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{
"title": "News outlet subpoenaed by state of Texas in its suit against Google",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/news-outlet-subpoenaed-by-state-of-texas-in-its-suit-against-google/",
"first_published_at": "2024-12-10T19:45:53.502696Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-12-10T19:45:53.502696Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-12-10T19:04:44.443693Z",
"date": "2024-10-22",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Midland",
"longitude": -102.07791,
"latitude": 31.99735,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"5z5mw\">Digital news outlet 404 Media was subpoenaed by the state of Texas on Oct. 22, 2024, in connection with an ongoing lawsuit against Google in Midland County’s district court, according to court filings reviewed by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"66njm\">Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton <a href=\"https://www.reuters.com/legal/texas-sues-google-allegedly-capturing-biometric-data-millions-without-consent-2022-10-20/?ref=404media.co\">sued Google</a> in 2022 on the state’s behalf, alleging that the company captured the biometric data of millions of its users in Texas without obtaining consent.</p><p data-block-key=\"a0tbq\">The <a href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25450240-dark-moderedcted-redacted/?ref=404media.co\">subpoena</a> to 404 Media seeks communications and documents from investigative journalist Joseph Cox’s <a href=\"https://www.404media.co/google-leak-reveals-thousands-of-privacy-incidents/\">article</a> on a leak from Google, including a copy of an internal Google database obtained by the outlet “which tracks six years worth of potential privacy and security issues.”</p><p data-block-key=\"63ps9\">In an <a href=\"https://www.404media.co/404-media-objects-to-texas-attorney-general-ken-paxtons-subpoena-to-access-our-reporting/?ref=daily-stories-newsletter\">announcement</a>, 404 Media’s founders wrote, “Paxton’s subpoena seeks to turn 404 Media into an arm of law enforcement, which is not our role and which we have no interest in doing or becoming.”</p><p data-block-key=\"45kr2\">They added that attorneys representing the outlet “vociferously objected” to the subpoena on Dec. 6. The <a href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25450241-404mediaobjections/?ref=404media.co\">court filing</a>, reviewed by the Tracker, argues the news organization is protected from having to disclose the information by the First Amendment, as well as laws in California — where the outlet is based — and Texas.</p><p data-block-key=\"bgt6a\">404 Media’s founders, who declined to comment further when reached by the Tracker, wrote that the subpoena undermines a free and independent press and demonstrates an alarming trend.</p><p data-block-key=\"8qfeh\">“It also highlights the fact that the alarm bells that have been raised about legal attacks on journalists in a second Trump administration are not theoretical; politicians already feel emboldened to use the legal system to target journalists,” they wrote. “Paxton’s subpoena highlights the urgency of passing the PRESS Act, a federal shield law that has already passed the House and which has bipartisan support but which Democrats in the Senate have dragged their feet on for inexplicable and indefensible reasons.”</p><p data-block-key=\"eicqr\">Paxton had previously <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/texas-attorney-general-subpoenas-media-matters-after-report-on-x/\">sought records</a> from Media Matters for America using a “civil investigative demand” — a type of administrative subpoena — in 2023 as part of a probe his office launched to investigate “potential fraudulent activity” by the media company. A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction forbidding Paxton from pursuing Media Matters’ reporting materials.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/404_Media_subpoena.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"ct7di\">A portion of the subpoena the state of Texas issued to digital news outlet 404 Media on Oct. 22, 2024. The subpoena seeks communications, work product and a copy of a leaked Google database obtained by the outlet.</p>",
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"state": {
"name": "Texas",
"abbreviation": "TX"
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"404 Media"
],
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"categories": [
"Subpoena/Legal Order"
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},
{
"title": "Student journalist detained at University of Minnesota protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/student-journalist-detained-at-university-of-minnesota-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2024-10-23T18:22:35.119960Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-10-28T15:54:48.692060Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-10-28T15:54:48.455526Z",
"date": "2024-10-21",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Minneapolis",
"longitude": -93.26384,
"latitude": 44.97997,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"800c6\">Student journalist Tyler Church was briefly handcuffed and detained while reporting student protests against the Israel-Gaza war at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis on Oct. 21, 2024.</p><p data-block-key=\"65rrt\">The Minnesota Daily, the university’s student-led news outlet, <a href=\"https://mndaily.com/290417/top-story/pro-palestine-protesters-attempt-to-occupy-administration-building/\">reported</a> that the protest was organized by members of the UMN’s Students for a Democratic Society chapter to pressure the administration to divest from investments in Israeli companies and weapons manufacturers.</p><p data-block-key=\"2l1qr\">Daily reporter Church told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he learned of the building takeover from a <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/protesters-storm-morrill-hall-university-of-minnesota-minneapolis/\">push notification</a> from the university, which said that students had stormed Morrill Hall, an administrative building, and were “causing property damage and restricting entrance and exit from the building.”</p><p data-block-key=\"9h0q9\">Church said that after reporting outside alongside two other Daily journalists for about 30 minutes, the protesters let them into the building. He added that the outlet’s editor-in-chief, Spencer White, brought the journalists steel plate vests labeled with “PRESS” to wear while inside.</p><p data-block-key=\"88e8a\">“More or less, we just looked around, assessed the damages so far, prepared to set up interviews with some protesters and got general coverage of the event so far,” Church told the Tracker. “I had had a meeting set up with one of the protesters, followed by another protester joining. During the middle of that interview, the police had started clearing buildings from the basement, which was where I was.”</p><p data-block-key=\"48ie6\">Officers with the University of Minnesota Police Department and Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office entered the building through basement tunnels at approximately 5:45 p.m., the Daily <a href=\"https://mndaily.com/290460/top-story/minnesota-daily-reporter-detained-belongings-confiscated/\">reported</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"cknh2\">“Police broke down the door, weapons drawn, and hauled us to the ground,” Church said. “During that, I said multiple times, ‘I’m with the media, I’m press, I’m with The Minnesota Daily.’ Even still, they told me that it didn’t matter and that I had to get on the ground. They handcuffed me and put me with everyone else who had been detained.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Minnesota Daily <a href=\"https://twitter.com/mndailynews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@mndailynews</a> reporter Tyler Church was briefly handcuffed and detained when police arrested protesters at Morrill Hall a little over an hour ago <a href=\"https://t.co/Jn7GnHpNT1\">pic.twitter.com/Jn7GnHpNT1</a></p>— Hannah Ward (@wordfromward) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/wordfromward/status/1848516855008293126?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 22, 2024</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"800c6\">When his fellow Daily reporters were escorted to the basement along with the demonstrators, they questioned the officers about why Church had been detained and placed in zip cuffs. Church told the Tracker that after about 20 minutes, an officer decided to release him.</p><p data-block-key=\"4no25\">“They struggled with the handcuffs because the handcuffs were put on me so tightly that they were actually digging into my wrist,” he said. “Eventually, the cop had gotten one off me and gave me the scissors to do the other one because he didn't feel comfortable cutting them because they were so close to my wrist.”</p><p data-block-key=\"6mh6b\">Church told officers his backpack — containing his laptop and two notebooks with journalistic work, as well as his coursework — was upstairs, but they said they were unable to find it and directed him to retrieve it from the department’s offices the following day.</p><p data-block-key=\"aa4j8\">Officers told the three Daily reporters and a journalist from The Minnesota Star Tribune to remain in the basement until the building was cleared, Church said, and ultimately led them out through the tunnels several hours later. Eleven protesters were arrested, according to the Daily.</p><p data-block-key=\"7u888\">Both White and one of the other Daily reporters told the Tracker that Church was the only journalist detained or handcuffed that day. The editor added that the Daily staff were glad Church was OK and that they are working to recover the items seized by the university police officers.</p><p data-block-key=\"bs15j\">Church told the Tracker that when he attempted to retrieve his equipment, the university police’s office was closed, with a contact number posted on the door. He said he left a voicemail, and an officer eventually told him he could retrieve his belongings when the office reopened, but didn’t clarify when that would be.</p><p data-block-key=\"dfvas\">The University of Minnesota Police Department did not respond to requests for comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Church_arrest.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"a1zuh\">Tyler Church, a journalist for the University of Minnesota’s student news outlet The Minnesota Daily, was briefly detained and handcuffed while reporting on a pro-Palestinian protest on the university’s Minneapolis campus on Oct. 21, 2024.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "University of Minnesota Police Department",
"arrest_status": "detained and released without being processed",
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": "2024-10-21",
"unnecessary_use_of_force": true,
"case_number": null,
"case_type": null,
"status_of_seized_equipment": "returned in full",
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{
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"equipment": "computer"
},
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "equipment bag"
},
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "press identification"
},
{
"quantity": 2,
"equipment": "work product"
}
],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "Minnesota",
"abbreviation": "MN"
},
"updates": [
"(2024-10-23 11:45:00+00:00) Student journalist’s equipment returned following detainment at protest"
],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"Israel-Gaza war",
"protest",
"student journalism"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge",
"Equipment Search or Seizure"
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],
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},
{
"title": "Photojournalist shoved to ground by police outside Trump event",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-shoved-to-ground-by-police-outside-trump-event/",
"first_published_at": "2024-10-28T14:29:54.158887Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-10-28T14:29:54.158887Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-10-28T14:24:56.088554Z",
"date": "2024-10-20",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Lancaster",
"longitude": -76.30551,
"latitude": 40.03788,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"rzjon\">Freelance photojournalist Susan Stava was shoved to the ground by police while reporting outside a campaign event for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 20, 2024.</p><p data-block-key=\"c87t9\">Stava told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker she went to cover the town hall event at the Lancaster County Convention Center but stayed outside to conduct interviews as part of an ongoing project about women who support the former president.</p><p data-block-key=\"44i51\">“I went to leave and I saw a bunch of demonstrators outside in Lancaster Square, and it was basically a Harris group, and what struck me was it was pretty peaceful and the Harris-Walz group was just mingling with the Trump supporters,” she said. “It got a little crazy around the center, where there were a bunch of kids that were sort of antagonizing the Harris supporters.”</p><p data-block-key=\"2tbu7\">Then a woman Stava had been speaking with noticed that her friend was under arrest following an altercation.</p><p data-block-key=\"dbs8d\">“We all were going around to see where they were taking her, and it was sort of on the street and I was going to actually run to the other corner of the street when I could, to get a front shot of her coming toward me,” she said. “And I never got there.”</p><p data-block-key=\"9dj2g\">Stava said an officer suddenly broadsided her, shoving her to the ground.</p><p data-block-key=\"606nd\">“I landed on my back, and I really didn’t know what hit me,” she told the Tracker. “He didn’t even bother to see if I was OK. He just backed up, standing there. Another cop came over and hoisted me up very quickly without assuring that I wasn’t injured.”</p><p data-block-key=\"6ee2r\">She said she was examined by emergency responders at the scene and they transported her to a hospital to ensure that she didn’t have any internal bleeding. Stava said she suffered from whiplash and has a “huge lump” on her head, a large bruise on her arm and jaw pain. One of her camera lenses was also damaged during the incident.</p><p data-block-key=\"2g68a\">“I’ve been in this business for 30-35 years: I’ve never had that happen,” Stava said. “I’ve been to January 6, I’ve been to all kinds of places and I’m pretty careful. I’m very savvy about what’s around me.”</p><p data-block-key=\"6dopf\">Stava told the Tracker that after she was released from the hospital she went straight to the Lancaster City Bureau of Police to file a complaint about the incident.</p><p data-block-key=\"mpsd\">Women Press Freedom <a href=\"https://www.womeninjournalism.org/alerts/united-states-women-press-freedom-denounces-violent-assault-on-photojournalist-susan-stava-by-lancaster-city-police-officer\">condemned</a> the “violent actions” taken by the police officer, stating that it was “a clear violation of press freedom and the rights of journalists to report safely and without interference.”</p><p data-block-key=\"encb6\">“This incident not only highlights the concerning aggression faced by journalists in the field but also raises serious questions about the training and conduct of law enforcement officers,” the advocacy organization wrote in its statement. “We call for a thorough investigation into this incident, and we urge the Lancaster City Police to take immediate action to address the serious issues raised by Stava’s experience.”</p><p data-block-key=\"9uqt5\">When reached by email, the police directed the Tracker to its <a href=\"https://lancaster.crimewatchpa.com/lbop/19659/post/lancaster-city-police-conclude-investigation-officers-conduct-sunday-october-20\">statement</a> issued on Oct. 23, announcing that it had completed its investigation and concluded that the officer had not engaged in any misconduct.</p><p data-block-key=\"aeotj\">“A scene like this can escalate quickly and officers may not always be able to immediately identify an individual’s intent when the group is rapidly moving toward a restricted area,” the statement said. “It’s important for everyone, including media personnel, to remain aware of their surroundings during dynamic situations where safety conditions can change rapidly.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3t9ap\">Stava told the Tracker that she has been in contact with the National Press Photographers Association and is considering next steps.</p><p data-block-key=\"47sp5\">“I’m worried about the fascist directions the cops and the police department are going into. I don’t know if journalists are being singled out, I don’t know what’s happening for sure, but that’s my sense. So, big concern,” Stava said.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Stava_assault__ED.56bc1574.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"tykyk\">Photojournalist Susan Stava, at center with black backpack, is seen falling to the ground after being shoved while reporting on protests outside a Trump campaign event in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 20, 2024. Her camera lens was damaged in the fall.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "camera lens"
}
],
"state": {
"name": "Pennsylvania",
"abbreviation": "PA"
},
"updates": [],
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"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"election",
"Election 2024",
"political rally",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault",
"Equipment Damage"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Susan Stava (Freelance)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "NBC News broadcast camera seized outside Indiana courthouse",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/nbc-news-broadcast-camera-seized-outside-indiana-courthouse/",
"first_published_at": "2024-10-24T21:12:16.648198Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-10-30T20:56:09.864422Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-10-30T20:56:09.650941Z",
"date": "2024-10-18",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Delphi",
"longitude": -86.67501,
"latitude": 40.58754,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"e516x\">An unidentified NBC photojournalist was one of several journalists whose cameras were seized outside a courthouse in Delphi, Indiana, on Oct. 18, 2024, ahead of a murder trial with <a href=\"https://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2024/10/17/opening-statements-friday-in-delphi-murder-suspect-richard-allens-trial/75721633007/\">strict media</a> access restrictions.</p><p data-block-key=\"9kig6\">In a ruling in June ahead of the trial for Richard Allen in the alleged murder of two teens in 2017, Special Judge Frances Gull wrote that “the court has lost confidence in the ability of the media to cover hearings appropriately.” Gull then gave a media orientation Oct. 17, the Indianapolis Star <a href=\"https://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2024/10/18/delphi-murders-trial-update-photographers-cameras-media-court-rules-carroll-county-judge-gull/75731723007/\">reported</a>, specifying that photographs or video of jurors was forbidden, and that no electronic devices would be permitted in the courtroom.</p><p data-block-key=\"7a3jq\">Journal & Courier photojournalist Alex Martin told the Star that the following morning he saw two vans approaching the Carroll County Courthouse where tarps had been placed over the fences. Martin said he lowered one camera to his hip and placed a second on the ground.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">8. The judge reminded media of her order that jurors are NOT to be photographed. She said new fencing/tarps on the west side of the courthouse—where jurors will enter & exit—is intentional to protect their privacy & safety. Thats where Gull & Allen will also enter/exit. 10/ <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/wthr?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#wthr</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/YsFG5GLXMc\">pic.twitter.com/YsFG5GLXMc</a></p>— Bob Segall (@BobSegallWTHR) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/BobSegallWTHR/status/1847121468766691379?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 18, 2024</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"e516x\">After the passengers disembarked, officers arrived and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/indiana-photojournalists-cameras-confiscated-outside-courthouse/\">confiscated his cameras</a>, as well as a camera belonging to NBC News, two belonging to an <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/ap-photojournalists-cameras-seized-outside-indiana-courthouse/\">AP photojournalist</a> and a still camera belonging to an unidentified photojournalist, according to <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/abby-libby-delphi-indiana-richard-allen-trial-9d9756a1e076edaa2f0694a2b54ab3da\">multiple</a> <a href=\"https://www.wrtv.com/news/delphi/day-one-in-court-delphi-murders-trial\">media</a> <a href=\"https://www.21alivenews.com/2024/10/18/watch-live-first-day-delphi-murders-trial-underway-carroll-county/\">reports</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"3tgb2\">NBC News did not respond to a request for comment from the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"5i1uk\">Martin told the Star that he and the other visual journalists had been standing in an approved area outside the courthouse. It has yet to be determined if and when the cameras will be returned, but the trial is expected to last four weeks.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"vgaco\">Spectators line up to enter the Carroll County Courthouse in Delphi, Indiana, to observe a murder trial starting on Oct. 18, 2024. A broadcast camera belonging to NBC News was seized by authorities outside the courthouse.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
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},
"updates": [
"(2024-10-21 16:44:00+00:00) NBC News footage deleted, camera returned after it was seized outside courthouse"
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},
{
"title": "Indiana photojournalist’s cameras confiscated outside courthouse",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/indiana-photojournalists-cameras-confiscated-outside-courthouse/",
"first_published_at": "2024-10-24T17:59:33.268074Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-10-30T21:04:28.103330Z",
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"city": "Delphi",
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"p8obi\">Alex Martin, a photojournalist for the Journal & Courier, was one of several journalists whose cameras were seized outside a courthouse in Delphi, Indiana, on Oct. 18, 2024, ahead of a murder trial with <a href=\"https://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2024/10/17/opening-statements-friday-in-delphi-murder-suspect-richard-allens-trial/75721633007/\">strict media</a> access restrictions.</p><p data-block-key=\"4r217\">In a ruling in June ahead of the trial for Richard Allen in the alleged murder of two teens in 2017, Special Judge Frances Gull wrote that “the court has lost confidence in the ability of the media to cover hearings appropriately.” Gull then gave a media orientation Oct. 17, the Indianapolis Star <a href=\"https://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2024/10/18/delphi-murders-trial-update-photographers-cameras-media-court-rules-carroll-county-judge-gull/75731723007/\">reported</a>, specifying that photographs or video of jurors was forbidden, and that no electronic devices would be permitted in the courtroom.</p><p data-block-key=\"1sknb\">The following morning, Martin told the Star, he saw two vans approaching the Carroll County Courthouse where tarps had been placed over the fences. Martin said he lowered one camera to his hip and placed a second on the ground.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">8. The judge reminded media of her order that jurors are NOT to be photographed. She said new fencing/tarps on the west side of the courthouse—where jurors will enter & exit—is intentional to protect their privacy & safety. Thats where Gull & Allen will also enter/exit. 10/ <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/wthr?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#wthr</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/YsFG5GLXMc\">pic.twitter.com/YsFG5GLXMc</a></p>— Bob Segall (@BobSegallWTHR) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/BobSegallWTHR/status/1847121468766691379?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 18, 2024</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"p8obi\">After the van’s passengers disembarked, officers arrived and confiscated Martin’s cameras, as well as two belonging to Associated Press photojournalist <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/ap-photojournalists-cameras-seized-outside-indiana-courthouse/\">Michael Conroy</a>, a broadcast camera belonging to <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/nbc-news-broadcast-camera-seized-outside-indiana-courthouse/\">NBC News</a> and a still camera belonging to an <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalists-camera-seized-outside-indiana-courthouse/\">unidentified photojournalist</a>, according to <a href=\"https://www.wrtv.com/news/delphi/day-one-in-court-delphi-murders-trial\">multiple</a> <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/abby-libby-delphi-indiana-richard-allen-trial-9d9756a1e076edaa2f0694a2b54ab3da\">media</a> <a href=\"https://www.21alivenews.com/2024/10/18/watch-live-first-day-delphi-murders-trial-underway-carroll-county/\">reports</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"7752v\">“I wasn’t taking pictures of jurors,” Martin told the Star. He also noted that he and the other visual journalists had been standing in an approved area outside the courthouse. It has yet to be determined if and when the cameras will be returned, but the trial is expected to last four weeks.</p><p data-block-key=\"ck2co\">Martin did not respond to requests for additional comment from the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"7ewyw\">Spectators line up to enter the Carroll County Courthouse in Delphi, Indiana, to observe a murder trial starting on Oct. 18, 2024. Authorities seized two cameras belonging to Journal & Courier photojournalist Alex Martin outside the courthouse.</p>",
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"name": "Indiana",
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},
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"(2024-10-21 16:49:00+00:00) Indiana photojournalist’s cameras returned after they were seized outside courthouse"
],
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},
{
"title": "Photojournalist’s camera seized outside Indiana courthouse",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalists-camera-seized-outside-indiana-courthouse/",
"first_published_at": "2024-10-24T21:13:56.022398Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-10-30T21:16:37.120129Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-10-30T21:16:36.900942Z",
"date": "2024-10-18",
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"city": "Delphi",
"longitude": -86.67501,
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"6f405\">Cameras belonging to four journalists were seized outside a courthouse in Delphi, Indiana, on Oct. 18, 2024, ahead of a murder trial with <a href=\"https://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2024/10/17/opening-statements-friday-in-delphi-murder-suspect-richard-allens-trial/75721633007/\">strict media</a> access restrictions.</p><p data-block-key=\"csg31\">In a ruling in June ahead of the trial for Richard Allen in the alleged murder of two teens in 2017, Special Judge Frances Gull wrote that “the court has lost confidence in the ability of the media to cover hearings appropriately.” Gull then gave a media orientation Oct. 17, the Indianapolis Star <a href=\"https://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2024/10/18/delphi-murders-trial-update-photographers-cameras-media-court-rules-carroll-county-judge-gull/75731723007/\">reported</a>, specifying that photographs or video of jurors was forbidden, and that no electronic devices would be permitted in the courtroom.</p><p data-block-key=\"1ikf4\">Journal & Courier photojournalist Alex Martin told the Star that the following morning he saw two vans approaching the Carroll County Courthouse where tarps had been placed over the fences. Martin said he lowered one camera to his hip and placed a second on the ground.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">8. The judge reminded media of her order that jurors are NOT to be photographed. She said new fencing/tarps on the west side of the courthouse—where jurors will enter & exit—is intentional to protect their privacy & safety. Thats where Gull & Allen will also enter/exit. 10/ <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/wthr?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#wthr</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/YsFG5GLXMc\">pic.twitter.com/YsFG5GLXMc</a></p>— Bob Segall (@BobSegallWTHR) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/BobSegallWTHR/status/1847121468766691379?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 18, 2024</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"6f405\">After the passengers disembarked, officers arrived and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/indiana-photojournalists-cameras-confiscated-outside-courthouse/\">confiscated his cameras</a>, as well as that of an unidentified photojournalist, two belonging to an <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/ap-photojournalists-cameras-seized-outside-indiana-courthouse/\">Associated Press photojournalist</a> and a broadcast camera belonging to <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/nbc-news-broadcast-camera-seized-outside-indiana-courthouse/\">NBC News</a>, according to <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/abby-libby-delphi-indiana-richard-allen-trial-9d9756a1e076edaa2f0694a2b54ab3da\">multiple</a> <a href=\"https://www.wrtv.com/news/delphi/day-one-in-court-delphi-murders-trial\">media</a> <a href=\"https://www.21alivenews.com/2024/10/18/watch-live-first-day-delphi-murders-trial-underway-carroll-county/\">reports</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"55gg0\">Martin told the Star that he and the other visual journalists had been standing in an approved area outside the courthouse. It has yet to be determined if and when the cameras will be returned, but the trial is expected to last four weeks.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"6qtxa\">Security stand by a gate outside the Carroll County Courthouse in Delphi, Indiana, ahead of the start of a murder trial on Oct. 18, 2024. Officers seized the cameras belonging to multiple journalists standing outside the courthouse that morning.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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{
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},
{
"quantity": 1,
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}
],
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{
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}
],
"state": {
"name": "Indiana",
"abbreviation": "IN"
},
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"(2024-10-24 16:58:00+00:00) Photojournalist’s camera ordered returned after it was seized outside courthouse"
],
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"Ryan Delaney (Freelance)"
],
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},
{
"title": "AP photojournalist’s cameras seized outside Indiana courthouse",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/ap-photojournalists-cameras-seized-outside-indiana-courthouse/",
"first_published_at": "2024-10-24T21:10:27.408361Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-10-30T21:06:54.553747Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-10-30T21:06:54.355961Z",
"date": "2024-10-18",
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"city": "Delphi",
"longitude": -86.67501,
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"9980q\">A photojournalist for The Associated Press was one of several journalists whose cameras were seized outside a courthouse in Delphi, Indiana, on Oct. 18, 2024, ahead of a murder trial with <a href=\"https://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2024/10/17/opening-statements-friday-in-delphi-murder-suspect-richard-allens-trial/75721633007/\">strict media</a> access restrictions.</p><p data-block-key=\"22vf1\">In a ruling in June ahead of the trial for Richard Allen in the alleged murder of two teens in 2017, Special Judge Frances Gull wrote that “the court has lost confidence in the ability of the media to cover hearings appropriately.” Gull then gave a media orientation Oct. 17, the Indianapolis Star <a href=\"https://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2024/10/18/delphi-murders-trial-update-photographers-cameras-media-court-rules-carroll-county-judge-gull/75731723007/\">reported</a>, specifying that photographs or video of jurors was forbidden, and that no electronic devices would be permitted in the courtroom.</p><p data-block-key=\"fkgta\">Journal & Courier photojournalist Alex Martin told the Star that the following morning he saw two vans approaching the Carroll County Courthouse where tarps had been placed over the fences. Martin said he lowered one camera to his hip and placed a second on the ground.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">8. The judge reminded media of her order that jurors are NOT to be photographed. She said new fencing/tarps on the west side of the courthouse—where jurors will enter & exit—is intentional to protect their privacy & safety. Thats where Gull & Allen will also enter/exit. 10/ <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/wthr?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#wthr</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/YsFG5GLXMc\">pic.twitter.com/YsFG5GLXMc</a></p>— Bob Segall (@BobSegallWTHR) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/BobSegallWTHR/status/1847121468766691379?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 18, 2024</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"9980q\">After the passengers disembarked, officers arrived and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/indiana-photojournalists-cameras-confiscated-outside-courthouse/\">confiscated his cameras</a>, as well as a broadcast camera belonging to <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/nbc-news-broadcast-camera-seized-outside-indiana-courthouse/\">NBC News</a> and a still camera belonging to an unidentified photojournalist, according to multiple <a href=\"https://www.wrtv.com/news/delphi/day-one-in-court-delphi-murders-trial\">media</a> <a href=\"https://www.21alivenews.com/2024/10/18/watch-live-first-day-delphi-murders-trial-underway-carroll-county/\">reports</a>. The AP <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/abby-libby-delphi-indiana-richard-allen-trial-9d9756a1e076edaa2f0694a2b54ab3da\">reported</a> that two cameras were also seized from one of its photojournalists, believed to be Michael Conroy.</p><p data-block-key=\"623gb\">Conroy did not respond to requests for comment from the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"mq7q\">Martin told the Star that he and the other visual journalists had been standing in an approved area outside the courthouse. It has yet to be determined if and when the cameras will be returned, but the trial is expected to last four weeks.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"7z1m3\">Associated Press photojournalist Michael Conroy photographed spectators lined up at Carroll County Courthouse in Delphi, Indiana, for a murder trial starting on Oct. 18, 2024. His cameras were believed to have been seized by authorities shortly after.</p>",
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}
],
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"name": "Indiana",
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},
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"(2024-10-21 16:51:00+00:00) AP photojournalist’s cameras returned after they were seized outside courthouse"
],
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"Equipment Search or Seizure",
"Equipment Damage"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Michael Conroy (The Associated Press)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Broadcast photographer struck with cane amid attempted robbery",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/broadcast-photographer-struck-with-cane-amid-attempted-robbery/",
"first_published_at": "2024-10-29T16:45:38.820578Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-10-29T16:46:32.981853Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-10-29T16:46:32.895626Z",
"date": "2024-10-17",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Dayton",
"longitude": -84.19161,
"latitude": 39.75895,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"mt25l\">A broadcaster photographer for NBC television affiliate WDTN was injured when a man struck him with a cane during an attempted robbery in Dayton, Ohio, on Oct. 17, 2024.</p><p data-block-key=\"4qs48\">The station <a href=\"https://www.wdtn.com/news/crime/suspects-charged-with-robbery-of-2-news-crew/\">reported</a> that a photographer and reporter were <a href=\"https://www.wdtn.com/as-seen-on-2-news/reibold-building-resumes-business-following-underground-fire/\">covering the aftermath</a> of an underground fire downtown at approximately 5:15 p.m. when two men attempted to steal their video camera and tripod.</p><p data-block-key=\"79vgt\">The photographer was struggling with one of the assailants when the second struck him with a cane, according to WDTN. The assailants fled a short while later without the equipment.</p><p data-block-key=\"a7tc4\">On Oct. 25, Montgomery County Prosecuting Attorney Mat Heck Jr. <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=854497653522569&set=pcb.854497696855898\">announced</a> the arrest and indictment of two men — Billith Lane and Christian Morrow — on charges of robbery with physical harm.</p><p data-block-key=\"9lqha\">“These defendants outrageously robbed a TV news cameraman in broad daylight,” Heck said in a statement. “They needlessly attacked the victim, sending him to the hospital. Such acts of violence demands they be held accountable.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1vm39\">Both Lane and Morrow are being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $10,000 bonds, and their arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 29, the news release said.</p><p data-block-key=\"5cj78\">WDTN did not respond to a request for comment from the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"90u20\">A news crew with TV station WDTN was the target of a robbery attempt on Oct. 17, 2024, while covering the aftermath of a fire in downtown Dayton, Ohio. An unidentified videographer suffered minor injuries; two suspects were later arrested.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
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"actor": null,
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"assailant": "private individual",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
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"state": {
"name": "Ohio",
"abbreviation": "OH"
},
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"categories": [
"Assault"
],
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],
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},
{
"title": "Reporter detained while reporting on LA encampment sweep",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-detained-while-reporting-on-la-encampment-sweep/",
"first_published_at": "2024-10-18T17:02:27.350005Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-10-18T17:02:27.350005Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-10-18T16:20:26.245779Z",
"date": "2024-10-17",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"qvnl9\">Lexis-Olivier Ray, an investigative reporter for L.A. Taco, was detained and released without charges while reporting on a homeless encampment cleanup operation in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 17, 2024.</p><p data-block-key=\"2rklk\">Ray told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he has been covering such operations for months. California has ratcheted up encampment sweeps as <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/california-homeless-encampment-newsom-7d4478801de6e9f8a708c7c7c6ef3e5f\">part of a campaign</a> by Gov. Gavin Newsom directing cities and state agencies to stop people from sleeping in public spaces.</p><p data-block-key=\"9g432\">Ray arrived to report on a sweep in downtown L.A.’s Skid Row neighborhood at around 10:30 a.m. that day. He said multiple LA Sanitation employees directed him to leave the designated “work zone” when the cleaning began. He was able to continue reporting, however, until just after 11 a.m.</p><p data-block-key=\"9c2q7\">In <a href=\"https://x.com/ShotOn35mm/status/1847013034650488931\">footage</a> Ray captured in the moments before his arrest, the journalist tells a sanitation worker, “I’ll stay out of your way, man, I’m not going to get close.” The worker then tells a pair of Los Angeles Police Department officers, “At this point he’s interfering. I just need him behind the yellow tape that’s up.”</p><p data-block-key=\"47ja2\">An officer then tells Ray that he is under arrest and the clip ends with the reporter’s hands being pulled behind his back.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">While reporting on a sanitation sweep this morning, LAPD officers handcuffed and searched me, confiscated my belongings and put me in the back of a patrol car for about 45 mins. They said they were going to take me "to the station" but a sergeant let me go w/o any charges.<a href=\"https://twitter.com/LATACO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@LATACO</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/V1uCHxFsBb\">pic.twitter.com/V1uCHxFsBb</a></p>— Lexis-Olivier Ray (@ShotOn35mm) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/ShotOn35mm/status/1847013034650488931?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 17, 2024</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"qvnl9\">Ray told the Tracker that he was held in the back of a police vehicle for approximately 45 minutes before he was released without a citation. He said he didn’t see officers search his equipment after it was taken from him, and all of his belongings were returned to him upon his release.</p><p data-block-key=\"em2kr\">Ray had been threatened with arrest while documenting similar homeless encampment sweeps nearly half a dozen times in recent months, including on <a href=\"https://x.com/ShotOn35mm/status/1828918641812975978\">Aug. 28</a>, <a href=\"https://x.com/ShotOn35mm/status/1836496730902368609\">Sept. 18</a> and <a href=\"https://x.com/ShotOn35mm/status/1844435110432780515\">Oct. 10</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"85k99\">“Threats of arrests definitely have a chilling effect,” Ray wrote. “And I can’t do my job to the best of my ability if I’m in handcuffs.”</p><p data-block-key=\"52vu\">Attorneys with the ACLU of Southern California and First Amendment Coalition <a href=\"https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2024-10-08-Ray-Letter.pdf\">sent a letter</a> on Oct. 8 to LAPD Chief Dominic Choi, asking that he take action to ensure that such threats cease.</p><p data-block-key=\"c9bma\">“Mr. Ray was not obstructing any city employees when he was threatened with arrest, and his presence at the encampment sites did not present any safety risk,” the letter stated. “The arrest threats therefore infringed on Mr. Ray’s First Amendment rights to observe and document these operations, which are of immense public concern.”</p><p data-block-key=\"b3maa\">Journalists from <a href=\"https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article291551465.html\">Sacramento</a> to Los Angeles have had their access restricted or been forced to leave cleanup operations under threat of arrest. On the day of Ray’s arrest, a second journalist, <a href=\"https://x.com/johngreenla/status/1847073745539625174\">Jonathan Green</a>, was also ordered to leave the Skid Row site, and reporter <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-arrested-while-covering-oakland-encampment-cleanup/\">Yesica Prado</a> was arrested on Sept. 17 while covering an operation in Oakland.</p><p data-block-key=\"cu41m\">Freedom of the Press Foundation, of which the Tracker is a project, and a coalition of press freedom and transparency organizations <a href=\"https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/2024/09/coalition-demands-california-officials-respect-role-of-press-at-homeless-encampment-sweeps/\">warned authorities across California</a> that journalists have a right under state law to access restricted areas to document newsworthy events. They urged local governments to operate transparently and respect the role of the press in observing encampment sweeps.</p><p data-block-key=\"dv2ui\">“Homelessness is one of the biggest stories across the state. With recent legal and political developments triggering a new wave of sweeps, Californians are counting on journalists to cover the story,” the Sept. 10 letter said.</p><p data-block-key=\"8jm8\">A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department told the Tracker via email that they could not provide any information on the incident because Ray was detained, not arrested.</p><p data-block-key=\"5il2o\">An officer at the scene <a href=\"https://x.com/ShotOn35mm/status/1847081216798855569\">made the same distinction</a> to Ray, and told the journalist he was being released because the officer had determined that there wasn’t a violation of the Los Angeles municipal code “due to your media First Amendment status.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">After I was handcuffed and held in an LAPD patrol car for around 40 minutes for filming a sweep, Sgt. Hutchins explained that I was "detained" and not "arrested" because he determined "there wasn't a violation of the LMC code" due to my "media 1st Amendment status." <a href=\"https://twitter.com/LATACO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@LATACO</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/1DLG2rtc48\">pic.twitter.com/1DLG2rtc48</a></p>— Lexis-Olivier Ray (@ShotOn35mm) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/ShotOn35mm/status/1847081216798855569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 18, 2024</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"qvnl9\">L.A. Taco was <a href=\"https://x.com/LATACO/status/1847004951681421533\">expected to make a statement</a> about the arrest but had not by deadline.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Ray_arrest_10_17.d4f8d0d1.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"fomug\">Lexis-Olivier Ray, an investigative reporter for L.A. Taco, was detained by Los Angeles Police Department officers while reporting on a homeless encampment sweep on Oct. 17, 2024. He was released without charges after approximately 45 minutes.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "Los Angeles Police Department",
"arrest_status": "detained and released without being processed",
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": "2024-10-17",
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
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"links": [],
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"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
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"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"encampment"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
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"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Lexis-Olivier Ray (L.A. Taco)"
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"subpoena_statuses": null,
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},
{
"title": "Ohio county staffer posts attack on local reporter; state AG to investigate",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/ohio-county-staffer-posts-attack-on-local-reporter-state-ag-to-investigate/",
"first_published_at": "2024-11-08T14:42:02.508155Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-11-08T14:42:02.508155Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-11-08T14:41:58.855792Z",
"date": "2024-10-14",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Tiffin",
"longitude": -83.17797,
"latitude": 41.1145,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"qkr17\">Advertiser-Tribune reporter Kayla Trevino and her journalistic integrity were attacked in an article published on the government website for Seneca County, Ohio, on Oct. 14, 2024. Nearly two weeks later, the county prosecutor asked Ohio’s attorney general to investigate the incident for possible misuse of government resources.</p><p data-block-key=\"elehj\">The newspaper <a href=\"https://advertiser-tribune.com/news/545619/county-cries-foul-for-frankart/\">reported</a> that Sheri Trusty, a media relations coordinator for the county, <a href=\"https://tiffinohio.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/seneca_county_kayla_trevino_story.pdf\">authored an article</a> attacking Trevino for her coverage of a child custody dispute involving Seneca County Commissioner Bill Frankart.</p><p data-block-key=\"aa3v3\">The article — which included a photo of Trevino — accused the journalist of going on a “witch hunt,” alleging that she manufactured or failed to verify facts in her reporting and did not provide Frankart sufficient time to respond before publishing.</p><p data-block-key=\"138ff\">“Trevino’s story is a failed exposé marked by faulty journalism and sensationalism and is a little-disguised attempt to destroy the reputation of one of Seneca County’s most respected and dedicated elected officials, Commissioner Bill Frankart,” Trusty wrote. “In the end, Trevino’s lack of integrity in this story may impact the well-being of a child.”</p><p data-block-key=\"cli04\">Trusty’s article was <a href=\"https://tiffinohio.net/2024/10/15/seneca-county-deletes-controversial-post-targeting-local-reporter-following-backlash/\">removed</a> from the county website sometime the following day.</p><p data-block-key=\"813lq\">The Advertiser-Tribune defended Trevino and her article, writing that her report was “entirely based on allegations in police reports and court records.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3m23s\">“Kayla is a hardworking professional. She was very careful with how she approached this news story, and is careful with all stories she covers,” Jeremy Speer, the newspaper’s publisher, said. “A good reporter is a value to a community and Kayla is a good and trusted reporter.”</p><p data-block-key=\"544ub\">Local news website TiffinOhio.net <a href=\"https://tiffinohio.net/2024/10/14/tensions-rise-between-seneca-county-and-advertiser-tribune-over-frankart-coverage/\">reported</a> that the publication of Trusty’s article on the county’s government website — typically reserved for public information and announcements — was alarming and raised questions about whether county resources had been misused developing and publishing it.</p><p data-block-key=\"ag2m\">In an <a href=\"https://advertiser-tribune.com/news/546390/stop-misusing-county-resources/\">editorial</a> published Oct. 19, the Advertiser-Tribune called on Seneca County Prosecutor Derek DeVine to launch or ask for an independent investigation.</p><p data-block-key=\"aqulj\">“The article attacking the integrity and motives of the A-T’s reporter was inaccurate and offensive, designed, it seems, to intimidate her and prevent her from doing her job,” the editorial said. “This was entirely inappropriate, in our view, and DeVine and commissioners must take immediate action to ensure that county resources are never again misused in this way to attack anyone, ever.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5r5gp\">On Oct. 23, DeVine asked Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost to assign state agents to investigate the issue and for the AG’s office to serve as special prosecutor, in light of DeVine’s conflict of interest as the legal representative for the county’s board of commissioners, the Advertiser-Tribune <a href=\"https://advertiser-tribune.com/news/547400/devine-made-right-decision/\">reported</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"7c2lf\">The newspaper expressed cautious optimism about the decision.</p><p data-block-key=\"ad44n\">“Nobody is looking for the proverbial pound of flesh,” the editorial board said. “But, in our view, it is an important question whether county resources were used to attack a reporter because a county official did not like what was being reported. If that did happen, steps must be taken to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Screenshot_2024-11-07_at_2.31.59P.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"du50q\">A portion of an Oct. 14, 2024, article published on the government website for Seneca County, Ohio, which attacked Advertiser-Tribune reporter Kayla Trevino. The state attorney general is investigating whether government resources were misused.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
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"case_number": null,
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"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,
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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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"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
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"state": {
"name": "Ohio",
"abbreviation": "OH"
},
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"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Other Incident"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Kayla Trevino (The Advertiser-Tribune)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Journalist briefly detained while covering pro-Palestinian protest on Wall Street",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-briefly-detained-while-covering-pro-palestinian-protest-on-wall-street/",
"first_published_at": "2024-10-17T19:13:56.734217Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-10-17T19:13:56.734217Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-10-17T19:11:22.232205Z",
"date": "2024-10-14",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "New York",
"longitude": -74.00597,
"latitude": 40.71427,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"2434j\">Freelance journalist Talia Ben-Ora was briefly detained and handcuffed while reporting on a pro-Palestinian demonstration outside the New York Stock Exchange in New York City on Oct. 14, 2024.</p><p data-block-key=\"27v7d\">Ben-Ora told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that the group Jewish Voice for Peace had organized a sit-in before the exchange’s opening bell that day, with demonstrators wearing shirts and carrying banners opposing the U.S. arming of Israel.</p><p data-block-key=\"2ee3i\">“At one point a group of people just kind of rushed into this weird, gated area that’s still on the street outside the New York Stock Exchange but for some reason is fenced off,” she said. “They ran in there and so I followed after them and was documenting — as were two or three other photographers.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3pad2\">She said that in addition to filming the crowd, she also captured footage of New York City Police Department officers speaking in a group nearby, noting that she was always around 15 feet away from them.</p><p data-block-key=\"co1t5\">A pair of officers approached her soon after, she said, and one of them, a community affairs officer, asked if she could “go the other way.” When she expressed confusion and said that she was working, he threatened to charge her with trespassing, which she said she brushed off.</p><p data-block-key=\"1orcs\">“That’s not a real thing to ask someone. And I was just like, ‘No, leave me alone. I’m working, I have my press credentials displayed, I have my professional camera out, I’m shooting footage,” Ben-Ora said. “I have already been derailed from doing my reporting by having that threat issued.”</p><p data-block-key=\"41lvs\">She told the Tracker that the pair of officers walked away, but 10 minutes later she was filming the arrival of an NYPD special operations team when she saw a supervisory officer point at her.</p><p data-block-key=\"6vvge\">In Ben-Ora’s <a href=\"https://x.com/taliaotg/status/1845828409890386187\">footage</a>, the officer points directly at her and can be heard saying, in part, “right here filming, get her back.” She identified the officer as John D’Adamo, who is the deputy chief commanding officer of the department’s Strategic Response Group, a heavily armored unit used for crowd control.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Was just detained and released by NYPD. Was filming NYPD ESU arrive to check out the people chained to NYSE.<br><br>White shirt called for my arrest, seemingly for documenting them, then Corbisiero had me released after exiting after telling him I received no clear directive to leave. <a href=\"https://t.co/4iKbI5ZozI\">pic.twitter.com/4iKbI5ZozI</a></p>— Talia Jane ❤️🔥 (@taliaotg) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/taliaotg/status/1845828409890386187?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 14, 2024</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"2434j\">“I have a feeling I’m about to get arrested just for filming, but that seems absurd,” she told the Tracker. “So I start to back up and pan across the crowd a little bit like, ‘OK, well, this is going to be my last shot maybe.’ And then I move toward the fence and I hand my phone and camera to a random person.”</p><p data-block-key=\"9roub\">Ben-Ora told the Tracker her main concern was the security of her SD cards and the photos, videos and other data contained on her cellphone, and that she instructed the person to bring her belongings to a specific photographer covering the demonstration.</p><p data-block-key=\"22vfj\">When she turned around, she said officers were coming toward her so she walked toward them and then they grabbed her arms and put them behind her back, placing her in flex cuffs as the crowd is heard chanting “Hands off press!”</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Someone with a press badge is today’s first arrest <a href=\"https://t.co/fzqORRZFH0\">pic.twitter.com/fzqORRZFH0</a></p>— Sophie Hurwitz (@sophiehurwitz) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/sophiehurwitz/status/1845825748872859865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 14, 2024</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"2434j\">She said she asked the officers why she was being detained, but they didn’t seem to know.</p><p data-block-key=\"ee935\">“Then a white shirt comes over as I’m saying this and he says, ‘Well, you didn’t leave when you were told. You were told to leave,’” Ben-Ora said, recounting the arrival of another supervisory officer. “And I was like, ‘No I wasn’t.’ And then I told him verbatim what I was told. And he just goes, ‘All right.’”</p><p data-block-key=\"vo0m\">Moments later an officer told her that they were going to let her go after escorting her out of the gated area, and she was released to much fanfare from the crowd. She said that she was only detained for a minute or two.</p><p data-block-key=\"c8pdm\">“Why did they detain me? Why did they do all of this? If they just wanted me to leave, they could have just said that,” she said.</p><p data-block-key=\"85pru\">Ben-Ora told the Tracker that after removing the flex cuffs, officers asked her for her ID and photographed it, along with her press credentials. When she asked if she was being issued a citation, she was told the photographs were just “for our records.” She said the officers didn’t elaborate on what those records were.</p><p data-block-key=\"91k08\">The New York City Police Department did not respond to a request for comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Ben-Ora_arrest_1014.7a29644b.fill-1330x880.png",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"l8ihd\">Freelance journalist Talia Ben-Ora, in green, was briefly detained in zip cuffs while reporting on a pro-Palestinian demonstration outside the New York Stock Exchange on Oct. 14, 2024.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "New York City Police Department",
"arrest_status": "detained and released without being processed",
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": "2024-10-14",
"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,
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"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
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"state": {
"name": "New York",
"abbreviation": "NY"
},
"updates": [],
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"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"Israel-Gaza war",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Talia (Jane) Ben-Ora (Freelance)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Journalist who published leaked Vance dossier gets visit from FBI",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-who-published-leaked-vance-dossier-gets-visit-from-fbi/",
"first_published_at": "2024-10-31T17:49:48.516882Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-10-31T17:49:48.516882Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-10-31T17:45:18.486979Z",
"date": "2024-10-11",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Madison",
"longitude": -89.40123,
"latitude": 43.07305,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"96v72\">Independent journalist Ken Klippenstein was visited at his Madison, Wisconsin, home by an FBI special agent on Oct. 11, 2024, in connection with his publication of a dossier about Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance.</p><p data-block-key=\"4legl\">Klippenstein, who said the bureau visit could be interpreted as an effort to chill his reporting, published the <a href=\"https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/read-the-jd-vance-dossier\">dossier</a> Sept. 26, writing that the vetting document was reportedly hacked from the Trump campaign by the Iranian government and that other journalists had declined to publish it.</p><p data-block-key=\"5o74o\">Two weeks later, Klippenstein told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, an FBI agent from a satellite office in nearby Middleton came to his home to read him a one-paragraph statement notifying him that he “was a target of a foreign influence campaign.”</p><p data-block-key=\"b8r43\">“When he finished reading it, I looked at him and said, ‘Oh, yeah, I know. I put that in the story. I tried to inform readers that this is very likely an Iranian cyberactor trying to propagate these hacked documents. So, given that I wrote that in the article and I know all this, why did you come out here to notify me?’” Klippenstein recounted. “And he didn’t have an answer to that question, he just kind of shrugged.”</p><p data-block-key=\"bjuc2\">The agent wouldn’t allow him to take a picture of the statement or write notes, Klippenstein recounted, but said he’d try to have a copy emailed to the journalist. Klippenstein told the Tracker he never received such an email, and the FBI didn’t respond to his request for comment about the procedure behind such notifications.</p><p data-block-key=\"f608m\">“He said to me, ‘You’re not in trouble.’ And then I’m thinking, ‘OK. Well, why then? What is the point of this? I know I didn’t break any laws here,” he said. “The FBI has a notification system for foreign influence stuff, but I don’t think there’s any public evidence that that had happened to press before.”</p><p data-block-key=\"b3a8i\">In an article Klippenstein <a href=\"https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/the-fbi-knocked-on-my-door\">published on his Substack</a> page, he said the purpose of the visit was clear.</p><p data-block-key=\"3k41d\">“America’s most powerful law enforcement agency wants me to know it was displeased,” he wrote. “It is delivering what many would consider a chilling message: we know where you live, we know what you’ve done, we are watching,” he wrote.</p><p data-block-key=\"cs2so\">A spokesperson for the FBI declined to comment when reached by the Tracker.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/RTS16TYXJ.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"dzy74\">FBI Director Christopher Wray at an Election Threats Task Force meeting in September 2024. An agent from the bureau went to journalist Ken Klippenstein’s Wisconsin home Oct. 11 to tell him he had been the target of a foreign influence operation.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"state": {
"name": "Wisconsin",
"abbreviation": "WI"
},
"updates": [],
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"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"Department of Justice",
"election",
"Election 2024"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Other Incident"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Ken Klippenstein (Independent)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Photojournalist struck, pushed with baton amid Israel-Gaza war protests",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-struck-pushed-with-baton-amid-israel-gaza-war-protests/",
"first_published_at": "2024-10-17T17:16:10.155740Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-10-17T17:16:10.155740Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-10-17T16:15:08.515115Z",
"date": "2024-10-07",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "New York",
"longitude": -74.00597,
"latitude": 40.71427,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ze9lc\">Documentary photographer Q. Sakamaki was shoved with a baton and kicked by a New York City police officer on Oct. 7, 2024, while documenting demonstrations marking the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel and the beginning of the Israel-Gaza war.</p><p data-block-key=\"pjk1\">Sakamaki told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he has covered protests in the city for decades and was <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DA303HnxHrV/?img_index=1\">photographing the protests</a> in Manhattan that day. He said he was in a densely packed crowd with numerous other members of the press, photographing the arrest of a pro-Palestinian protester, when his camera strap suddenly became entangled with an officer’s baton.</p><p data-block-key=\"1tmji\">“I tried to, you know, pull it out. At the same time, many people also moved,” Sakamaki said. “Then, the officer suddenly lost control of his temper. He got angry, just pushing me and actually kicked me a lot, but I couldn’t go back because there were so many people behind me.”</p><p data-block-key=\"d17u7\">In footage captured by <a href=\"https://x.com/lilyridephotos/status/1843683635880440026\">other</a> <a href=\"https://x.com/JP_OTG/status/1843414473178264033\">journalists</a> in the crowd, an officer can be seen first striking and then pushing Sakamaki back with his baton.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">An NYPD officer hits a credentialed press member taking photographs with a baton during a Pro-Palestine march on October 7, 2024. <a href=\"https://t.co/k3ylze0LyO\">pic.twitter.com/k3ylze0LyO</a></p>— Lily Ride Photos (@lilyridephotos) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/lilyridephotos/status/1843683635880440026?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 8, 2024</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ze9lc\">Sakamaki said that after things had calmed down, he approached the officer and attempted to speak with him, but the officer shouted, “Back! Back! I warned you.”</p><p data-block-key=\"86vho\">The photographer told the Tracker that he was struck in the liver and has “felt sick” since the incident, but that it hasn’t discouraged his coverage. He added that police are responding harshly to large protests and without adequate training or planning.</p><p data-block-key=\"3c416\">“They don’t know how to control their temper, they don’t know how to de-escalate the situation,” Sakamaki said. “In the ‘80s and ‘90s it was bad, but now covering ordinary protests is getting harder, harder, harder.”</p><p data-block-key=\"6c9bq\">The New York City Police Department did not respond to a request for comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/RTS18KV5G.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"4eg2m\">Demonstrators gather in New York, New York, on Oct. 7, 2024, to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel. Police struck photojournalist Q. Sakamaki with a baton while he was covering protests against the Israel-Gaza war that day.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
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"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
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"state": {
"name": "New York",
"abbreviation": "NY"
},
"updates": [],
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"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"Israel-Gaza war",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Q. Sakamaki (Freelance)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "North Dakota TV reporter spat on, dodges punch ahead of live shot",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/north-dakota-tv-reporter-spat-on-dodges-punch-ahead-of-live-shot/",
"first_published_at": "2024-10-09T19:10:34.500689Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-10-09T19:10:34.500689Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-10-09T18:33:37.968996Z",
"date": "2024-10-04",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Fargo",
"longitude": -96.7898,
"latitude": 46.87719,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"n38e7\">Tatum Miller, a multimedia reporter for KVLY-TV, was charged at and spat on by a woman as Miller was preparing for an interview in downtown Fargo, North Dakota, early on Oct. 4, 2024, the station <a href=\"https://www.valleynewslive.com/2024/10/04/vnl-crew-threatened-downtown-fargo-friday-morning/\">reported</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"2cepj\">Miller told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that she and her photographer, Morgan Drake, were covering a downtown market that takes place nearly every week. While setting up shortly before 5:30 a.m. for a live interview with a pair of vendors, a woman began screaming at them.</p><p data-block-key=\"5orp4\">“She started out just yelling across the street,” Miller said. “And then I turn and look and instead of being across the street, down a block, she’s now running at me. She gets up about two inches from my face and tries to throw a punch; I lean back and she doesn’t make contact with me.”</p><p data-block-key=\"119rc\">Miller said the woman then threw a handful of leaves in her face, spat on her hair and coat and ran down the street.</p><p data-block-key=\"6ucai\">Police arrived at the scene within minutes, Miller said, and she asked that they stay nearby while she conducted the interview to ensure that nothing would happen while they were on-air. After the interview, police found the woman — who they said was under the influence of methamphetamines — and spoke with her.</p><p data-block-key=\"4o5n1\">The station reported that the woman was not detained, and officers instructed her to leave the news crew alone.</p><p data-block-key=\"cpir7\">Under <a href=\"https://casetext.com/statute/north-dakota-century-code/title-121-criminal-code/chapter-121-17-assaults-threats-coercion-harassment/section-121-17-11-contact-by-bodily-fluids-or-excrement\">North Dakota law</a>, spitting on someone can be prosecuted as an assault, but Miller told the Tracker she is still undecided on how to proceed.</p><p data-block-key=\"4u12j\">“My company does want to prosecute to the fullest extent,” Miller said. “They’re leaving it up to me personally, and I’m kind of going through more of her background first.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Miller_ND_assault.6c1acfd8.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"m44lc\">KVLY-TV reporter Tatum Miller is seen in body camera footage speaking with a police officer in downtown Fargo, North Dakota, on Oct. 4, after a woman assaulted her just prior to a live interview.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
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"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
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"assailant": "private individual",
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"state": {
"name": "North Dakota",
"abbreviation": "ND"
},
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"tags": [],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
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"Tatum Miller (KVLY-TV)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Florida broadcasters threatened with criminal charges by state agency",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/florida-broadcasters-threatened-with-criminal-charges-by-state-agency/",
"first_published_at": "2024-10-11T17:39:48.037361Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-11-07T21:19:41.380605Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-11-07T21:19:41.188264Z",
"date": "2024-10-03",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Multiple",
"longitude": null,
"latitude": null,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"thf6t\">At least two Florida broadcast stations were sent cease and desist letters on Oct. 3, 2024, by the state’s Department of Health after airing a campaign ad to overturn the state’s six-week abortion ban.</p><p data-block-key=\"69ese\">The letters to WFLA-TV in Tampa and WCJB-TV in Gainesville threatened to bring criminal charges for “sanitary nuisance” against the outlets for airing an ad entitled “<a href=\"https://youtu.be/7jJiEE_AkPA\">Caroline</a>” that encouraged voters to support an amendment to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, <a href=\"https://floridapolitics.com/archives/700182-department-of-health-sends-cease-and-desist-letter-to-tv-station-over-abortion-ad/\">according to Florida Politics</a>. The South Florida Sun Sentinel <a href=\"https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2024/10/10/floridas-threat-of-criminal-charges-against-tv-stations-blasted-as-unconstitutional/\">reported</a> that stations in Sarasota and Panama City were also targeted. The ad was being run across the state, and is believed to have been on more than 50 stations.</p><p data-block-key=\"btgnl\"><a href=\"https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25194950/fl-doh-letter.pdf\">The letter</a> to WFLA-TV, which was first <a href=\"https://x.com/Jason_Garcia/status/1842646033890746744\">reported</a> by investigative journalist Jason Garcia, read: “While your company enjoys the right to broadcast political advertisements under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and Article I, section 4 of the Florida Constitution, that right does not include free rein to disseminate false advertisement which, if believed, would likely have a detrimental effect on the lives and health of pregnant women in Florida.”</p><p data-block-key=\"f3n9k\">According to the letter, maintaining a sanitary nuisance is a second-degree misdemeanor. As such, it would carry a maximum of <a href=\"http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0700-0799/0775/Sections/0775.082.html\">60 days in prison</a>, up to a <a href=\"http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0700-0799/0775/Sections/0775.083.html\">$500 fine</a> or both.</p><p data-block-key=\"dk4m\">Upon hearing of the letters, attorneys representing Floridians Protecting Freedom — which sponsored the abortion rights amendment — <a href=\"https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25194336/fpf_caroline_ceasedesist_responseletter_10_4_2024.pdf\">wrote</a> to WCJB-TV on Oct. 4 to insist that the ads continue running.</p><p data-block-key=\"902v3\">“This is not simply an instance where your station has received a baseless cease-and-desist letter in the context of a heated political campaign,” the letter read. “This is not just an unfounded request, it is unconstitutional state action. The Letter is a textbook example of government coercion that violates the First Amendment.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7l283\">Jessica Rosenworcel, the chair of the Federal Communications Commission, <a href=\"https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-406321A1.pdf\">decried the letters</a> and said that the stations should not be intimidated for airing political ads.</p><p data-block-key=\"6bqnt\">“The right of broadcasters to speak freely is rooted in the First Amendment,” Rosenworcel said in a statement. “Threats against broadcast stations for airing content that conflicts with the government’s views are dangerous and undermine the fundamental principle of free speech.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4th2k\">Freedom of the Press Foundation, of which the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker is a project, condemned the letters in a statement, calling them the latest effort from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to “censor free speech and punish dissent.”</p><p data-block-key=\"a9jop\">“A governor who is confident in his policies and secure in his leadership would welcome debate and correct statements he believes are misleading rather than trying to weaponize trash disposal laws against the free press,” wrote Director of Advocacy Seth Stern. “But DeSantis is not that governor. His administration’s conduct would be silly if it weren’t such a transparent bully tactic.”</p><p data-block-key=\"125ar\">The Florida Department of Health did not respond to a request for comment. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/10/09/florida-abortion-tv-ad-caroline/\">According to The Washington Post</a>, both broadcast stations were continuing to air the ads as of Oct. 9.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/FL_Media_chilling.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"mvob4\">A portion of a cease and desist letter sent Oct. 3 to Florida broadcaster WFLA-TV by the state’s Department of Health threatening criminal charges if the station continued to air a political ad in support of reproductive rights.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"state": {
"name": "Florida",
"abbreviation": "FL"
},
"updates": [
"(2024-11-06 00:00:00+00:00) Judge ends restraining order over Florida abortion ban ads",
"(2024-10-17 00:00:00+00:00) Judge says Florida can’t threaten TV stations for airing ad about abortion ban"
],
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"targeted_institutions": [
"Media",
"WCJB-TV",
"WFLA-TV",
"WINK-TV"
],
"tags": [
"election",
"Election 2024",
"reproductive rights"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Chilling Statement"
],
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},
{
"title": "City attorney tells journalist to unpublish articles about arrest report",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/city-attorney-tells-journalist-to-unpublish-articles-about-arrest-report/",
"first_published_at": "2024-11-20T19:34:54.903224Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-02-13T18:03:07.539933Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-02-13T18:03:07.356183Z",
"date": "2024-10-03",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "San Francisco",
"longitude": -122.41942,
"latitude": 37.77493,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"69qu2\">A San Francisco city attorney, in a letter on Oct. 3, 2024, directed independent journalist Jack Poulson to remove details of a tech CEO’s sealed arrest report from multiple articles and to “refrain” from publishing the materials further. The journalist was later sued for $25 million by the tech executive, <a href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/maury-blackman-lawsuit-19871638.php\">according to the San Francisco Chronicle</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"eql1o\">The Chronicle reported that the executive, Maury Blackman, was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence in 2021. He was not ultimately charged, and his arrest report was sealed from public view in 2022.</p><p data-block-key=\"939l2\">Poulson — who runs the nonprofit <a href=\"https://techinquiry.org/?about=overview\">Tech Inquiry</a> and publishes a newsletter on Substack — wrote an <a href=\"https://jackpoulson.substack.com/p/the-covert-gig-work-surveillance\">article</a> about the arrest on Sept. 14, 2023, and posted a copy of the arrest report itself. He later wrote about <a href=\"https://jackpoulson.substack.com/p/fraudulent-dmca-takedown-submitted\">subsequent</a> <a href=\"https://jackpoulson.substack.com/p/california-based-covert-surveillance\">attempts</a> to pressure him to take down the article and “forensically unmask” his sources.</p><p data-block-key=\"6m4g\">In September 2024, Poulson was sent a “demand for removal of sealed document and information related to sealed document” from David Marek, an attorney representing Blackman. The letter threatened legal action if the journalist didn’t delete the sealed report and the articles about it.</p><p data-block-key=\"3deds\">San Francisco Deputy City Attorney Jennifer Choi then sent letters first to Substack and later to Poulson informing them that <a href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=851.92.&lawCode=PEN\">under California law</a> it is illegal to share information relating to a sealed arrest, punishable by a fine of $500 to $2,500.</p><p data-block-key=\"besr2\">“We expect that you will immediately remove the Incident Report and its contents from Substack and ensure that the index to postings no longer allows for the Incident Report to be viewed or downloaded,” Choi wrote. “Finally, please refrain from publishing this material in the future.”</p><p data-block-key=\"81l89\">Choi did not respond to a request for comment from the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"6v4t0\">Freedom of the Press Foundation, of which the Tracker is a project, told the Chronicle that the Supreme Court has made it clear that the Constitution protects journalists from punishment for publishing legally obtained information.</p><p data-block-key=\"20dnp\">“Journalists are entitled to publish documents that they lawfully obtained, specifically government documents,” FPF Advocacy Director Seth Stern said. “Unless the city wants to take the position that a sealed arrest report is more sensitive than national security or (identifying) victims of terrible crimes, I don’t think they are in good standing.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3n4f3\">The city has not taken legal action against Poulson, the Chronicle reported. But Marek filed a lawsuit against the journalist, Tech Inquiry, Substack and Amazon Web Services, believed to be on Blackman’s behalf. The suit alleges Poulson’s articles damaged the unnamed plaintiff’s employment prospects and reputation among family, friends and business associates.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Poulson_chilling.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"ru7p7\">A portion of an Oct. 3, 2024, letter from a San Francisco city attorney directing independent journalist Jack Poulson to remove details about a sealed arrest report from multiple articles and to “refrain” from publishing them further.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
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"(2025-02-05 00:00:00+00:00) Tech CEO’s suit against journalist dismissed"
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{
"title": "Journalists ordered to reveal sources in harassment suit against eBay",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalists-ordered-to-reveal-sources-in-harassment-suit-against-ebay/",
"first_published_at": "2024-10-01T15:33:03.289508Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-10-01T15:33:03.289508Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-10-01T15:33:03.085593Z",
"date": "2024-09-25",
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"city": "Boston",
"longitude": -71.05977,
"latitude": 42.35843,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ocz8h\">The journalists behind an online e-commerce news site were ordered by a federal court on Sept. 25, 2024, to turn over the identities of sources who stopped working with them as a result of a 2019 campaign of harassment and intimidation at the hands of then-eBay employees. An attorney representing the journalists argues there’s nothing to turn over.</p><p data-block-key=\"bo44s\">David and Ina Steiner, a married couple who run the Massachusetts-based news site EcommerceBytes, were targeted by seven employees after publishing an article in August 2019 about litigation involving the online retailer. <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/six-former-ebay-employees-arrested-alleged-harassment-campaign-against-journalists/\">The seven were later convicted</a> and eBay was fined $3 million.</p><p data-block-key=\"bjre6\">In July 2021, the Steiners filed a federal lawsuit in Boston against eBay, the former executives and the seven co-conspirators, alleging they suffered emotional, psychological and financial harm as a result of the harassment campaign.</p><p data-block-key=\"vnt8\">As part of discovery in that lawsuit, eBay <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.236568/gov.uscourts.mad.236568.450.0.pdf\">filed a motion</a> in September 2024 asking that the court compel the Steiners to disclose the identities of “would-be sources” who were fearful of working with the journalists following the harassment.</p><p data-block-key=\"d6t07\">The Steiners had <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.236568/gov.uscourts.mad.236568.450.10.pdf\">previously released</a> redacted copies of communications wherein sources asked that their names not be published or advertisers withdrew their business, citing a fear of retaliation from eBay or cyberbullying.</p><p data-block-key=\"53bot\">In a <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.236568/gov.uscourts.mad.236568.460.0.pdf\">filing in opposition</a> to eBay’s motion, an attorney representing the Steiners wrote that the request was moot, as there are no potential sources that they could identify. Attorney Todd Garber added that the motion should still be denied, however, as granting it could have a chilling effect on potential confidential sources.</p><p data-block-key=\"5gtp3\">“Sources came forward on the premise of anonymity for fear of retaliation, a very real fear given the facts of this case,” Garber wrote. “eBay’s motion threatens the free flow of information because if granted it would send fear down any confidential sources’ spine that the disclosure of their identities is very much at risk and promises of confidentiality cannot be upheld.”</p><p data-block-key=\"e0mm1\">During a hearing on Sept. 25, <a href=\"https://www.law360.com/media/articles/1882383/bloggers-in-ebay-stalking-case-can-t-pinpoint-lost-sources\">Law360 reported</a>, Garber reiterated that there are no further documents or information to produce in response to the request. Magistrate Judge Paul Levenson expressed frustration during the hearing and largely sidestepped arguments over reporter’s privilege.</p><p data-block-key=\"eugum\">“It sounds like what you’re saying essentially is ‘we can’t identify any particular person who says they will no longer work with us, but that it stands to reason that such people would exist, and we just don’t know who they are,’” Levenson said.</p><p data-block-key=\"5u71k\">The judge also asked why that wouldn’t be a correct and full answer to eBay’s request. Garber said it would be and that he would state as much in his response, which Levenson ordered him to provide by the end of the week, Law360 reported.</p><p data-block-key=\"al9bu\">By granting the motion to compel, however, the judge placed an obligation on the Steiners to provide the identities of such “would-be sources” if they learn of them at any point before the case is resolved.</p></div>",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"g0hmi\">A portion of a September 2024 motion by eBay requesting that the editor and publisher of EcommerceBytes be forced to disclose the identities of sources who stopped working with the news site after it was subject to a harassment campaign.</p>",
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{
"title": "Journalist arrested while covering Oakland encampment cleanup",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-arrested-while-covering-oakland-encampment-cleanup/",
"first_published_at": "2024-09-18T20:40:35.842950Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-12-10T21:03:07.823711Z",
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"date": "2024-09-17",
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"uv8kg\">Multimedia journalist Yesica Prado was arrested while reporting on a homeless encampment cleanup operation in Oakland, California, on Sept. 17, 2024.</p><p data-block-key=\"3jlto\">Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao <a href=\"https://x.com/MayorShengThao/status/1781457551911198978\">announced</a> in April that the city was awarded $7.2 million by the state to address three “long-standing encampments.” The news release said the funds would be used to provide supportive services, temporary shelter and then permanent housing.</p><p data-block-key=\"ahn0p\">Prado — who was on assignment for Street Spirit, a monthly newspaper in the Bay Area — <a href=\"https://x.com/Prado_Reports/status/1835831755435323533\">wrote</a> on the social platform X Sept. 16 that the city was beginning to clear one of the large encampments, located near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Way and 23rd Street.</p><p data-block-key=\"a4dho\">“Camp residents were supposed to transition to the Jack London Inn, but this hotel is not open yet. Many residents have lost their property and don’t know where to go,” Prado wrote.</p><p data-block-key=\"ejnnr\">When she arrived on Sept. 17, she <a href=\"https://x.com/Prado_Reports/status/1836090962864673234\">wrote</a> that day, the operation was being run differently, with more than a dozen officers from both the Oakland Police Department and California Highway Patrol present.</p><p data-block-key=\"18j9f\">Prado reported that a city worker threatened her with arrest for not complying with his request to move elsewhere, despite having already moved outside the caution tape as previously directed. She <a href=\"https://x.com/Prado_Reports/status/1836098781152194844\">added</a> that she was forced to stand on the sidewalk, while others documenting the operation were permitted to remain on the road.</p><p data-block-key=\"99mni\">“From the distance, I can’t hear what city staff is telling my sources, which raises serious questions,” Prado wrote. “A fair assessment of the city’s actions can’t be made without a free press.”</p><p data-block-key=\"9kb1u\">In Prado’s <a href=\"https://x.com/Prado_Reports/status/1836145976429670650\">footage</a> of the moments leading up to her arrest, she can be heard questioning officers about why they are ordering her to document from the other side of a fence, stating that she cannot see from that location.</p><p data-block-key=\"bskr\">“If you fully refuse to leave a safe work zone it is a misdemeanor in the Oakland Municipal Code, so start walking and leave the safe work zone or you will be placed under arrest,” an officer tells Prado. When she notes that others are still walking around the area, the officer responds, “Oakland Police Department. Do not resist or force will be used on you.”</p><p data-block-key=\"6ih4k\">As the officers begin to move toward Prado, she moves to walk away and, after another short exchange, the video cuts out as an officer places her hand behind her back.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I was given a cite and release after they held me in their police car for awhile. The citation has a "trespassing" charge for "delaying a public agency."<a href=\"https://twitter.com/FACoalition?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@FACoalition</a> <br><br>I was warned that I would be taken to Santa Rita jail if they declare that I am violating their "safe work" code <a href=\"https://t.co/kfn0Xi7R7Y\">pic.twitter.com/kfn0Xi7R7Y</a></p>— Yesica Prado🔎📊 📸 🎧 🎥✨️ (@Prado_Reports) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Prado_Reports/status/1836151486734295456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 17, 2024</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"uv8kg\">Journalist and documentarian Caron Creighton <a href=\"https://x.com/caroncreighton/status/1836131055415496868\">filmed</a> as officers led Prado away in handcuffs, writing that she too was threatened with arrest. Creighton told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that officers held Prado in a police vehicle for approximately 30 minutes before citing and releasing her.</p><p data-block-key=\"fdbcd\">Prado <a href=\"https://x.com/Prado_Reports/status/1836151486734295456\">was charged</a> with interfering with public employees and remaining in an area that had been designated a safe work zone, both misdemeanors. Prado did not respond to emailed requests for comment from the Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"sqgh\">The Oakland Police Department confirmed that officers arrested, cited and released an individual for violating the City of Oakland’s Safe Work Zone ordinance after received multiple verbal warnings.</p><p data-block-key=\"3rgcf\">Oakland is the latest city in which journalists covering cleanup sweeps of homeless encampments have faced threats of arrest or criminal charges, according to a <a href=\"https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/2024/09/coalition-demands-california-officials-respect-role-of-press-at-homeless-encampment-sweeps/?mc_cid=eeb1cbd992&mc_eid=297abc34ad\">Sept. 10 letter</a> from 20 press freedom and civil liberties organizations — including the First Amendment Coalition and Freedom of the Press Foundation, of which the Tracker is a project — to California leaders and law enforcement.</p><p data-block-key=\"470o0\">“We have serious concerns about the recent law enforcement treatment of journalists in Sacramento and Los Angeles,” the letter said, noting four recent incidents. “We urge cities, counties and state agencies to conduct these activities transparently, and ensure workers and officers in the field respect the First Amendment rights of the press to observe and document government actions in public.”</p><p data-block-key=\"cm0jn\"><i>Editor’s Note: This article was updated to include information provided by journalist and documentary filmmaker Caron Creighton and comment from the Oakland Police Department.</i></p></div>",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"didh6\">Multimedia journalist Yesica Prado, center, was arrested while reporting on a homeless encampment cleanup operation in Oakland, California, on Sept. 17, 2024. She was detained for 30 minutes and charged with obstructing public employees and trespassing.</p>",
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"(2024-12-04 00:00:00+00:00) DA declines to prosecute journalist arrested at California encampment cleanup"
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{
"title": "Local official angered by coverage threatens Texas newspaper on social media",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/local-official-angered-by-coverage-threatens-texas-newspaper-on-social-media/",
"first_published_at": "2025-03-07T19:33:39.025827Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-03-07T19:33:39.025827Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-03-07T19:33:29.202123Z",
"date": "2024-09-15",
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"city": "Galveston",
"longitude": -94.7977,
"latitude": 29.30135,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"3lqjj\">A local Texas councilman shared a social media image of a handgun atop the front page of The Daily News of Galveston County on Sept. 15, 2024, one of a series of what the newspaper’s editor said were attacks over its critical coverage.</p><p data-block-key=\"c2330\">The La Marque council member, Joseph Lowry, has lashed out at the paper and one of its reporters in numerous other posts on the <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/LowryNewsNetwork\">Lowry News Network</a> Facebook page, according to Daily News Editor Michael A. Smith and the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker’s review of the page.</p><p data-block-key=\"82seh\">Lowry, described by Smith as a “right-wing political operative,” also posts frequently about local politics, often accusing officials of corruption or other misdeeds.</p><p data-block-key=\"5j9i6\">The Sept. 15 <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=122155494458051536&set=pb.61551546081527.-2207520000&type=3\">post</a> showed a photo of the Sept. 14-15 weekend edition of The Daily News with a handgun sitting on top of the paper. That issue’s lead <a href=\"https://www.galvnews.com/news/la-marque-councilmans-claims-about-ethics-might-be-unethical-expert-says/article_eb4bc165-af95-567b-8bbf-e1909a381c22.html\">story</a>, entitled “Councilman’s claims might be unethical, expert says,” detailed Lowry’s alleged harassment of another council member and the steps taken to protect her.</p><p data-block-key=\"4dppr\">The post’s location was tagged as the “Galveston County Daily News.”</p><p data-block-key=\"c64k9\">Smith said he believed that Lowry made the post because of the scrutiny the newspaper had placed him under. “We have been reporting on his antics for several years,” he added.</p><p data-block-key=\"44cnl\">Smith told the Tracker that Lowry had also made “a lot of veiled threats” against Scott McLendon, the reporter who wrote the story.</p><p data-block-key=\"9dg4n\">According to Smith, one came in a spoken quote for an <a href=\"https://www.galvnews.com/news/la-marque-councilmans-firm-owes-43k-in-back-taxes-court-records-say/article_469c73c4-6c15-56d1-9d5d-904f0c179ff8.html\">article</a> reporting that Lowry owes more than $40,000 in back taxes, in which he said, before hanging up, “I don’t owe anybody any money. But good job. You’re a piece of shit. You’re a fucking maggot. And you’ll get what’s coming to you.”</p><p data-block-key=\"9gg38\">In addition, Lowry had said he’d been parked outside McLendon’s house and had mentioned the reporter’s children in a post. However, Smith added, “We never saw him around here and Scott never saw him around his house.”</p><p data-block-key=\"fik3v\">Lowry also posted photos of <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/LowryNewsNetwork/posts/pfbid0ZA4rkUzEVwnyD5akW7wNdDsCL7MeqFzxK9NsaahQzutNAFbGkaqceL69f6rVkeLnl\">Smith</a> and the <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/LowryNewsNetwork/posts/pfbid02Bmf8pbSxV6swdV8KdJwFwzXNU4Z9C6qeGFrNa5aLZjC7auTQNKLz4uqDqyuWJWNMl\">reporter</a> on his Facebook page, using derogatory terms, labeling them “fake news” and tagging the paper’s office location. Smith said that, in addition, Lowry emailed the paper a photo of himself sitting in a car holding what appears to be a semiautomatic pistol.</p><p data-block-key=\"4lag7\">Smith added, “Most recently he’s been posting items suggesting the newspaper would go out of business if not for money from public notices” and has been lobbying city leaders across the county to stop putting notices in the paper.</p><p data-block-key=\"9ptvl\">For example, on Sept. 20 Lowry <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/LowryNewsNetwork/posts/pfbid0FrKNpzrjhEoXgvoptCL3oyQL3hjxurXTmsZqQCENnXccpCJMK2ZyRLVvwLJNusFNl\">wrote</a>: “We have got to pass legislation to take millions (annually) in tax dollars away from these fake news outlets like Galveston Daily fake news. Our tax dollars should not go to writing hit pieces on citizens or political opponents of corrupt elected officials.”</p><p data-block-key=\"53m6b\">Smith said the paper had contacted the police, but they said “there was nothing criminal they could act on.”</p><p data-block-key=\"6rb1q\">As a precaution, the paper gave its reception desk Lowry’s photo and instructed them not to let him into the building. In addition, “We circulated his photo among the employees and told them to report to a member of the leadership team if they saw him lurking around.”</p><p data-block-key=\"er8b4\">In response to an emailed request for comment, Lowry denied threatening the outlet or any of its reporters. “Someone misinformed you,” replied Lowry. “I did not know where anybody at the Galveston daily news lives nor do I care. Nor have I ever threatened a reporter. Fake news.”</p><p data-block-key=\"dautv\">Smith said that the outlet hasn’t changed the way it’s covered the story, although he added that McLendon had opted to pass the beat to another reporter. “We’ve continued to report the parts of his circus that seem to be news.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"h95o5\">A portion of a Sept. 15, 2024, Facebook post on the Lowry News Network page, run by La Marque, Texas, City Councilman Joseph Lowry. The Galveston newspaper in the image said it’s one of a series of attacks by the official.</p>",
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{
"title": "Photojournalist struck with police bike amid presidential debate protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-struck-with-police-bike-amid-presidential-debate-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2024-10-10T16:21:54.718762Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-10-10T16:21:54.718762Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-10-10T16:17:02.751367Z",
"date": "2024-09-10",
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"city": "Philadelphia",
"longitude": -75.16362,
"latitude": 39.95238,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"b90c6\">Independent photojournalist Cristina Panagi was repeatedly rammed with a bike by police while covering a protest outside the presidential debate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 10, 2024.</p><p data-block-key=\"c264b\">Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the National Constitution Center, where presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris were debating, <a href=\"https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/pro-palestinian-protesters-rally-outside-national-constitution-center-during-presidential-debate/3966752/\">WCAU reported</a>. According to the TV station, pro-Palestinian demonstrators made up the bulk of the crowd, calling for a cease-fire in the ongoing Israel-Gaza war.</p><p data-block-key=\"41qto\">Panagi told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that near the end of the protesters’ march, a Philadelphia Police Department officer yelled at her to move back and, despite her efforts to comply, repeatedly slammed his bicycle into her legs.</p><p data-block-key=\"528gc\">“They were actively using the bikes as battering rams to shove people back,” Panagi said. “You can see in my video that I’m with everybody else that also has press credentials. It was, again, very, very crowded. There was nowhere for us to go.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4e0tu\">In footage she <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C_yyKXjOyGl/\">posted to Instagram</a>, an officer can be heard repeating “Get out” and “Step back,” shouting louder each time. Panagi is heard responding, “We’re going,” but the officer continues to lift his bike, pushing it into her.</p><p data-block-key=\"7h2s3\">Panagi said her legs were scratched and bruised from the incident, and that she was frustrated that it had happened at all.</p><p data-block-key=\"vasp\">“It’s like: Dude, I’m here working too. I’m not trying to be in your way,” she told the Tracker. “I’m just trying to take some photos and go home.”</p><p data-block-key=\"8pd8h\">Panagi added that she was wearing press credentials issued by the New York City mayor’s office, as well as from the Freelance Journalists Union, and was clearly identifiable as press.</p><p data-block-key=\"9u5ta\">A public information officer for the Philadelphia Police Department told the Tracker via email that officers regularly use bicycles when responding to protests for their “mobility and flexibility in navigating large crowds.” </p><p data-block-key=\"aq4sr\">Sgt. Eric Gripp added that the department takes allegations of misconduct seriously. “If there is information suggesting that a media member was treated unjustly or deliberately struck by an officer, we strongly encourage the individual to file an official complaint with our Internal Affairs Bureau,” Gripp wrote.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"2c3zr\">Philadelphia Police Department officers use their bicycles to corral protesters and members of the press outside the presidential debate on Sept. 10, 2024. Photojournalist Cristina Panagi was repeatedly pushed with a bike, bruising and cutting her legs.</p>",
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{
"title": "Photojournalist arrested covering pre-presidential debate protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-arrested-covering-pre-presidential-debate-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2024-10-09T18:30:50.337990Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-10-09T18:50:49.390964Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-10-09T18:50:49.294849Z",
"date": "2024-09-10",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "New York",
"longitude": -74.00597,
"latitude": 40.71427,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"3c3ko\">Independent photojournalist Sarah Baum was arrested by a plainclothes New York City police officer while documenting a demonstration on Sept. 10, 2024.</p><p data-block-key=\"ca5ig\">Baum told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that a small group of demonstrators in “black bloc” — wearing all black and concealing their identities — gathered in Manhattan to protest ahead of the presidential debate that evening. According to a <a href=\"https://x.com/sebs_reports/status/1833995073727414777\">statement</a> shared with Baum, the protest focused on the election, as well as issues ranging from the ongoing Israel-Gaza war to corruption in NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ administration.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Protestors blocked traffic & seemed to target corporate storefronts including Google, whose ties to the IDF are well documented. Their messaging called attention the ongoing genocides in Gaza & Congo. Chants tied these struggles to ongoing efforts against ICE & NYPD violence. <a href=\"https://t.co/4tJClIX8Gn\">pic.twitter.com/4tJClIX8Gn</a></p>— they/them (@sebs_reports) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/sebs_reports/status/1833995061748470212?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"3c3ko\">After police intercepted the demonstration, Baum said the protesters scattered or were arrested. The photojournalist stayed to document some of the arrests and then began walking home on a sidewalk nearby. That’s when they said a plainclothes officer placed them under arrest.</p><p data-block-key=\"en9r9\">“Two officers came up and grabbed me and said, ‘Put your hands behind your back.’ And I said, ‘I’m a member of the press. You can see my big camera! I’m a member of the press,’” Baum recounted. “They said, ‘You know, oh well, you don’t have a badge.’”</p><p data-block-key=\"8j7f1\">Baum told the Tracker that they had only recently moved to the city, and had not yet obtained the six reporting clips <a href=\"https://www.nyc.gov/site/mome/press-card/press-card-application.page\">necessary to qualify</a> for a press credential from the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.</p><p data-block-key=\"1e1u\">“To get a press badge in New York City, you need to demonstrate a need for it. In order to demonstrate a need for it, you need to be on the ground for protests, but then when you’re on the ground at protests, you’re at significant risk of being arrested if you don’t have a badge,” Baum said. “So it’s kind of this Sisyphean task.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I had my camera out & ID’d myself as press a billion times. It didn’t matter. NYPD Deputy Police Commissioner Kaz Daughtry personally saw this & let officers arrest me anyway.</p>— they/them (@sebs_reports) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/sebs_reports/status/1833995068966908032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"3c3ko\">Baum said they repeatedly asked for the officers’ names and badge numbers, but the officers refused to answer.</p><p data-block-key=\"6gma1\">The photojournalist was transported to New York City Police Department headquarters in lower Manhattan and held for approximately six hours. They were released in the early hours of Sept. 11 with a citation for walking on the roadway.</p><p data-block-key=\"8v3jl\">A second photojournalist, <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-detained-camera-and-bag-damaged-at-nyc-protest/\">Olga Fedorova</a>, was also detained while documenting the demonstration that day, but was released when a supervisory officer recognized her. Her camera and equipment bag, however, were damaged in the course of her detention.</p><p data-block-key=\"21stl\">On Oct. 7, Baum told the Tracker that the paperwork for the charge had been improperly filed, and therefore the charge was functionally dropped; the Tracker confirmed that there are no pending criminal charges against them.</p><p data-block-key=\"aj6sp\">Though Baum said they were relieved not to have to appear in court, they added that the experience has had a chilling effect on them.</p><p data-block-key=\"36o4p\">“I should be documenting all the protests that are happening around the city, but I’ve had to sit on the sidelines while I figure out how physically and legally safe it is for me to go back out there,” Baum said. “I’ve also been experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress since the arrest and everything else that happened that day. So it’s not just a chilling effect in that I have to worry about how simply doing a job could jeopardize my safety, but also that doing your job becomes more challenging when dealing with mental health repercussions in the aftermath.”</p><p data-block-key=\"2031l\">The NYPD did not respond to an emailed request for comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"m5wzd\">Photojournalist Sarah Baum was arrested by New York City police shortly after officers intercepted a demonstration Baum was documenting before the presidential debate on Sept. 10, 2024. The charge for walking in the roadway was later dropped.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "New York City Police Department",
"arrest_status": "arrested and released",
"release_date": "2024-09-11",
"detention_date": "2024-09-10",
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"election",
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"Israel-Gaza war",
"protest"
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"Arrest/Criminal Charge"
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{
"title": "Photojournalist detained, camera and bag damaged at NYC protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-detained-camera-and-bag-damaged-at-nyc-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2024-10-04T15:09:09.445104Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-10-08T21:16:27.474498Z",
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"city": "New York",
"longitude": -74.00597,
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"fjue0\">Freelance photojournalist Olga Fedorova was detained by New York City police while documenting a protest on Sept. 10, 2024. Officers slammed her against a wall, damaging her camera, and ripped her equipment bag off her back.</p><p data-block-key=\"9bfg3\">Fedorova told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that a small group of demonstrators in “black bloc” — wearing all black and concealing their identities — gathered in Manhattan ahead of the presidential debate that evening. According to a <a href=\"https://x.com/sebs_reports/status/1833995073727414777\">statement</a> shared with journalists, the protest focused on the election, as well as issues ranging from the ongoing Israel-Gaza war to corruption in NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ administration.</p><p data-block-key=\"57l0f\">In her <a href=\"https://x.com/ScooterCasterNY/status/1833664776448205133\">footage</a>, distributed via FreedomNews.TV, demonstrators are seen pulling trash bins and plastic barricades into the street to block traffic and spraying graffiti on a city bus and on a T-Mobile storefront.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">NOW: Pro-Palestine protesters in black block tag buildings and MTA Busses in NYC, police arrest multiple demonstrators.<br><br>Video by <a href=\"https://twitter.com/olgafe_images?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@olgafe_images</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/FreedomNTV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@FreedomNTV</a> [email protected] to license <a href=\"https://t.co/ZBXwD069u8\">pic.twitter.com/ZBXwD069u8</a></p>— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/ScooterCasterNY/status/1833664776448205133?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"fjue0\">“Eventually police attempted to intercept them and they all scattered,” Fedorova said. “I saw a few arrests and then I kind of ran after the rest of them.”</p><p data-block-key=\"eunok\">When she couldn’t find them, Fedorova said she decided to file her footage.</p><p data-block-key=\"ejb26\">“I’m standing on the sidewalk looking through my video when somebody grabs me from behind, pins my arms completely to my side, slams me into a wall and screams ‘Surprise!’” Fedorova said. “And then the person starts saying ‘Stop resisting.’ So that’s when I understood it was NYPD.”</p><p data-block-key=\"a3hpn\">Fedorova said she identified herself as press, explaining that she had her press credential on her as well as her camera, which was damaged when she was pushed into the wall. The officers ignored her, she said, and placed her in handcuffs and cut or tore her equipment bag off her back.</p><p data-block-key=\"46evm\">“Luckily one of the higher-ups was walking by — who is familiar with me because I cover so many of these protests and other things like pressers that the NYPD has — and he just told them to let me go,” Fedorova said. She added that while they did release her it was still “the most disturbing interaction I’ve had with the NYPD ever.”</p><p data-block-key=\"62jbt\">A couple of days later, the NYPD <a href=\"https://x.com/NYPDDaughtry/status/1834263301158490486\">released a video</a> promoting the police response to the protest using footage from security cameras and drones and set to dramatic music. The video also used the footage Fedorova had captured, still bearing the FreedomNews.TV watermark.</p><p data-block-key=\"1rtii\">“It was weird and kind of darkly funny that they both briefly — thank you very much — arrested me and then also stole my footage,” Fedorova said. </p><p data-block-key=\"9d8lg\">In addition to not paying to license the footage, she added, its use in a promotional video for the NYPD actively endangers her because activists may think she is working with the police and target her for it.</p><p data-block-key=\"b4579\">“It’s the last thing I need,” Fedorova told the Tracker. </p><p data-block-key=\"ek7al\">“NYPD has been doing this interesting thing where they will point out footage or photographs that they have found online to activists, kind of on the spot, saying that, ‘Well, you or your friends are getting arrested because of this video,’” she added. “They’re trying to sort of make it difficult, I think, for journalists to work at these social movement and protest events.”</p><p data-block-key=\"2tlf0\">The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"3uaqg\"><i>Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include additional information on the focus of the Sept. 10 demonstration.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"t0l84\">In footage released by the New York City Police Department, a group of protesters are seen walking in Manhattan on Sept. 10, 2024. Freelance photojournalist Olga Fedorova was detained and her equipment damaged while covering the demonstration.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "New York City Police Department",
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"election",
"Election 2024",
"Israel-Gaza war",
"protest"
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"Arrest/Criminal Charge",
"Assault",
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{
"title": "Broadcast reporter robbed at gunpoint in Oakland",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/broadcast-reporter-robbed-at-gunpoint-in-oakland/",
"first_published_at": "2024-09-10T15:10:03.066773Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-09-10T15:10:03.066773Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-09-10T15:07:29.286426Z",
"date": "2024-09-07",
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"city": "Oakland",
"longitude": -122.2708,
"latitude": 37.80437,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"8j4dr\">A broadcast news crew with ABC affiliate KGO-TV was robbed at gunpoint while reporting in Oakland, California, on Sept. 7, 2024.</p><p data-block-key=\"cb4jo\">The San Francisco Chronicle <a href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/oakland-tv-news-crew-robbed-19752719.php\">reported</a> that at about 5:30 p.m., multiple armed individuals exited a car and “rushed” the station’s reporter, a crew member and a security guard, as the news team reported in North Oakland. A spokesperson for Oakland’s police union <a href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/09/08/tv-news-crew-security-guard-robbed-at-gunpoint-while-covering-a-story-in-oakland/\">told The Mercury News</a> that the robbers took the crew’s television camera and microphone, as well as the security guard’s firearm.</p><p data-block-key=\"603jg\">KGO-TV declined to comment on the incident. Police have reported no injuries in connection with the robbery and no arrests have been made, according to the News.</p><p data-block-key=\"cn7ck\">More than a <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?search=robbed&state=California&tags=robbery&endpage=2\">dozen journalists</a> — all either photojournalists or members of broadcast news crews — have been robbed at gunpoint in the Bay Area since 2019. A security guard for KPIX-TV was shot in the leg when he exchanged fire with an armed robber in February 2019, and a security guard with KRON-TV died from injuries he suffered during an <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/bay-area-broadcast-security-guard-shot-killed-in-attempted-robbery-of-news-crew/\">attempted robbery</a> of a news crew in November 2021.</p></div>",
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"name": "California",
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"tags": [
"robbery"
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"categories": [
"Assault",
"Equipment Damage"
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{
"title": "Indian journalist assaulted during interview; phone taken, recording deleted",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/indian-journalist-assaulted-during-interview-phone-taken-recording-deleted/",
"first_published_at": "2024-09-17T19:11:45.521895Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-09-20T14:58:48.090000Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-09-20T14:58:47.985948Z",
"date": "2024-09-07",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Irving",
"longitude": -96.94889,
"latitude": 32.81402,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"wqab0\">Rohit Sharma, a senior journalist for India Today, was physically prevented from leaving an interview he was conducting with an Indian politician in Irving, Texas, on Sept. 7, 2024, after men present intervened to stop the questioning, grabbed his cellphone and ultimately deleted the recording of the conversation, Sharma told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"5sovq\">Sharma said that he had arranged an interview with Sam Pitroda — the overseas head of the Indian National Congress, one of India’s main opposition parties — ahead of the arrival of fellow party member Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, or lower house of India’s Parliament.</p><p data-block-key=\"b7gqq\">Approximately 30 people, a mixture of party members from India and the United States, were in the room with them, Sharma <a href=\"https://www.indiatoday.in/opinion/story/how-i-was-assaulted-by-rahul-gandhi-team-in-dallas-texas-2599165-2024-09-13\">reported</a> for the widely circulated newsweekly. The interview with Pitroda was straightforward, he said, setting the scene ahead of Gandhi’s three-day visit and addressing issues that concern members of the Indian diaspora.</p><p data-block-key=\"38s2m\">“The last question that I asked him was about (nonresident Indians) who’ve protested against the killing of minorities in Bangladesh recently, after the change of government,” Sharma said, referring to the alleged <a href=\"https://www.voanews.com/a/in-bangladesh-religious-minorities-targeted-during-political-unrest/7750077.html\">targeting</a> of the Hindu, Christian and Buddhist populations in the Muslim-majority nation. “He was answering that question when, I think to his surprise and my surprise, one person jumped to his feet and shouted, ‘It’s controversial! Stop recording it!’”</p><p data-block-key=\"4ec48\">Pitroda tried to calm the men down, Sharma said, but another individual attempted to grab Sharma’s microphone while someone else grabbed his phone off the tripod it was set up on. Shortly after, Pitroda was told Gandhi had arrived at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and quickly left the room along with some of those present.</p><p data-block-key=\"bq7ks\">The approximately 15 men who remained continued shouting at one another and at Sharma, the journalist told the Tracker, debating what needed to be done.</p><p data-block-key=\"1eecn\">“I was made to sit on a chair — there were two persons, one on my left side and one on the right — and I couldn’t get up. I tried getting up and they said, ‘No, sit down, sit down. You can’t move,’” Sharma told the Tracker. “My instant fear was: I need to get out of this room.”</p><p data-block-key=\"cc7vc\">Sharma said that the men locked his phone while passing it around, so one of them held it up to his face to unlock it using Face ID. They deleted the recording from Sharma’s Photos app, and once again used his Face ID to access his Recently Deleted folder to permanently delete the recording. He said his phone was in airplane mode, and so the recording was not uploaded to his iCloud.</p><p data-block-key=\"dmsq8\">The men went through the other apps on Sharma’s phone to ensure no copy remained. Once they were sure, Sharma was allowed to stand and everyone began to leave the suite, approximately 30 minutes after halting the interview with Pitroda.</p><p data-block-key=\"81gmr\">“Somebody said, ‘We should keep his phone for the next four days, until Mr. Gandhi leaves the U.S., so that nothing gets out,’” Sharma said. He added that he was able to convince them to return the phone, and once he got to the parking lot he called Pitroda to alert him to what had happened.</p><p data-block-key=\"4973v\">The incident immediately chilled his reporting, Sharma said, as he felt unsafe attending any of Gandhi’s events in Washington, D.C., and he’s concerned about what it will mean for his coverage moving forward.</p><p data-block-key=\"4jtt3\">“Anything I write about him moving forward will be looked at through the lens of, ‘Oh, he’s a disgruntled person.’ Even if I report objectively, people will not think it objective,” he said. “It has left a scar.”</p><p data-block-key=\"dglh6\">The National Press Club, of which Sharma is a member, said in a <a href=\"https://www.press.org/newsroom/press-club-statement-attack-against-club-member-texas\">statement</a> that the men “had no right or standing to take Sharma’s phone from him or delete content,” adding that journalists working in the U.S. are protected by the First Amendment, regardless of their nationality.</p><p data-block-key=\"921sc\">Sharma said that Pitroda called him to apologize for the incident a few days after and told the journalist that he believes in press freedom and that he would investigate and hold the responsible parties accountable.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">First and foremost, I want to extend my deep gratitude to <a href=\"https://twitter.com/IndiaToday?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@IndiaToday</a>, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/rahulkanwal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@rahulkanwal</a>, and the entire team for standing strong on this issue. What happened was truly appalling. Mr. Pitroda reached out to apologize for the incident, and I’ve accepted his apology. He assured me that… <a href=\"https://t.co/hwecV6LQlC\">https://t.co/hwecV6LQlC</a></p>— Rohit Sharma 🇺🇸🇮🇳 (@DcWalaDesi) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/DcWalaDesi/status/1835693975295992185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 16, 2024</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"wqab0\">When reached for comment, Pitroda shared a response to the NPC’s statement in which he denied the incident took place, adding that he did not apologize to Sharma because “the incident never happened.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4v5n4\">Sharma said that while he had been concerned about his physical safety during the incident, he’s more concerned now that the story has been picked up by politicians in India. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi <a href=\"https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/pm-narendra-modi-doda-rally-slams-congress-india-today-reporter-assault-rohit-sharma-2599760-2024-09-14\">condemned the attack</a>, saying, “Those who claim to be champions of freedom of speech indulged in brutality.”</p><p data-block-key=\"e1jp8\">“I’m scared because this is a very powerful family: Mr. Gandhi and his family are very powerful, they’ve ruled India for more than 60 years. And now that this has created such a big political fervor in India — even the prime minister talked about it — I don’t want to be in the middle of this mess, between both the parties,” he said. “I still am scared for my extended family in India. And I’m also supposed to travel to India the last week of September into October and I’m debating whether I should even go.”</p><p data-block-key=\"ebago\">He added that he went public with what happened not in spite of his fear but because of it.</p><p data-block-key=\"fp6uv\">“I’m speaking up for two reasons: First is I think nobody should get away with this, in the sense that I don’t want them to feel emboldened to come back to the U.S. and do such things with another journalist,” Sharma said. “Second is my fear for my own safety. They know who I am, my face has been flashed all over the media in India. If it’s on the record, then maybe people will be fearful of doing such acts again.”</p><p data-block-key=\"2f31g\"><i>Editor’s Note: This article was updated to include comment from Sam Pitroda.</i></p></div>",
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"title": "Broadcast crew member robbed at gunpoint in Oakland",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/broadcast-crew-member-robbed-at-gunpoint-in-oakland/",
"first_published_at": "2024-09-10T15:11:03.622843Z",
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ghxyj\">A broadcast news crew with ABC affiliate KGO-TV was robbed at gunpoint while reporting in Oakland, California, on Sept. 7, 2024.</p><p data-block-key=\"5id2s\">The San Francisco Chronicle <a href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/oakland-tv-news-crew-robbed-19752719.php\">reported</a> that at about 5:30 p.m., multiple armed individuals exited a car and “rushed” the station’s reporter, a crew member and a security guard, as the news team reported in North Oakland. A spokesperson for Oakland’s police union <a href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/09/08/tv-news-crew-security-guard-robbed-at-gunpoint-while-covering-a-story-in-oakland/\">told The Mercury News</a> that the robbers took the crew’s television camera and microphone, as well as the security guard’s firearm.</p><p data-block-key=\"3etva\">KGO-TV declined to comment on the incident. Police have reported no injuries in connection with the robbery and no arrests have been made, according to the News.</p><p data-block-key=\"3n80o\">More than a <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?search=robbed&state=California&tags=robbery&endpage=2\">dozen journalists</a> — all either photojournalists or members of broadcast news crews — have been robbed at gunpoint in the Bay Area since 2019. A security guard for KPIX-TV was shot in the leg when he exchanged fire with an armed robber in February 2019, and a security guard with KRON-TV died from injuries he suffered during an <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/bay-area-broadcast-security-guard-shot-killed-in-attempted-robbery-of-news-crew/\">attempted robbery</a> of a news crew in November 2021.</p></div>",
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