office prohibits journalists from interviewing detainees in the brig without permission, but LaPorta said that he only went to briefly visit the officer, not to formally interview him. (LaPorta said that he had already interviewed the officer twice before he was taken into custody and so had no reason to interview him again during the February visit.)</p><p data-block-key=\"d2s6d\">Five days later, Camp Lejeune deputy commander Col. Scalise sent a letter to LaPorta informing him that he had violated regulations by interviewing the woman and visiting the officer in the brig. The letter warned that he would be indefinitely "debarred" from entering the base:</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"nsnke\"><i>On 5 February 2017, you participated in inappropriate and unethical activities by attempting to interview a victim of an alleged crime aboard Marine Corps base, Camp Lejeune, (MCB CAMLEJ); which is in violation of [a regulation], by gathering information/taking photographs/videotaping/exposing TV motion picture film within the Camp Lejeune area without prior approval of the Consolidated Public Affairs Office. Additionally, you violated [another regulation]; which states "Personal interviews and telephonic communications between prisoners and media representatives is not authorized, unless a determination is made that such an interview serves the legitimate public interest, or is in the best interest of the military.</i></p><p data-block-key=\"e5cr4\"><i>Based upon the serious nature of your misconduct, you are being debarred from MCB CAMLEJ. I have determined that your presence aboard MCB CAMLEJ is detrimental to the security, good order and discipline of the Installation. Accordingly, you are hereby notified, upon the receipt of this letter, that you are ordered not to reenter, or be found within the limits of MCB CAMLEJ.</i></p></div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"228z4\">Lejeune is one of only three major Marine Corps bases — the other two are in southern California and Okinawa, Japan — and LaPorta said that being debarred from the North Carolina base will make it much more difficult to report on the Marine Corps.</p><p data-block-key=\"1cn70\">"Being debarred from Camp Lejeune, it’s almost like losing 25 to 40 percent of your coverage area," he said.</p><p data-block-key=\"tnnt8\">LaPorta finished his service in the reserves in June 2017 and was honorably discharged. He remains debarred from Camp Lejeune, prohibited from entering the base even if explicitly invited by a resident of the base.</p><p data-block-key=\"aw132\">Rep. Jackie Speier, a Democratic congresswoman from California, has tried to intercede on LaPorta's behalf. She sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Gen. James Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford asking them to explain why LaPorta was debarred from Camp Lejeune. The generals have not yet responded.</p><p data-block-key=\"0yojh\"><i>Editor's Note: An earlier version of this post stated that a major Marine Corps base is located in northern California. The base, Camp Pendleton, is actually located in southern California.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"l9rkg\">James LaPorta in southern Helmand Province, Afghanistan, during his first combat deployment in 2009. LaPorta is now an independent journalist covering the U.S. Marine Corps.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
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"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
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"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "North Carolina",
"abbreviation": "NC"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"military"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [
"Law enforcement: Military"
],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Denial of Access"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"James LaPorta (Independent)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": [],
"type_of_denial": [
"Other"
]
},
{
"title": "Senior White House official mentions ‘dossier’ on reporter",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/senior-white-house-official-mentions-dossier-reporter/",
"first_published_at": "2017-08-01T11:21:44.616598Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-05-07T19:37:53.878097Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-05-07T19:37:53.791413Z",
"date": "2017-02-08",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Washington",
"longitude": -77.03637,
"latitude": 38.89511,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"op3bd\">April Ryan, a White house correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks, claims that she was “physically intimidated” by a political aide in the White House on Feb. 8, 2017. Omarosa Manigault, the Director of Communication for the Office of Public Liaison, and Ryan got into a heated argument near the White House press secretary office, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/journalist-says-omarosa-manigault-bullied-her-and-mentioned-a-dossier-on-her/2017/02/13/d852926e-f131-11e6-8d72-263470bf0401_story.html\">according to The Washington Post</a>. </p><p data-block-key=\"rlizd\">Among witnesses of the confrontation were various White House staffers and Washington Post reporter, Abby Phillip. </p><p data-block-key=\"mowy3\">Ryan claims that Manigault, who was appointed by President Donald Trump and served as his campaign’s Director of African-American outreach during the campaign, accosted her and threatened her with a “dossier” containing negative information. Ryan said that Manigault told her that several African American journalists were subjects of the dossier, according to the Post.</p><p data-block-key=\"eke2p\"><i>Editor’s note: This incident has been updated to correctly list Ryan’s outlet.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"fvsr3\">Omarosa Manigault, left, aide to U.S. President Donald Trump, stands beside White House spokesman Sean Spicer at a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 14, 2017.</p>",
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"Chilling Statement"
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{
"title": "Gothamist reporter Jake Offenhartz attacked by 'Proud Boy' protester",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/gothamist-reporter-jake-offenhartz-attacked-proud-boy-protester/",
"first_published_at": "2018-01-16T09:26:49.005500Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-08-06T15:39:23.291927Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-08-06T15:39:23.192142Z",
"date": "2017-02-02",
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"city": "New York",
"longitude": -74.00597,
"latitude": 40.71427,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"l4bhq\">Jake Offenhartz, a reporter for Gothamist, reported that he was pushed into a tree by Salvatore Cipolla, a member of the alt-right group “Proud Boys,” on Feb. 2, 2017.</p><p data-block-key=\"c3cjo\">Offenhartz was reporting at New York University, where “Proud Boys” founder Gavin McInnes was scheduled to speak and where large groups of protesters and counterprotesters had gathered.</p><p data-block-key=\"7y917\">In an <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/anti-fascist-protesters-clash-with-proud-boys-as-gavin-mcinnes-speaks-at-nyu\">article for Gothamist</a>, Offenhartz wrote that a “Proud Boy” counterprotester called for violence against anti-fascist protesters and then tried to punch him.</p><p data-block-key=\"y7yda\">“One of the Proud Boys urged the others to join him in battling the ‘faggots wearing black that won’t let us in,’ then, perhaps believing that I fit the bill, ended up taking a few swings at me,” Offenhartz wrote. “He ended up shoving me into a tree, though some of his fellow Proud Boys did attempt to restrain him. The man was later arrested for punching a DNAinfo reporter.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-raw_html\"><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">A distraught "Proud Boy" outside the NYU protest <a href=\"https://t.co/GOmu8RebbV\">pic.twitter.com/GOmu8RebbV</a></p>— Jake Offenhartz (@jangelooff) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/jangelooff/status/827557640179965954?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 3, 2017</a></blockquote>\r\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script></div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"h3ztq\">Salvatore Cipolla was immediately <a href=\"https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20170203/greenwich-village/11-arrested-at-nyu-protest-against-conservative-firebrand-gavin-mcinnes/\">arrested</a> after accosting <a href=\"/all-incidents/dnainfo-reporter-noah-hurowitz-accosted-proud-boy-nyu-protest/\">Noah Hurowitz</a>, a DNAinfo reporter. He was cited for criminal mischief and second-degree harassment. After pleading guilty, he was sentenced to community service.</p></div>",
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"name": "New York",
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"white nationalism"
],
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"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Jake Offenhartz (Gothamist)"
],
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},
{
"title": "DNAinfo reporter Noah Hurowitz accosted by 'Proud Boy' at NYU protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/dnainfo-reporter-noah-hurowitz-accosted-proud-boy-nyu-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2018-01-16T09:26:13.926727Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-12-06T16:06:54.835393Z",
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"city": "New York",
"longitude": -74.00597,
"latitude": 40.71427,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"qk6yb\">DNAinfo reporter Noah Hurowitz was punched in the face by Salvatore Cipolla, a member of the alt-right group "Proud Boys," on Feb. 2, 2017, DNAinfo <a href=\"https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20170203/greenwich-village/11-arrested-at-nyu-protest-against-conservative-firebrand-gavin-mcinnes\">reported</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"t3f18\">Hurowitz was reporting at New York University, where "Proud Boys" founder Gavin McInnes was scheduled to speak and where large groups of protesters and counterprotesters had gathered.</p><p data-block-key=\"nu6gl\">Hurowitz told the Freedom of the Press Foundation in an email that he was attempting to photograph Cipolla, a member of the "Proud Boys" who was yelling at protesters, when Cipolla approached him and physically accosted him.</p><p data-block-key=\"07bki\">"As I backed up, verbally identifying myself as press and holding up my NYPD-issued press pass, which was around my neck, Cipolla shoved me, grabbed me by the collar of my coat, and yanked on my press pass, damaging it," Hurowitz said. "He was immediately arrested."</p><p data-block-key=\"eoi76\">Cipolla was cited for disorderly conduct and second-degree harassment. After pleading guilty, he was sentenced to community service.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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{
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],
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"name": "New York",
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},
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"tags": [
"protest",
"white nationalism"
],
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"Assault",
"Equipment Damage"
],
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"Noah Hurowitz (DNAinfo)"
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},
{
"title": "Reporter Jenni Monet arrested at Standing Rock",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-jenni-monet-arrested-standing-rock/",
"first_published_at": "2017-05-25T21:05:01.655397Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-03-20T16:36:18.309940Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-03-20T16:36:18.148947Z",
"date": "2017-02-01",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Morton County",
"longitude": null,
"latitude": null,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"qkf0y\">Jenni Monet — a freelance journalist who has written for The Center for Investigative Reporting, Indian Country Today, and Yes! Magazine — was <a href=\"https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/news/native-news/monet-arrested-reporting-dakota-access/\">arrested</a> while covering protests opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota. Monet had been continuously embedded at Standing Rock since December 2016. On Feb. 1, 2017, she was detained and <a href=\"https://www.cjr.org/local_news/reporter_standing_rock_pipeline.php\">arrested</a> after presenting law enforcement officers with her press credentials.</p><p data-block-key=\"66k3c\">Writing in Indian Country Today, Monet <a href=\"https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/news/native-news/strip-searched-white-cellmates-not/\">reported</a> that she was denied a phone call to her attorney until 25 hours after her arrest and was detained for more than 30 hours before finally being released. She also said that she and other Native American and non-white detainees were subjected to strip searches that their white counterparts were not.</p><p data-block-key=\"bv3sb\">Monet was charged with criminal trespassing and engaging in a riot, both Class B misdemeanors that could result in up to two months in jail, a fine, or both.</p><p data-block-key=\"n2t4g\">She is scheduled to go to trial in June 2018.</p><p data-block-key=\"vg1c5\">For her coverage of the Standing Rock protests, she <a href=\"https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/news/native-news/jenni-monet-award-standing-rock/\">has received</a> Columbia University's 2017 Paul Tobenkin Memorial Award and the <a href=\"http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/hugh-m-hefner-foundation-announces-first-amendment-award-winners-for-2017-2225829.htm\">Hugh M. Hefner Foundation's 2017 First Amendment Award</a>.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"7fl3s\">Jenni Monet at Standing Rock</p>",
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"arrest_status": "arrested and released",
"release_date": "2017-02-02",
"detention_date": "2017-02-01",
"unnecessary_use_of_force": true,
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"state": {
"name": "North Dakota",
"abbreviation": "ND"
},
"updates": [
"(2018-05-10 13:24:00+00:00) Rioting charge dropped",
"(2018-06-01 18:47:00+00:00) Not guilty"
],
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"tags": [
"environmentalism",
"protest"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Jenni Monet (Freelance)"
],
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},
{
"title": "CNN producer detained in Atlanta airport",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/cnn-producer-detained-atlanta-airport/",
"first_published_at": "2017-05-18T06:59:58.775743Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-01-16T19:37:50.379935Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-01-16T19:37:50.273337Z",
"date": "2017-01-29",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Atlanta",
"longitude": -84.38798,
"latitude": 33.749,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"sf9p9\">Mohammed Tawfeeq, a CNN editor and producer, was detained Sunday at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and subjected to secondary screening while returning from an assignment on Jan. 29, 2017.</p><p data-block-key=\"4u0n6\">Tawfeeq, an Iraqi who is a legal permanent resident of the U.S., has <a href=\"http://www.ajc.com/news/crime--law/cnn-producer-detained-atlanta-files-lawsuit-against-immigration-order/dWQqxhufKIuOi8W4nsUWdM/\">filed a lawsuit in federal court</a> alleging that the president's executive order was used to unlawfully detain him, reports said.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"t32m3\">A traveler arriving from overseas is fingerprinted while his paperwork is checked by a border patrol official at the passport control line in Newark International Airport Aug. 24, 2009 in Newark, New Jersey.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": "1:17-cv-00353",
"case_type": "CIVIL",
"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": null,
"border_point": "Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport",
"target_us_citizenship_status": "U.S. permanent resident (green card)",
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": "unknown",
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"state": {
"name": "Georgia",
"abbreviation": "GA"
},
"updates": [
"(2017-08-11 00:00:00+00:00) CNN producer’s lawsuit dismissed following changes to executive order"
],
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"dismissed"
],
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"Iraq"
],
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"categories": [
"Border Stop"
],
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"Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Police and private security prevent journalists from covering protests at JFK airport",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/police-and-private-security-prevent-journalists-covering-protests-jfk-airport/",
"first_published_at": "2017-08-01T06:51:51.179533Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-02-06T20:17:34.608492Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-02-06T20:17:34.533992Z",
"date": "2017-01-28",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "New York",
"longitude": -74.00597,
"latitude": 40.71427,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"uaels\">On Jan. 28, 2017, protesters across the country flocked to airports to protest President Donald Trump’s executive order banning citizens of six Muslim-majority countries from traveling to the United States, and journalists raced to cover the protests.</p><p data-block-key=\"na5d8\">In New York City, a focus of travel ban protests was John F. Kennedy airport’s Terminal 4, which is the airport’s main site for international arrivals. But journalists were prevented from going to the terminal to cover the protests, according to one reporter on the scene.</p><p data-block-key=\"dw5mo\">Charlotte Alter, a journalist at Time magazine, said that the terminal’s private security forces, with assistance from New York police officers, blocked the entrance to Terminal 4, preventing journalists from documenting the protests and interviewing people affected by the ban.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-raw_html\"><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Port authority police stationed at the door of JFK, refusing to allow any press in <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/MuslimBan?src=hash\">#MuslimBan</a></p>— Charlotte Alter (@CharlotteAlter) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/CharlotteAlter/status/825394797338828800\">January 28, 2017</a></blockquote>\r\n<script async src=\"//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"9aube\">Port Authority Police Officers stand guard outside Terminal 4 during a protest against Donald Trump's travel ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, NY, on Jan. 28, 2017.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"state": {
"name": "New York",
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},
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"tags": [
"immigration",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Other Incident"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Charlotte Alter (Time)"
],
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"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Journalist Alexei Wood arrested at Inauguration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-alexei-wood-arrested-inauguration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2017-07-26T15:56:29.556592Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-02-23T16:10:38.499416Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-02-23T16:10:38.273326Z",
"date": "2017-01-20",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Washington",
"longitude": -77.03637,
"latitude": 38.89511,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"3ovdd\">Independent photojournalist Alexei Wood was arrested while covering protests on Jan. 20, 2017 — the day of the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump.</p><p data-block-key=\"oazxl\">Wood was among more than 230 people arrested in Washington on Inauguration Day after some individuals set fire to a car and broke windows of downtown businesses.</p><p data-block-key=\"x707n\">Wood told the Freedom of the Press Foundation that, when he was arrested, he was carrying a lot of professional equipment — including a Canon 7D camera body with a 16–35 L lens, at least four memory cards with over 200 GB of photos, a Rode external microphone, a monopod, and an Android phone (which he used to livestream the protest on Facebook Live). </p><p data-block-key=\"oex03\">All of his equipment was seized and searched by police after he was arrested. The lens was later returned to him, but the rest of his equipment was not.</p><p data-block-key=\"uda5i\">Like other journalists arrested during the Inauguration protests, Wood was initially charged with one count of rioting, a felony which carries a penalty of up to 10 years in jail. </p><p data-block-key=\"mmws4\">But on April 27, a grand jury <a href=\"https://www.scribd.com/document/346923365/Felony-Rioting-Superseding-Indictment-April-27-2017\">indicted him</a> on eight separate felony counts:</p><ul><li data-block-key=\"x6qvh\">Five felony counts of destruction of property</li><li data-block-key=\"5pola\">One felony count of inciting a riot</li><li data-block-key=\"yypwl\">One felony count of engaging in a riot</li><li data-block-key=\"wjjwm\">One felony count of conspiracy to riot</li></ul><p data-block-key=\"bft40\">The eight counts carry a combined <a href=\"http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/06/reporters-face-70-years-prison-anti-trump-march-170615083432300.html\">maximum sentence</a> of more than 60 years in prison.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/alexei_wood_huffpost.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"f90w7\">Alexei Wood stands outside D.C. superior court.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "Metropolitan Police Department",
"arrest_status": "arrested and released",
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": "1:20-cv-00130",
"case_type": "CIVIL",
"status_of_seized_equipment": "returned in full",
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": "law enforcement",
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": null,
"did_authorities_ask_about_work": null,
"assailant": null,
"was_journalist_targeted": null,
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "camera"
},
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "camera equipment"
},
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "camera lens"
},
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "cellphone"
},
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "recording equipment"
},
{
"quantity": 4,
"equipment": "storage device"
}
],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "District of Columbia",
"abbreviation": "DC"
},
"updates": [
"(2017-10-31 15:17:00+00:00) Wood's trial date",
"(2017-12-21 12:42:00+00:00) Jury verdict: not guilty",
"(2017-11-20 12:00:00+00:00) Wood's trial starts",
"(2017-12-13 11:22:00+00:00) Felony incitement charge dropped",
"(2017-12-01 11:18:00+00:00) Felony charges downgraded to misdemeanors",
"(2020-01-16 13:13:00+00:00) Two journalists sue D.C., police department for arrests while covering 2017 inauguration protests",
"(2018-10-10 00:00:00+00:00) Police return equipment seized for reporter arrested while covering inauguration protests",
"(2023-04-25 17:16:00+00:00) DC government pays two journalists $175,000 to settle wrongful arrest claims"
],
"case_statuses": [
"settled"
],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"chemical irritant",
"election",
"Election 2016",
"kettle",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge",
"Equipment Search or Seizure"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Alexei Wood (Independent)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": [],
"type_of_denial": []
}
]
