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{
"title": "Independent videographer arrested while documenting LA homeless camp cleanup",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/independent-videographer-arrested-while-documenting-la-homeless-camp-cleanup/",
"first_published_at": "2021-07-27T17:34:28.531205Z",
"last_published_at": "2022-01-03T15:05:00.499055Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2022-01-03T15:05:00.452850Z",
"date": "2021-07-01",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p>Independent videographer Sean Beckner-Carmitchel was arrested while filming a homeless camp cleanup operation in the Harbor City neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on July 1, 2021.</p><p>Beckner-Carmitchel told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker he has been documenting such cleanup operations, which aim to remove trash and encourage unhoused populations to seek out shelters, for four months as the city has responded aggressively to a <a href=\"https://abc7.com/la-county-homelessness-socal-homeless-crisis-economic-roundtable-population/9601083/\">rise in homelessness</a> in the county.</p><p>Upon arriving at the site alongside two activists, a worker with LA Sanitation & Environment approached Beckner-Carmitchel and told the group that they weren’t allowed to film in that area. After some discussion, he said, they reached an agreement that the group could observe and document the operation from a location a little further back, away from the trucks.</p><p>“Not long after, LAPD came over and told us we could not be there,” Beckner-Carmitchel said. “We were told to go one way; we complied. We were told to go the other way, and in the process of complying with that we were all detained and cited.”</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, cited and released with 56.11MC despite being told the area I was in was fine to stay in. I’ll release footage along with <a href=\"https://twitter.com/FilmThePoliceLA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@FilmThePoliceLA</a> who was also detained later but it’s more important to cover the proceedings going on. <a href=\"https://t.co/4Ds9PuWbNi\">pic.twitter.com/4Ds9PuWbNi</a></p>— Sean Carmitchel (@ACatWithNews) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/ACatWithNews/status/1410718335990321152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 1, 2021</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p>In <a href=\"https://twitter.com/ACatWithNews/status/1410730760986718210\">footage</a> Beckner-Carmitchel captured when the Sanitation Department official first approached, his National Press Photographers Association credentials can be seen on a lanyard around his neck. Beckner-Carmitchel also identified himself as press to the officer, he said, and attempted to explain why he needed somewhere to observe the operation.</p><p>Beckner-Carmitchel told the Tracker that while the officer was placing him under arrest, the officer deliberately threw his phone to the ground, but the device wasn’t damaged.</p><p>Beckner-Carmitchel said the officer placed him in cuffs and sat him in the back of his vehicle for approximately 30 minutes.</p><p>Beckner-Carmitchel told the Tracker he was cited with violating <a href=\"https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/los_angeles/latest/lamc/0-0-0-138386\">Municipal Code 56.11.10(d)</a> — “delaying/obstructing dept sanitation clean up operation” — and was ordered to appear in court on Oct. 28. If convicted, he faces a fine of up to $2,500. Beckner-Carmitchel said he believes the charges will be dropped before his hearing date.</p><p>The Los Angeles Police Department didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"image_caption": "",
"arresting_authority": "Los Angeles Police Department",
"arrest_status": "arrested and released",
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"detention_date": null,
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"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
"updates": [
"(2021-10-25 00:00:00+00:00) Charges dropped against independent videographer arrested while documenting LA homeless camp cleanup"
],
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"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
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"tags": [
"encampment"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Sean Beckner-Carmitchel (Independent)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Bay Area news crew approached by armed individuals, ordered to hand over equipment",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/bay-area-news-crew-approached-by-armed-individuals-ordered-to-hand-over-equipment/",
"first_published_at": "2021-07-09T18:52:33.928517Z",
"last_published_at": "2022-03-10T21:32:03.481528Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2022-03-10T21:32:03.428633Z",
"date": "2021-06-28",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Oakland",
"longitude": -122.2708,
"latitude": 37.80437,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"5953i\">An NBC Bay Area news crew was threatened with firearms and ordered to hand over their equipment while filming outside City Hall in Oakland, California, on June 28, 2021.</p><p data-block-key=\"o0b08\">The East Bay Times <a href=\"https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2021/06/28/oakland-violence-prevention-chief-unhurt-after-attempted-robbery-at-gunpoint/\">reported</a> that shortly after 3 p.m. the news crew was interviewing a city official about a recent surge in crime when two unidentified armed individuals confronted the cameraperson. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/06/30/oakland-tv-crew-robbery/\">According to The Washington Post</a>, the individuals knocked the camera to the ground during the incident; the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker couldn’t verify whether the camera was damaged as a result of the drop.</p><p data-block-key=\"6g594\">A scuffle ensued after the individuals ordered the crew to hand over the equipment, the Times reported. The news crew’s security guard drew his firearm and told the would-be robbers to leave.</p><p data-block-key=\"cn5ab\">“The suspects immediately left the area without the camera,” a police spokesperson said in a statement to the Times. The spokesperson also noted that the suspects hadn’t been apprehended.</p><p data-block-key=\"xitq8\">“Our colleagues were conducting an interview at Oakland City Hall when they were approached by two armed individuals,” Liza Catalán, a spokeswoman for NBC Bay Area, told the Tracker in an emailed comment. “Thankfully, our colleagues are safe and unharmed.”</p><p data-block-key=\"m4q7n\">Catalán didn’t respond to questions requesting additional information about the incident.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": null,
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"image_caption": "",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"assailant": "private individual",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
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"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
"updates": [],
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"tags": [
"robbery"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Unidentified journalist 7 (KNTV)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Journalist shoved, his camera damaged, while covering Portland protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-shoved-his-camera-damaged-while-covering-portland-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2021-07-09T18:43:52.678964Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-01-31T18:30:46.592805Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-01-31T18:30:46.480895Z",
"date": "2021-06-25",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Portland",
"longitude": -122.67621,
"latitude": 45.52345,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"q09qj\">Independent video journalist Mason Lake said a Portland police officer shoved him with a baton and damaged his on-camera microphone while he was covering a protest in Portland, Oregon, on June 25, 2021.</p><p data-block-key=\"mtu2z\">According to <a href=\"https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2021/06/man-hurt-in-ne-portland-police-shooting.html\">The Oregonian</a>, protesters gathered near the Oregon Convention Center after a Portland police officer shot and killed a man outside a Motel 6. Some demonstrators shouted for officers to quit their jobs, while officers stood facing the protesters with shields and batons. The Portland Police Bureau on Twitter<a href=\"https://twitter.com/PortlandPolice/status/1408303757230624769?s=20\"> said</a> officers throughout the city responded to help with “scene security.” A few days earlier on June 16, all of the officers with the Portland Police Bureau's Rapid Response Team resigned together following news of investigations for excessive force, according to<a href=\"https://www.opb.org/article/2021/06/17/portland-police-officers-resign-in-mass-from-rapid-response-team/\"> Oregon Public Broadcasting</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"i23ce\">“The PPB maced & fired 40mm rounds into a crowd of protestors gathered on NE Grand Ave,” Lake<a href=\"https://twitter.com/MasonLakePhoto/status/1408320296076021764\"> wrote</a> on Twitter at 12:04 p.m. on June 25, alongside a video of officers shoving and spraying demonstrators. At the 19-second mark, it appears that an officer physically knocked the camera, cutting the audio for the rest of the clip.</p><p data-block-key=\"eq2u6\">“I was on the front line and I was nearly bear-maced before being physically shoved by & officer with a baton,” Lake wrote the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker in a text message. “He hit/shoved me marking my neck & hitting my on-camera microphone damaging it.” He also<a href=\"https://twitter.com/MasonLakePhoto/status/1408349507402620932\"> tweeted</a> a photograph of his neck with a red mark across the middle and said he had multiple “press” markings across his clothes and helmet, as well as a National Press Photographers Association badge on his front strap.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">A PPB officer hit/shoved me with a baton, marking the skin on my neck & damaged my on-camera microphone while I was filming them push/mace the crowd of protestors gathered tonight by the Portland Convention Center after a shooting report. <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/portland?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#portland</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/police?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#police</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/assault?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#assault</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/press?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#press</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/rDlWYPiYSl\">pic.twitter.com/rDlWYPiYSl</a></p>— Mason Lake Media (@MasonLakePhoto) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/MasonLakePhoto/status/1408349507402620932?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 25, 2021</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"uiyfk\">“The officer issued no orders for press to move or go to designated area,” he added.</p><p data-block-key=\"tylcz\">PPB didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Screen_Shot_2024-03-12_at_3.52.23.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"d42fr\">A group of police officers surround demonstrators during a protest on Oct. 1, 2020, in Portland, Oregon. Journalist Mason Lake was shoved by police and had equipment damaged while documenting protests there in June 2021.</p>",
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"detention_date": null,
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"case_number": "3:23-cv-01870",
"case_type": "CIVIL",
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"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": "law enforcement",
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"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": null,
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"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "unknown",
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"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
"equipment_broken": [
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "recording equipment"
}
],
"state": {
"name": "Oregon",
"abbreviation": "OR"
},
"updates": [
"(2022-06-27 00:00:00+00:00) Oregon video journalist files suit over Portland police assaults",
"(2024-05-22 00:00:00+00:00) Journalist’s claims dismissed over assault by Portland, Oregon, police"
],
"case_statuses": [
"dismissed"
],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault",
"Equipment Damage"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Mason Lake (Independent)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Journalist says he feared for his life while covering anti-vaccine rally in Oregon",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-says-he-feared-for-his-life-while-covering-anti-vaccine-rally-in-oregon/",
"first_published_at": "2021-07-12T15:30:43.114431Z",
"last_published_at": "2022-02-01T18:04:09.572624Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2022-02-01T18:04:09.354161Z",
"date": "2021-06-23",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Springfield",
"longitude": -123.02203,
"latitude": 44.04624,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"e2icm\">Independent journalist James Croxton, managing editor of Oregon-based website DoubleSidedMedia, said his life was threatened as he covered an anti-vaccine rally in Springfield, Oregon, on June 23, 2021.</p><p data-block-key=\"7s3wi\">He said he was in the plaza in front of Springfield Library around 4 p.m. to cover the event, which was also advertised as a protest against mask-wearing to combat COVID-19, and against critical race theory. Croxton said there were around 40 protesters at the rally.</p><p data-block-key=\"okeei\">“Many of them held signs about keeping critical race theory out of schools and mask mandates,” he wrote in a post for <a href=\"https://leftcoastrightwatch.org/2021/06/journalist-threatened-with-death-at-springfield-or-antivaxxer-march/\">Left Coast Right Watch</a>, a California-based website.</p><p data-block-key=\"oatf2\">Two men approached Croxton and asked him who he worked for. Croxton wrote in the post that when he replied ”‘Double Sided Media” they muttered “fake press.” He said he was later circled by two protesters, one carrying a large pole. He wrote that the one carrying the flagpole was “notorious” for beating people with it.</p><p data-block-key=\"4wxn9\">He added that a man walked toward him and told him it would be wise if he walked away.</p><p data-block-key=\"fu6qk\">“Knowing I was largely outnumbered and the only member of the press there by this point, I agreed and stated, ‘Sure, I’ll walk away. No problem’,” Croxton wrote.</p><p data-block-key=\"pqn2v\">Two of the men then followed Croxton down the road, he said, and one said: “If you ever come back, it’ll be the last thing you do.”</p><p data-block-key=\"m2jgi\">“I was physically scared for myself. I thought I was about to be ambushed as two grown men—one with a large flagpole as normal—circled me like predatory vultures,” Croxton <a href=\"https://twitter.com/jwcroxton/status/1407904723785555973?s=20\">tweeted</a> after the incident.</p><p data-block-key=\"61vqc\">“In retrospect, I think this was the most dangerous situation I have found myself in so far. I say this because I was entirely alone and with a bunch of people who still think that 'the press is the enemy of the people,'” Croxton wrote.</p><p data-block-key=\"ognte\">Croxton told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he had feared for his life.</p><p data-block-key=\"mn8vj\">“I felt scared due to the fact that I was all alone knowing that if anything happened, nobody was there to either document it or help me.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5u44o\">He said he hadn’t filed a complaint to the police.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"arresting_authority": null,
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"state": {
"name": "Oregon",
"abbreviation": "OR"
},
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"tags": [
"coronavirus",
"protest"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"James Croxton (Independent)"
],
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{
"title": "Reporter fined for contempt after recording NC court proceedings",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-fined-for-contempt-after-recording-nc-court-proceedings/",
"first_published_at": "2021-07-14T16:16:32.723562Z",
"last_published_at": "2021-07-27T18:16:50.764245Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2021-07-27T18:16:50.718676Z",
"date": "2021-06-22",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Rockingham",
"longitude": -79.77395,
"latitude": 34.93932,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p>Matthew Sasser, a reporter for the Richmond County Daily Journal, was charged on June 22, 2021, with criminal contempt of court for bringing a tape recorder into a courtroom while covering a murder trial, according to the charging document reviewed by the Committee to Protect Journalists.</p><p>The charging document states that on June 21 and 22 Sasser violated a standing administrative order from August 2019 forbidding the use of electronic equipment in the courtroom.</p><p>Resident Superior Court Judge Stephan Futrell fined Sasser $500, the maximum allowed. In the same hearing, Futrell charged Sasser’s editor Gavin Stone with contempt of court for instructing Sasser that he could bring a tape recorder into court, according to the court documents and the newspaper’s regional publisher Brian Bloom, who spoke to CPJ. CPJ is a founding partner of the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p>Both Sasser and Stone acknowledged that they violated the August 2019 order, but said they did not correctly understand that tape recorders were also prohibited inside the courtroom, according to the court document.</p><p>The Associated Press <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/nc-state-wire-only-on-ap-lifestyle-68aaa25949860fe366a480337c5b5a9e\">reported</a> that, under North Carolina law, courts can punish someone for criminal contempt if they had previously been warned by the court that the conduct was improper.</p><p>Stone had in January 2020 received notice in a letter from Chief District Court Judge Amanda Wilson claiming he had violated the August 2019 order by photographing in the courtroom and publishing that image in the Daily Journal.</p><p>During a June 22 court hearing, Stone was sentenced to 5 days in prison and was jailed immediately. Stone told the Tracker he was released after approximately 24 hours in custody. The Tracker has documented <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/nc-editor-jailed-after-reporter-records-court-proceedings/\">his charges here</a>.</p><p>An attorney representing the journalists filed an immediate appeal, securing Stone’s release, according to the AP. Futrell lifted the initial penalties and the editor and reporter will appear before an appeals court in August, Bloom told CPJ. If their convictions are upheld, each could face a fine up to $500, 30 days in prison or both, according to the court document.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"arresting_authority": "North Carolina Superior Court",
"arrest_status": "arrested and released",
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"state": {
"name": "North Carolina",
"abbreviation": "NC"
},
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"tags": [],
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"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Matthew Sasser (Richmond County Daily Journal)"
],
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},
{
"title": "NC editor jailed after reporter records court proceedings",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/nc-editor-jailed-after-reporter-records-court-proceedings/",
"first_published_at": "2021-07-14T16:13:24.511711Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-01-30T20:47:49.485148Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-01-30T20:47:49.369607Z",
"date": "2021-06-22",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Rockingham",
"longitude": -79.77395,
"latitude": 34.93932,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"v1u5i\">Gavin Stone, an editor for the Richmond County Daily Journal, was charged on June 22, 2021, with criminal contempt of court for violating an administrative order that forbade the use of electronic equipment in the courtroom, according to the charging document reviewed by the Committee to Protect Journalists.</p><p data-block-key=\"o63ff\">Stone was charged along with Daily Journal reporter Matthew Sasser, who had brought a tape recorder into a courtroom while covering a murder trial. Stone acknowledged that he incorrectly instructed Sasser that he could bring a tape recorder into court, according to court documents and Brian Bloom, the newspaper’s regional publisher, who spoke with CPJ. CPJ is a founding partner of the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"pnqrm\">Both Sasser and Stone acknowledged that they violated an August 2019 bar on electronic devices, but said they did not correctly understand that tape recorders were also prohibited inside the courtroom, according to the court document.</p><p data-block-key=\"c3tew\">The Associated Press <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/nc-state-wire-only-on-ap-lifestyle-68aaa25949860fe366a480337c5b5a9e\">reported</a> that, under North Carolina law, courts can punish someone for criminal contempt if they had previously been warned by the court that the conduct was improper.</p><p data-block-key=\"lqua6\">Stone had in January 2020 received notice in a letter from Chief District Court Judge Amanda Wilson claiming he had violated the August 2019 order by photographing in the courtroom and publishing that image in the Daily Journal.</p><p data-block-key=\"piy6o\">Resident Superior Court Judge Stephan Futrell, who filed the June 2021 charges against the journalists, sentenced Stone to five days in prison and jailed the editor immediately following the hearing, according to Bloom and the AP. Stone told the Tracker he was released after approximately 24 hours in custody.</p><p data-block-key=\"9q7ub\">Sasser was fined $500, the maximum allowed, according to the same sources. The Tracker has documented <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-fined-for-contempt-after-recording-nc-court-proceedings/\">his charges here</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"vul20\">An attorney representing the journalists filed an immediate appeal, securing Stone’s release, according to the AP. Futrell lifted the initial penalties and the editor and reporter will appear before an appeals court in August, Bloom told CPJ. If their convictions are upheld, each could face a fine up to $500, 30 days in prison or both, according to the court document.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"arresting_authority": "North Carolina Superior Court",
"arrest_status": "arrested and released",
"release_date": "2021-06-23",
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"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
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"equipment_seized": [
{
"quantity": 1,
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"state": {
"name": "North Carolina",
"abbreviation": "NC"
},
"updates": [
"(2022-04-01 12:32:00+00:00) NC journalist completes community service, writes apology letter"
],
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"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge",
"Equipment Search or Seizure"
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"targeted_journalists": [
"Gavin Stone (Richmond County Daily Journal)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Reporter at Atlanta crime scene assaulted by security guard",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-at-atlanta-crime-scene-assaulted-by-security-guard/",
"first_published_at": "2021-06-24T12:24:03.110874Z",
"last_published_at": "2021-06-24T12:24:03.110874Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2021-06-24T12:24:03.083842Z",
"date": "2021-06-13",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Atlanta",
"longitude": -84.38798,
"latitude": 33.749,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p>Mike Petchenik, a reporter for Atlanta’s WSB-TV, said a security guard at a local mall tried to grab his phone from his hand and assaulted him as he was reporting at the scene of a shooting on June 13, 2021.</p><p>WSB-TV <a href=\"https://www.wsbradio.com/news/local/atlanta/security-guard-shot-inside-lenox-square-mall-police-searching-gunman/HWE7XPS54BCH7DLKJAUCUIGH74/?fbclid=IwAR2UBE9bKGWrJIjx-gOdrj-0vGINfhmg3D9NucfCUvEpGYkHAPBt6ciAN9A\">reported</a> that two 15-year-olds had approached a Lenox Square Mall security guard and shot him, before fleeing to a nearby hotel where they were captured and arrested. The security guard was taken to the hospital for wounds to his chest and stomach but was recovering, <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/crime/breaking-possible-shooting-at-lenox-square-prompts-large-police-presence/BYAVTILIORGRRDJ56GYTKGCLB4/\">according to</a> The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.</p><p>Petchenik told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker he was <a href=\"https://twitter.com/MPetchenikWSB/status/1404246045236813830\">reporting about the incident</a> from off of mall property, but after he walked into the parking lot he saw someone running in his direction out of the corner of his eye.</p><p>In a clip Petchenik posted just before 10 p.m., a security guard can be seen walking toward Petchenik and grabbing his phone before the video suddenly stops.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">While shooting some video of the crime scene at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/LenoxSquare?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#LenoxSquare</a>, a security guard grabbed my phone out of my hand. <a href=\"https://t.co/4n6YktaIgR\">pic.twitter.com/4n6YktaIgR</a></p>— Mike Petchenik (@MPetchenikWSB) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/MPetchenikWSB/status/1404256253845463041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 14, 2021</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p>“You don’t know what we just witnessed out here,” the guard can be heard saying in the clip.</p><p>“I was able to wrangle my phone back from her and tell her to get her hands off of me at that point,” Petchenik said. “We were within the view and earshot of police officers but they didn’t really do anything other than tell me that I could stand there.”</p><p>Petchenik said he identified himself and was wearing a station polo shirt during the incident, but he wasn’t sure whether he had his press credentials.</p><p>In response to a comment on the video, Petchenik <a href=\"https://twitter.com/MPetchenikWSB/status/1404261043015139334\">wrote</a> on Twitter that he understood the security guard was likely frustrated because of the shooting.</p><p>“But grabbing my phone and trying to rough me up wasn’t the proper response,” Petchenik wrote. He told the Tracker he decided not to press charges or file a complaint with the security guard’s superiors.</p></div>",
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"assailant": "private security",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
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"state": {
"name": "Georgia",
"abbreviation": "GA"
},
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"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Mike Petchenik (WSB-TV)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Videographer hit with pepper ball while covering demonstration against LASD",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/videographer-hit-with-pepper-ball-while-covering-demonstration-against-lasd/",
"first_published_at": "2021-07-09T18:22:26.015020Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-06-10T20:50:41.389218Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-06-10T20:50:41.293766Z",
"date": "2021-06-12",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"1uc7c\">Videographer Vishal Singh said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officers hit him in the leg with a pepper ball while he was covering a protest against the department on June 12, 2021.</p><p data-block-key=\"re2h5\">According to<a href=\"https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2021/06/12/activists-protesting-la-county-sheriffs-department-briefly-stopped-traffic-no-arrests-were-made/\"> CBS Los Angeles</a>, the sheriff’s department had denied a permit to a group planning a protest to demand that <a href=\"https://twitter.com/VPS_Reports/status/1403961570242097158?s=20\">Sheriff Alex Villanueva</a> step down. Despite the ban, demonstrators went ahead with a march, “highlighting the many killings of LASD against the Black and Brown community — such as #DijonKizzee, a Black man who was shot and killed last year for a bicycle violation," Singh wrote on Twitter at 3:45 p.m. that day. Singh’s Twitter post accompanied a<a href=\"https://twitter.com/VPS_Reports/status/1403845911734718464\"> video</a> of a demonstrator speaking to officers on a megaphone.</p><p data-block-key=\"e4cng\">Singh, who has worked on Netflix documentaries and covers protests in Los Angeles, said that at one point, sheriff’s deputies “started pointing me out and calling my name to each other." A<a href=\"https://twitter.com/VPS_Reports/status/1403823827319066624\"> video</a> he posted shows a brief conversation Singh had with one deputy.</p><p data-block-key=\"5sy5a\">"One of them recognized me from the raid on the Black Unity autonomous protest camp last year," he wrote.</p><p data-block-key=\"u2y9x\">At 6:14 p.m., Singh <a href=\"https://twitter.com/VPS_Reports/status/1403883348708167681\">tweeted</a> that he was hit in the leg by a pepper ball. In a video accompanying the tweet, the sound of a gun firing can be heard, followed shortly by Singh cursing, but the pepper ball is not seen. Singh told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he wore a press badge while reporting, but he said the officers were "kind of shooting at everybody," and thus he did not believe he was deliberately targeted.</p><p data-block-key=\"hrfhe\">In a letter to the department's board, the ACLU of Southern California said the sheriff's denial of the protest request was "unconstitutional and suggested it was the result of bias," wrote<a href=\"https://laist.com/news/criminal-justice/sheriff-denies-permit-for-protest-against-lasd-raising-1st-amendment-concerns\"> LAist</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"ymck5\">Two weeks earlier, on May 28, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction limiting the sheriff’s department's use of projectiles and chemical agents on protests, "finding that it has indiscriminately fired them at peaceful protesters, legal observers and journalists," according to the<a href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-12/la-me-los-angeles-county-sheriff-department-preliminary-injunction-indiscriminate-force\"> Los Angeles Times</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"ktcqv\">LASD Deputy Eva Jimenez did not respond to the specifics of Singh’s case but told the Tracker that the "deployment and use of less lethal munitions is guided by strict policy and procedure, in addition to current state and federal law. Every application and use of force is thoroughly documented, investigated, and reviewed at multiple levels throughout the chain of command."</p><p data-block-key=\"xnych\">The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker is <a href=\"/blog/blm-and-unprecedented-aggressions-against-media/\"> documenting assaults, arrests and other incidents</a> involving journalists covering protests across the country.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "no",
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
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"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
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"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
"updates": [],
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"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"Black Lives Matter",
"chemical irritant",
"protest",
"shot / shot at"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Vishal Singh (Independent)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Subpoena seeking unreleased footage issued to Chicago CBS2 News reporter",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/subpoena-seeking-unreleased-footage-issued-to-chicago-cbs2-news-reporter/",
"first_published_at": "2022-05-12T16:51:28.314199Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-08-14T20:23:39.047413Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-08-14T20:23:38.949048Z",
"date": "2021-06-08",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Chicago",
"longitude": -87.65005,
"latitude": 41.85003,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"pr52c\">A subpoena seeking reporting materials was issued to CBS2 News reporter Dave Savini on June 8, 2021, in Chicago, Illinois, as part of a lawsuit brought by a mother on behalf of her son.</p><p data-block-key=\"c6lm2\"><a href=\"https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/school-beating-ruling.pdf\">According to court documents</a>, subpoenas identical to Savini’s were also served to CBS2 News’ parent company, Viacom CBS, <a href=\"/all-incidents/subpoena-seeking-unreleased-footage-issued-to-former-editor-at-cbs2-news/\">former news editor Derek Dalton</a> and a non-entity on the same date. All demanded footage from Savini’s interview with the child, who was allegedly beaten in a school bathroom with belts provided by his teacher, and the child’s relative, who is accused of the assault. Shortly after the incident, the relative answered questions from Savini after leaving a criminal court. CBS 2 aired <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUMGjihk6I8\">a segment with the interviews</a> in February 2019.</p><p data-block-key=\"194cq\">Attorneys for CBS objected to the subpoena on behalf of Savini on July 12, stating that all materials were privileged newsgathering information. Attorneys also cited federal and <a href=\"https://www.rcfp.org/privilege-compendium/illinois/#:~:text=The%20Illinois%20Reporter's%20Privilege%20Statute,either%20that%20%E2%80%9Cdisclosure%20of%20the\">state reporter’s privilege statutes</a>, saying that collecting the files would be “unduly burdensome to produce.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7s90b\">Plaintiffs in the lawsuit eventually withdrew the subpoena issued to Viacom-CBS on Oct. 21, <a href=\"/all-incidents/federal-judge-upholds-subpoena-demanding-unreleased-materials-from-chicagos-cbs2-news/\">redirecting it to CBS Broadcasting, Inc. (CBS2)</a> and reissuing the subpoena to Savini and Dalton. Lawyers to the plaintiff also agreed to narrow the scope of the subpoenas, demanding only the video and audio outtake recordings of the interviews. The current status of Savini’s subpoena is unknown but a motion to compel CBS2 to produce the footage was ultimately upheld on April 29, 2022.</p><p data-block-key=\"2br0e\">In her decision to uphold the outlet’s subpoena, United States Magistrate Judge Sheila Finnegan wrote that “there is no federal common-law reporter’s privilege applicable in this case, and CBS 2 cannot withhold the requested audio/video outtakes on this basis.” The court ordered the outlet to produce the unreleased footage by May 13, 2022.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Screen_Shot_2022-05-12_at_12.47.4.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
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"arresting_authority": null,
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"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,
"did_authorities_ask_about_work": null,
"assailant": null,
"was_journalist_targeted": null,
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": "journalist communications or work product",
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": "Federal",
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
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"state": {
"name": "Illinois",
"abbreviation": "IL"
},
"updates": [
"(2022-10-20 00:00:00+00:00) Chicago CBS station ordered to turn over raw interview footage"
],
"case_statuses": [],
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"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Subpoena/Legal Order"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Dave Savini (WBBM-TV)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": [
"unknown"
],
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Subpoena seeking unreleased footage issued to former editor at CBS2 News",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/subpoena-seeking-unreleased-footage-issued-to-former-editor-at-cbs2-news/",
"first_published_at": "2022-05-12T16:58:29.936836Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-08-13T21:23:13.430160Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-08-13T21:23:13.254676Z",
"date": "2021-06-08",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Chicago",
"longitude": -87.65005,
"latitude": 41.85003,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"mvycn\">On June 8, 2021, a subpoena seeking reporting materials was issued to Derek Dalton as part of his former role as president and general manager of CBS2 News in Chicago, Illinois.</p><p data-block-key=\"dib5q\"><a href=\"https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/school-beating-ruling.pdf\">According to court documents</a>, subpoenas identical to Dalton’s were served on the same date to CBS2 News’ parent company, Viacom CBS, <a href=\"/all-incidents/subpoena-seeking-unreleased-footage-issued-to-chicago-cbs2-news-reporter/\">reporter Dave Savini,</a> and a non-entity as part of a lawsuit brought by a mother on behalf of her son who was allegedly beaten in a school bathroom with belts provided by his teacher, and the child’s relative, who is accused of the assault. All demanded footage from an interview with the child and with the relative, who answered questions from Savini after leaving a criminal court. CBS 2 aired <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUMGjihk6I8\">a segment with the interviews</a> in February 2019.</p><p data-block-key=\"14ql3\">Plaintiffs in the lawsuit eventually withdrew the subpoena issued to Viacom-CBS on Oct. 21, <a href=\"/all-incidents/federal-judge-upholds-subpoena-demanding-unreleased-materials-from-chicagos-cbs2-news/\">redirecting it to CBS Broadcasting, Inc. (CBS2)</a> and reissuing the subpoena to Dalton and Savini. Lawyers to the plaintiff also agreed to narrow the scope of the subpoenas, demanding only the video and audio outtake recordings of the interviews.</p><p data-block-key=\"ai3d0\">In objecting to the subpoenas, attorneys for CBS claimed Dalton was not currently employed by the company and was not an employee when he was issued the subpoena. The current status of Dalton’s subpoena is unknown but a motion to compel CBS2 to produce the footage was ultimately upheld on April 29, 2022.</p><p data-block-key=\"5gcaf\">In her decision to uphold the outlet’s subpoena, United States Magistrate Judge Sheila Finnegan wrote that “there is no federal common-law reporter’s privilege applicable in this case, and CBS 2 cannot withhold the requested audio/video outtakes on this basis.” The court ordered the outlet to produce the unreleased footage by May 13, 2022.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"g412s\">A portion of the subpoena issued to the former president and general manager of CBS2 News seeking unpublished video and audio footage as part of a lawsuit against the Chicago Department of Education.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"release_date": null,
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"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
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"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,
"did_authorities_ask_about_work": null,
"assailant": null,
"was_journalist_targeted": null,
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": "journalist communications or work product",
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": "Federal",
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "Illinois",
"abbreviation": "IL"
},
"updates": [
"(2022-10-20 00:00:00+00:00) Chicago CBS station ordered to turn over raw interview footage"
],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Subpoena/Legal Order"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Derek Dalton (WBBM-TV)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": [
"unknown"
],
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Veteran reporter arrested, strip-searched in Minnesota while covering anti-pipeline protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/veteran-reporter-arrested-strip-searched-in-minnesota-while-covering-anti-pipeline-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2021-06-14T17:41:05.175712Z",
"last_published_at": "2022-09-22T15:30:32.356033Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2022-09-22T15:30:32.275661Z",
"date": "2021-06-07",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Hubbard County",
"longitude": null,
"latitude": null,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"nqaf8\">Authorities in Hubbard County, Minnesota, detained and strip-searched journalist Alan Weisman and charged him with gross misdemeanor trespassing charges, according to Weisman and County Attorney Jonathan Frieden, who both spoke with the Committee to Protect Journalists.</p><p data-block-key=\"6rfx1\">At about 5 p.m. on June 7, an officer with the local sheriff’s department in Hubbard County, Minnesota, arrested Weisman, a freelance journalist on assignment for the Los Angeles Times, while he was covering a protest against the construction of an oil pipeline, Weisman said.</p><p data-block-key=\"tgml4\">The deputies brought Weisman to the local sheriff’s department, where officers strip-searched him and confiscated his phone, voice recorder, notebooks, and prescription medications, he said. He told CPJ, a founding partner of the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, that authorities released him at about 9:30 p.m., returned his possessions, and did not inform him of any charges filed against him.</p><p data-block-key=\"7gos2\">In a phone interview, Frieden told CPJ that his office had filed<a href=\"https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/609.6055\"> gross misdemeanor trespassing charges</a> against Weisman, but said that the charges had not been formally approved by a judge as of today. He said he was not aware that Weisman was a journalist at the time his office filed the charges, but added that Minnesota state law does not provide special dispensation for journalists in such cases.</p><p data-block-key=\"frrob\">Under Minnesota law, the<a href=\"https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/609.02\"> maximum fine</a> that can be imposed for a gross misdemeanor is $3,000.</p><p data-block-key=\"hyv1w\">Law enforcement arrested about 250 people on trespassing, public nuisance, and unlawful assembly charges in relation to the protest, according to<a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-minnesota-arrests-business-1523d769d7a7e097503f4088c420065b\"> news reports</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"es4j4\">Weisman told CPJ he did not know why he was arrested. He said that he was standing in an area with other journalists and was wearing two lanyards with press credentials when a sheriff’s deputy tapped him on the shoulder and said he was under arrest.</p><p data-block-key=\"tfq48\">“It was very clear that I was a journalist,” Weisman told CPJ, saying that he had a notebook in his hand and was conducting interviews at the time. He said that the officer did not give him any warning before the arrest or issue any commands to leave the area.</p><p data-block-key=\"30vuq\">The officer placed Weisman in a sheriff’s department vehicle along with eight other people who were arrested at the protest, he said. He told CPJ he was able to call his friends and colleagues from inside the vehicle, but said officers repeatedly denied his right to a phone call once he arrived at the station.</p><p data-block-key=\"wcrqo\">He added that officers initially refused to give him his medication while in detention, but eventually did so. When Weisman asked a sheriff’s deputy why he was being released, they said that he was released so he could continue taking his medication on schedule.</p><p data-block-key=\"pz0i4\">In emails to CPJ yesterday, Cory Aukes, the Hubbard County sheriff, said that deputies would not arrest a credentialed journalist who was “obviously documenting the situation,” but said, “that wasn’t the case here.”</p><p data-block-key=\"goa3r\">Aukes said that if Weisman “was in an area that he had permission to be in, we wouldn’t arrest him.” He added that the issue of whether Weisman will face any criminal charges “is between the Hubbard County Attorney and Mr. Weisman.”</p><p data-block-key=\"pa4o6\">Weisman said that, upon his release, a local religious organization that helps newly released detainees transported him back to his rental car.</p><p data-block-key=\"vbv76\">Weisman has contributed on environmental issues and other topics to news outlets including the Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, and The New York Times, among others, and wrote The World Without Us. Weisman is under contract for his next book with Dutton/ Penguin Random House and is a senior producer and the board treasurer at Homeland Productions, an independent, nonprofit journalism collective, according to<a href=\"https://homelands.org/team/alan-weisman/\"> his biography</a> on that group’s website.</p></div>",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"bv1t0\">Law enforcement arrested nearly 250 people at an organized protest of the Line 3 pipeline in Hubbard County, Minnesota, on June 7, 2021, including journalist Alan Weisman, who was on assignment for the Los Angeles Times.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office",
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"(2021-06-14 10:52:00+00:00) Hearing scheduled for reporter charged with trespassing",
"(2021-07-13 13:13:00+00:00) Charges dropped against photojournalist"
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"tags": [
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"protest"
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"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge"
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{
"title": "Photojournalist pushed by NYPD officer, struck with baton while covering protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-pushed-by-nypd-officer-struck-with-baton-while-covering-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2021-07-15T15:05:41.193109Z",
"last_published_at": "2021-07-15T15:14:49.748164Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2021-07-15T15:14:49.713883Z",
"date": "2021-06-05",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "New York",
"longitude": -74.00597,
"latitude": 40.71427,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p>Independent photojournalist Gabe Quinones said he was assaulted by a New York City Police Department officer while covering demonstrations in Washington Square Park on June 5, 2021.</p><p>The park had been the site of both protests and street parties; Gothamist <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/citing-disorder-nypd-enforce-10-pm-curfew-washington-square-park\">reported</a> that for several months the NYPD had <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nypd-clears-washington-square-park-clubs-and-arrests-during-rare-curfew-sweep\">attempted to enforce</a> the park’s largely ignored midnight curfew.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Riot cops just cleared Washington Square Park, arresting one person because he has a speaker playing Fuck The Police, and swinging batons at a teenager. Because the park closes at midnight <a href=\"https://t.co/nrGDDEQYba\">pic.twitter.com/nrGDDEQYba</a></p>— Jake Offenhartz (@jangelooff) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/jangelooff/status/1324946178539220992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 7, 2020</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p>At the end of May, the NYPD said that officers, coordinating with the NYC Parks Department, would enforce a 10 p.m. closure of the park on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, according to Gothamist.</p><p>Quinones told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that on June 5, officers arrived well before the closure of the park and advanced on the crowds gathered there shortly before 10 p.m.</p><p>In a <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CPxxO4WjQ5R/\">post on Instagram</a>, Quinones wrote: “The officers had instructed us to stay on the sidewalk and that’s exactly where I was when I was attacked. He shoved his baton into my chest causing bruising so I told him ‘I’m press’, before I could pull out the badge he bum rushed me pinning me to a wall and shoving his baton into me further.”</p><p>At approximately 12:55 minutes into <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgVbL2qFCEw\">video footage</a> from news agency FreedomNews.TV and filmed by @scootercasterNY, an NYPD officer appears to push Quinones against a doorframe and then take a baton swipe at him as he runs away.</p><p>“After [the officer shoved] me the first time, I sort of fell backward and I instinctively reached out for anything to sort of catch myself and so I grabbed his baton,” Quinones said. “That’s when he shoved me back into the wall.”</p><p>Quinones told the Tracker the officer who struck him never spoke to him beyond telling him to get on the sidewalk, where he already was. He said he filed a complaint against the officer and was contacted by the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Office to provide his footage and answer questions about the incident.</p><p>On July 6, Quinones said officers arrived at his apartment and arrested him on charges of grand larceny, alleging that he had attempted to steal the officer’s baton during the June 5 incident. Quinones said he was held for three to four hours before being released with a hearing scheduled for July 26. The Tracker has documented <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-charged-with-grand-larceny-following-filing-assault-complaint-against-nypd-officer/\">that arrest here</a>.</p><p>The NYPD didn’t respond to emailed requests for comment.</p></div>",
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"name": "New York",
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{
"title": "Unicorn Riot journalist pushed by officer while covering protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/unicorn-riot-journalist-pushed-by-officer-while-covering-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2021-07-09T18:16:09.205260Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-06-17T18:38:35.068842Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-06-17T18:38:34.965651Z",
"date": "2021-06-03",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Minneapolis",
"longitude": -93.26384,
"latitude": 44.97997,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"pa9zk\">Niko Georgiades, a journalist with the nonprofit media outlet Unicorn Riot, says he was pushed from behind by a police officer as he was livestreaming a protest in Minneapolis on June 3.</p><p data-block-key=\"eph3t\">Just before midnight, Georgiades was covering protests held in the city’s Uptown area over the fatal shooting of <a href=\"https://www.startribune.com/protests-continue-into-night-after-fatal-uptown-shooting-minneapolis-winston-smith-police/600064603/\">Winston Boogie Smith Jr</a>. Smith, a 32-year-old Black man, was killed that day while members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force were pursuing him <a href=\"https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2021/06/04/winston-boogie-smith-32-idd-as-man-fatally-shot-by-law-enforcement-in-uptown-minneapolis/\">because he was wanted</a> on a state felony arrest warrant for firearm possession, according to media reports.</p><p data-block-key=\"foezs\">Georgiades told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: “The police were clearing protesters off of Lake St. on the first night of protests for Winston Smith.”</p><p data-block-key=\"9i9dl\">Georgiades said that as he watched police make a few arrests, he felt an officer push him from behind. The officer “then came out of the police line directly towards me and continued for about 50 feet. When he realized he was all alone, he stopped and moved back to the police line,” Georgiades said.</p><p data-block-key=\"wjhik\">The journalist said that about 15 minutes before he was pushed, another officer had approached him and struck his camera. “He pushed his hand down from the top of the camera telling me to ‘get out of here.’ I was not injured in this incident,” said Georgiades.</p><p data-block-key=\"yryrt\">Georgiades said he felt the officers were deliberately targeting media. “I had my Unicorn Riot press badge hanging around my neck and I had a large camera with lights on it and a microphone with a Unicorn Riot flag on it,” he told the Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"k6pr7\">The Citizen Reporter, a Twitter feed covering protests, streamed<a href=\"https://twitter.com/TCReporter/status/1400690150405980162?s=20\"> video</a> that night and tweeted: “@UR_Ninja’s Niko, who is credentialed press, was shoved from behind by a Minneapolis police officer on Lake St. in Uptown about 20 minutes ago. He was following orders when he was shoved.”</p><p data-block-key=\"p7jq0\">The video shows Georgiades carrying a video camera and being pushed by a police officer. The words ‘I’m media” can be heard. In a video Georgiades<a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jq5HCNqKL8&t=4625s\"> made himself</a> and posted on YouTube, there are blurred images of him being pushed by an officer who looks to be running. He can be heard to say: “I’m media. What the fuck? I’m not doing anything, I’m media.”</p><p data-block-key=\"tr865\">A Minneapolis Police Department spokesperson said: “If the journalist believes that he was mistreated or that officers violated policy, I would encourage him to reach out to the Internal Affairs Unit or the Office of Police Conduct Review Board and file a complaint.” Georgiades said he had not filed a complaint.</p><p data-block-key=\"soddk\">Wilson’s death sparked further protests in a city that has seen <a href=\"/blog/blm-and-unprecedented-aggressions-against-media/\">many such demonstrations</a> since the 2020 murder of George Floyd, a Black man who was pinned to the ground by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Chauvin was <a href=\"https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/06/01/derek-chauvin-hearing-federal-charges-george-floyds-death/7491748002/\">convicted of murder</a> in April.</p><p data-block-key=\"y6j9b\">The area also <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2021-04-11&date_upper=2021-04-16&city=Brooklyn+Center&tags=Black+Lives+Matter\">saw protests</a> in nearby Brooklyn Center after the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright, a Black man, by a white police officer on April 11.</p></div>",
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"state": {
"name": "Minnesota",
"abbreviation": "MN"
},
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"tags": [
"Black Lives Matter",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Niko Georgiades (Unicorn Riot)"
],
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{
"title": "Social media journalist shoved by police at Minneapolis protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/social-media-journalist-shoved-by-police-at-minneapolis-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2021-06-23T17:00:15.724839Z",
"last_published_at": "2022-07-29T23:23:27.427854Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2022-07-29T23:23:27.346808Z",
"date": "2021-06-03",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Minneapolis",
"longitude": -93.26384,
"latitude": 44.97997,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"eem45\">Kevin Gilman, a journalist for the Minnesota-based social media outlet Watchdog Citizen News, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was shoved by a police officer while reporting on a protest in Minneapolis that started the night of June 3, 2021.</p><p data-block-key=\"bqil3\">The demonstration in the city’s Uptown neighborhood began after officers with a U.S. Marshals task force shot and killed Winston Boogie Smith Jr., a Black man, on June 3, <a href=\"https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/06/04/unrest-erupts-after-man-dies-in-minneapolis-arrest-attempt\">Minnesota Public Radio</a> reported.</p><p data-block-key=\"tt5ji\">Gilman told the Tracker he was using his phone to record video as a police line was pushing protesters back on West Lake Street at around midnight.</p><p data-block-key=\"f7gfj\">Suddenly, Gilman said, an officer ran forward and, holding a baton with both hands, used it to shove Gilman in his left arm.</p><p data-block-key=\"u0lu1\">“All of a sudden, an officer came running out of the formation at me and cross-checked me with his baton,” Gilman said.</p><p data-block-key=\"p3zsv\">Gilman said he dropped his phone, which he was using to film, when the officer shoved him.</p><p data-block-key=\"xdi79\">Video Gilman<a href=\"https://twitter.com/kevgilman/status/1400763936056741889\"> posted on Twitter</a> shows police detaining a woman with a bicycle nearby while more officers in blue uniforms holding long sticks move up the street.</p><p data-block-key=\"g93y7\">One officer, who Gilman said was with the Minneapolis Police Department, runs toward the camera, and Gilman can be heard shouting “I’m press!”</p><p data-block-key=\"ftz8j\">Then the camera shakes and appears to fall to the ground, pointing up.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Protests erupted today in Minneapolis after another black man was killed in pursuant of a warrant by Minneapolis police. They were making unreasonable arrests with no dispersement orders and attacking press. <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/BLM?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#BLM</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/DefundThePolice?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#DefundThePolice</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/JournalismIsNotCrime?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#JournalismIsNotCrime</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/HXx4PG2eps\">pic.twitter.com/HXx4PG2eps</a></p>— KG (@kevgilman) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/kevgilman/status/1400763936056741889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 4, 2021</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"1dxlo\">Gilman told the Tracker he had a large bruise on his left arm where the officer’s baton struck him. He said his phone’s screen had minor scratches, though it was still operable and he didn’t need to get it repaired.</p><p data-block-key=\"4hkvb\">In addition to shouting to identify himself as a journalist, Gilman said he was wearing a vest marked “PRESS” and displaying press credentials made by Watchdog Citizen News.</p><p data-block-key=\"f2j0b\">Gilman said he believed he was targeted because he was a journalist. “He went out of his way to go after me,” he said of the officer who shoved him.</p><p data-block-key=\"dszbf\">A Minneapolis Police Department spokesperson said the journalist could file a complaint if they feel they have been treated improperly by a member of the department. Gilman said he does not plan to file a complaint.</p></div>",
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{
"title": "Apparent ransomware attack forces local Cox TV stations offline in 3 states",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/apparent-ransomware-attack-forces-local-tv-stations-offline-in-florida-north-carolina-and-pennsylvania/",
"first_published_at": "2021-06-23T16:25:10.270100Z",
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"date": "2021-06-02",
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"city": "Atlanta",
"longitude": -84.38798,
"latitude": 33.749,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"pat2h\">TV and radio stations owned by the Cox Media Group were forced offline by what was believed to be a ransomware attack starting on June 2, 2021, according to several media reports.</p><p data-block-key=\"t308f\">The attack affected ABC affiliates WFTV in Orlando, Florida, and WSOC in Charlotte, North Carolina, as well as NBC affiliate WPXI in Pittsburgh, according to an <a href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/tv-news-stations-become-apparent-target-next-cyberattack-n1269662?utm_source=Pew+Research+Center&utm_campaign=49ba807488-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_06_07_01_28&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3e953b9b70-49ba807488-400968910\">NBC report</a>. NBC’s June 4 report said the stations had been able to produce some broadcasts for their local audiences.</p><p data-block-key=\"8jkrl\">The three stations are part of the <a href=\"https://www.coxmediagroup.com/\">Cox Media Group</a>, which owns more than 100 news outlets in 20 media markets. Radio stations owned by Cox were also affected by the apparent attack, a report from <a href=\"http://www.insideradio.com/free/cox-media-group-stations-still-offline-a-day-after-apparent-malware-attack/article_7c619380-c506-11eb-9b7b-4f6576d00aa0.html\">Inside Radio</a> said. It found most news radio stations were back on air on June 4, but not the music stations.</p><p data-block-key=\"wsavs\">In ransomware attacks an outside individual or group of hackers takes control of a company’s IT and digital services, and then demands ransom money from the company to “release” them.</p><p data-block-key=\"0iwis\">"We are only able to communicate with each other over personal phones and text messages," a WFTV employee told NBC.</p><p data-block-key=\"b0hag\">"They wouldn't let us say anything on social media about why we weren't on the air," <a href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/tv-news-stations-become-apparent-target-next-cyberattack-n1269662?utm_source=Pew+Research+Center&utm_campaign=49ba807488-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_06_07_01_28&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3e953b9b70-49ba807488-400968910\">a WFTV employee told NBC</a>. "We feel a need to let our viewers know."</p><p data-block-key=\"xt8qv\">In Pittsburgh, the IT network staff began shutting down company servers as a precaution on June 3, an employee told NBC. "Since then we've been locked out," leaving staff unable to access emails and internal programs used for their broadcasts, the employee <a href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/tv-news-stations-become-apparent-target-next-cyberattack-n1269662?utm_source=Pew+Research+Center&utm_campaign=49ba807488-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_06_07_01_28&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3e953b9b70-49ba807488-400968910\">told NBC</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"n6n0q\">The attack meant some systems were still down the following week, including access to some stations’ digital video libraries, according to media reports. Weather computers were also not working for at least two stations, <a href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/09/politics/cox-media-group-cyberattack/index.html\">said CNN sources</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"b7tgw\">Some <a href=\"https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/09/politics/cox-media-group-cyberattack/index.html\">reports said</a> that journalists were told not to open emails on their phones, and that broadcast software was not working.</p><p data-block-key=\"19jng\">Inside Radio reported that two weeks after the attack, Cox music stations were still not back to full service.</p><p data-block-key=\"i1wod\">It said<b>: “</b>More than a dozen CMG music stations found ... are still offline as the company enters a third week since the hack. Major music brands – like hip-hop/R&B “99 Jamz” WEDR Miami, AC “B98.5’ WSB-FM Atlanta, country “93Q” KKBQ Houston, CHR “The Big Ape” WAPE Jacksonville, soft AC “105.5 The Dove” WDUV Tampa and scores more – are playing this message when listeners attempt to access their stream: ‘This stream is currently unavailable and we are working diligently to bring it back online. Our radio stations continue to broadcast 24/7 and you can listen to us over the air. Thanks for your patience.’”</p><p data-block-key=\"4dqfs\">The Cox Media Group has not confirmed any information about the attack, and it did not respond to a request for a comment from the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p></div>",
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"state": {
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{
"title": "Independent journalist assaulted while covering Portland protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/independent-journalist-assaulted-while-covering-portland-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2021-06-15T16:27:47.567829Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-08-31T20:57:50.251705Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-08-31T20:57:50.138363Z",
"date": "2021-05-28",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Portland",
"longitude": -122.67621,
"latitude": 45.52345,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"p42q4\">Andy Ngo, who identifies as an independent journalist and photographer and is an editor-at-large for the conservative news site The Post Millennial, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker he was assaulted while observing a protest in Portland, Oregon, on May 28, 2021.</p><p data-block-key=\"ls1y2\">Ngo is an out-spoken critic of antifa and has covered antifa demonstrations and protests since 2016, primarily publishing the videos taken on his GoPro to Twitter and YouTube. Ngo told the Tracker he does not wear press identification or badges while covering protests, and on the day of the assault was deliberately wearing clothing and ski goggles that would obscure his identity, citing his infamy in Portland’s “antifa community.”</p><p data-block-key=\"a5mzh\">Protesters had gathered in front of the Multnomah County Justice Center in downtown Portland on May 28 shortly before 9 p.m. to mark the one-year anniversary of racial justice protests in Portland, The Oregonian <a href=\"https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2021/05/on-the-1-year-anniversary-of-portland-protests-crowd-gathers-to-memorialize-george-floyd.html\">reported</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"28jtg\">Shortly before midnight, Ngo said, an individual at the demonstration approached him and began asking him questions. When he did not respond and walked approximately a block away, Ngo said, multiple others again approached and questioned him, including asking why he looked so nervous. One of the individuals then pulled off his goggles and mask, revealing his identity.</p><p data-block-key=\"o2w70\">Ngo said he attempted to leave, but some of the individuals chased him, knocked him to the ground and punched him repeatedly. Ngo said he then took refuge in The Nines, a nearby hotel. The crowd attempted to follow Ngo into the hotel, Willamette Week <a href=\"https://www.wweek.com/news/2021/05/29/portland-protesters-chase-tackle-and-punch-someone-they-believe-to-be-andy-ngo-until-he-hides-in-the-nines-hotel/\">reported</a>, and pulled on the front doors shouting, “You wanna kill us? You wanna kill us, Andy?”</p><p data-block-key=\"edrgk\">In his statement on Twitter, Ngo wrote, “No journalist in America should ever face violence for doing his or her job. Yet on Friday, May 28, Antifa tried to kill me again while I was reporting on the ongoing protests and riots in Portland, Ore. for a new chapter of my book.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3w0kz\">Ngo wrote that a medic from Portland Fire and Rescue escorted him through a back entrance of the hotel to an ambulance. He was then taken to a hospital, where he was treated for multiple injuries; Ngo told the Tracker he received injuries to his left leg, right hand, hip and a burst blood vessel in his eye. Ngo said he has a follow up appointment to check whether a bone in his wrist was fractured. He said he filed a police report about the incident.</p><p data-block-key=\"1ci0b\">The Portland Police Bureau told the Tracker via email that the department does not release information about crime victims, and did not respond to a request for an update on the status of the case.</p><p data-block-key=\"f2otn\">A 2019 <a href=\"https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/7/3/20677645/antifa-portland-andy-ngo-proud-boys\">Vox explainer article</a> outlines the history between Ngo, The Proud Boys and antifa, and how Ngo is considered by some to be more of a provocateur than journalist. Ngo has faced <a href=\"https://www.wweek.com/news/2020/09/16/portland-protesters-say-their-lives-were-upended-by-the-posting-of-their-mug-shots-on-a-conservative-twitter-account/\">significant criticism</a> from activists over the past year, who say that his coverage — particularly his posting of the arrestees’ mugshots to Twitter — spurs death threats and harassment.</p><p data-block-key=\"gxod8\">For the purposes of the Tracker, Ngo identifies as a journalist, has a track record of publication and said he was in the process of documenting a public event when he was attacked. For more about how the Tracker counts incidents, see our <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/frequently-asked-questions/\">frequently asked questions</a> page.</p></div>",
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"case_number": "20CV19618",
"case_type": "CIVIL",
"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
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"denial_of_entry": false,
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"assailant": "private individual",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
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"equipment_seized": [],
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"state": {
"name": "Oregon",
"abbreviation": "OR"
},
"updates": [
"(2023-08-21 16:34:00+00:00) Writer awarded $300,000 in lawsuit alleging assault, intimidation campaign"
],
"case_statuses": [
"settled"
],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"Black Lives Matter",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Andy Ngo (Independent)"
],
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},
{
"title": "AP reporter subpoenaed for second time in Idaho criminal case",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/ap-reporter-subpoenaed-for-second-time-in-idaho-criminal-case/",
"first_published_at": "2021-07-08T16:43:22.089841Z",
"last_published_at": "2022-04-06T15:01:08.435549Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2022-04-06T15:01:08.379599Z",
"date": "2021-05-27",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Boise",
"longitude": -116.20345,
"latitude": 43.6135,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"kbvxn\">Associated Press reporter Keith Ridler was subpoenaed on May 27, 2021, by anti-government activist Ammon Bundy, who was seeking Ridler’s reporting materials and testimony in a criminal case against Bundy in Idaho, according to an AP spokesperson. A judge quashed the subpoena.</p><p data-block-key=\"9ulj6\">The subpoena was filed two months after Ada County Magistrate Judge David Manweiler <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/judge-quashes-subpoena-of-ap-reporter-in-idaho-criminal-case/\">quashed a previous similar subpoena</a> from Bundy.</p><p data-block-key=\"7uudk\">Bundy sought the information in a criminal case against him stemming from protests he led against COVID-19 measures at the Idaho Statehouse<a href=\"https://eu.theledger.com/story/news/2020/08/26/bundy-arrested-idaho-statehouse-second-time-2-days/5636205002/\"> in August</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"xkfcg\">Ridler reported on and photographed Bundy’s arrests, according to the AP. The journalist was one of several people Bundy subpoenaed who were at the Statehouse at the time.</p><p data-block-key=\"xjuif\">Bundy was set to go to trial in March, but the case was delayed when he <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/trials-coronavirus-pandemic-ammon-bundy-arrests-covid-19-pandemic-63916b8a4ee046aa84cdcf5f38976ede\">missed his trial, and was subsequently arrested</a>, for refusing to comply with court rules to wear a mask due to COVID-19 precautions.</p><p data-block-key=\"ulrx9\">At that time, Manweiler sided with the AP, quashing Bundy’s subpoena for Ridler’s testimony and reporting materials, the <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/trials-coronavirus-pandemic-ammon-bundy-arrests-covid-19-pandemic-63916b8a4ee046aa84cdcf5f38976ede\">AP reported</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"yfka0\">Bundy again filed a subpoena for Ridler’s testimony and reporting materials in late May. The news organization filed a motion to quash on June 8, according to an AP spokesperson. The spokesperson confirmed that the judge quashed the subpoena.</p><p data-block-key=\"fmwrl\">On July 1, Bundy was <a href=\"https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2021/07/ammon-bundy-convicted-in-idaho-trespassing-trial.html\">found guilty of trespassing</a>. A spokesperson for the AP declined further comment. The Tracker was not able to reach Bundy for comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"arresting_authority": null,
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"assailant": null,
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"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": "journalist communications or work product",
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"legal_order_venue": "State",
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"links": [],
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"state": {
"name": "Idaho",
"abbreviation": "ID"
},
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"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"coronavirus"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Subpoena/Legal Order"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Keith Ridler (The Associated Press)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": [
"quashed"
],
"type_of_denial": null
},
{
"title": "Individuals steal photojournalist’s camera drone ahead of George Floyd anniversary demonstrations",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/individuals-steal-photojournalists-camera-drone-ahead-of-george-floyd-anniversary-demonstrations/",
"first_published_at": "2021-05-25T19:00:57.097618Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-06-14T19:25:49.671046Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-06-14T19:25:49.567118Z",
"date": "2021-05-25",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Minneapolis",
"longitude": -93.26384,
"latitude": 44.97997,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"s1oa1\">Minneapolis Star Tribune photojournalist Mark Vancleave said he was threatened and his camera drone was stolen May 25, 2021, as he covered demonstrations in Minneapolis, Minnesota, marking the first anniversary of the police killing of George Floyd.</p><p data-block-key=\"vfzqg\">The death of Floyd, a Black man, sparked months of demonstrations across the country demanding justice and reform of police departments. On April 20, a jury found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of second and third degree murder and second degree manslaughter in Floyd’s death.</p><p data-block-key=\"oa1hm\">Vancleave told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that shortly after 7 a.m. on the 25th he arrived at East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, the intersection where Floyd was killed and which has been turned into a memorial site, to capture some aerial footage ahead of planned demonstrations in the afternoon.</p><p data-block-key=\"x11d2\">“I flew [the drone] around for maybe 10 minutes or so,” Vancleave said, noting that very few people were in the area at that point. Then, said Vancleave, he returned to where his car was parked, about half a block away, so that he could land the drone and change its batteries and camera lens.</p><p data-block-key=\"tq131\">Immediately after he landed the drone, Vancleave said, a man approached him and began asking about the drone.</p><p data-block-key=\"j79gi\">“Two other dudes walked up behind him and immediately got in my face, saying ‘Who are you? What are you doing here?’” Vancleave said. “They started demanding that I show them the video that I had taken.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3px0a\">Vancleave said they also asked him to show his press credentials and driver’s license.</p><p data-block-key=\"mede3\">“They said they were ‘security.’ And then the first guy who came over just grabbed my drone and started walking away,” Vancleave said.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Had my drone taken by three dudes working “security” about a block from 38th and Chicago this morning. Was threatened and told never to come back to George Floyd Square.</p>— Mark Vancleave (@MDVancleave) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/MDVancleave/status/1397177403147948032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 25, 2021</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"z755m\">Ultimately, Vancleave said, the men took his DJI Inspire 2 drone, threatened him and told him never to return to the area, which has been dubbed George Floyd Square. Vancleave estimated that the equipment, which belongs to the Star Tribune, is valued at approximately $5,000.</p><p data-block-key=\"fvs1g\">“One of the reasons I was there so early is I wanted to be as unobtrusive as possible. As a Minneapolis resident I understand how annoying flying things can be over residential areas, I experienced it over the past year,” Vancleave said. “This was not me being belligerent, ignoring community members. This was guys running up, taking my drone, threatening me and running off.”</p><p data-block-key=\"0tsds\">Vancleave was <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-struck-with-crowd-control-munition-during-brooklyn-center-protest/\">struck in the hand with a rubber bullet</a> in nearby Brooklyn Center on April 12, where demonstrators had gathered to demand justice in the killing of Daunte Wright, a Black man, who was fatally shot by a white police officer. Because of the resulting injury to his hand, Vancleave <a href=\"https://twitter.com/MDVancleave/status/1397180193345785861\">tweeted</a> that using the drone was his only means of covering the demonstrations.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It’s very frustrating. I still can’t bend my finger well enough to grip a camera, so this was my way of making pictures.</p>— Mark Vancleave (@MDVancleave) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/MDVancleave/status/1397180193345785861?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 25, 2021</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"7k1qw\">The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker documents incidents of journalists being assaulted, arrested, struck by crowd-control ammunition or tear gas, or who had their equipment damaged in the course of reporting. Find all incidents related to Black Lives Matter and anti-police-brutality protests <a href=\"/blog/blm-and-unprecedented-aggressions-against-media/\">here</a>.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": "private individual",
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"assailant": "private individual",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
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"links": [],
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{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "camera"
}
],
"state": {
"name": "Minnesota",
"abbreviation": "MN"
},
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"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
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"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"Black Lives Matter",
"protest",
"robbery"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault",
"Equipment Damage"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Mark Vancleave (Minneapolis Star Tribune)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": [],
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "U.S. immigration officials detain Honduran journalist after she requests asylum in Georgia",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/us-immigration-officials-detain-honduran-journalist-after-she-requests-asylum-in-georgia/",
"first_published_at": "2021-07-09T19:02:44.153110Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-04-03T13:45:22.092360Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-04-03T13:45:21.963340Z",
"date": "2021-05-23",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Atlanta",
"longitude": -84.38798,
"latitude": 33.749,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"uxkgo\">Honduran journalist Thirzia Galeas was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement when she requested asylum at the airport in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 23, 2021, according to<a href=\"http://www.clibrehonduras.com/index.php/portada-alertas/1368-en-centro-de-detencion-y-sin-medicamentos-se-encuentra-periodista-y-ddhh-hondurena-que-solicita-asilo-politico-en-usa\"> the Committee for Free Expression in Honduras (C-Libre).</a></p><p data-block-key=\"bkjqr\">Galeas is a journalist and human rights activist who worked with C-Libre, a Honduran free expression organization that supports independent journalists. She has also reported in Honduras for the digital news outlet Conexihon.hn and Reporteros de Investigación.</p><p data-block-key=\"l3fqs\">In a written statement, Galeas told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that her life was threatened in December 2020 when C-Libre employees were summoned for a security training. Galeas’ statement was translated from Spanish by Dagmar Thiel of Fundamedios, a partner of the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"vntr4\">The man who was leading the training identified himself as a government employee who worked in the Public Prosecutor’s Office and in government intelligence, Galeas said. She said he gave his name as Lester Obando.</p><p data-block-key=\"wona1\">Galeas said that Obando threatened her, telling her that there was a price on her head. She said she asked him why, and he told her it was because she knew a lot of information.</p><p data-block-key=\"86p0b\">Obando told her that she had been under surveillance for a while, and told her details of what she did when she was on a recent assignment for C-Libre bringing aid to journalists in the city of San Pedro Sula who had been impacted by storms.</p><p data-block-key=\"l21da\">Galeas said several other incidents also had raised her concerns. In November 2020, the month before the man threatened Galeas, two other journalists who worked with C-Libre were detained and beaten by members of the Honduran National Police, the <a href=\"http://www.clibrehonduras.com/index.php/alertas/detencion-arbitraria/1275-periodistas-de-c-libre-detenidos-ilegalmente-y-torturados-por-la-policia-nacional\">organization reported</a>. When the other journalists working for the organization were standing outside of the police building, a person in a military uniform took a photo of the group, according to Galeas.</p><p data-block-key=\"8e1wy\">According to Galeas, Obando indicated that the journalists were detained in order to “disappear” them, or kill them. However, the two journalists were released.</p><p data-block-key=\"ssue9\">In February 2021, Galeas said there was an assassination attempt on a member of C-Libre, which prompted several C-Libre colleagues to express concerns about their safety to the Committee of Relatives of the Detained and Disappeared of Honduras. Galeas said that was the first time she said that she was afraid.</p><p data-block-key=\"yvg6t\">According to C-Libre, Galeas had faced harassment in Honduras since 2011. In that year, the organization said, she was assaulted by the country’s Presidential Honor Guard as the group arrived at a protest against the murders of journalists in the country. The international press freedom group <a href=\"https://ifex.org/members-of-presidential-guard-police-suppress-journalists-protest-two-members-of-c-libre-assaulted/\">IFEX reported</a> at that time that Galeas, who was there to observe events, was punched in the face by a soldier.</p><p data-block-key=\"p6mtl\">According to <a href=\"http://www.fundamedios.us/ice-detained-a-honduran-journalist-who-fled-violence/\">Fundamedios</a>, Galeas entered the United States on a tourist visa and requested asylum because of persecution. She said many journalists have been killed in Honduras.</p><p data-block-key=\"qvyjo\">“I left Honduras for fear of being murdered, of being one more victim,” Galeas wrote in a statement.</p><p data-block-key=\"n22sz\">The Committee to Protect Journalists, a founding partner of the Tracker, has documented <a href=\"https://cpj.org/data/killed/?status=Killed&motiveConfirmed%5B%5D=Confirmed&type%5B%5D=Journalist&cc_fips%5B%5D=HO&start_year=1992&end_year=2021&group_by=year\">eight journalists in Honduras killed</a> due to their work since 1992. <a href=\"https://rsf.org/es/noticias/asesinato-de-periodista-en-honduras-hay-que-detener-la-espiral-de-violencia\">According to C-Libre</a>, 87 journalists have been killed in the country over the last two decades.</p><p data-block-key=\"1we0e\">Galeas was detained in the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, for 18 days, <a href=\"http://www.fundamedios.us/incidentes/honduran-journalist-thirzia-galeas-waits-for-a-hearing-to-apply-for-asylum-in-the-united-states/\">according to Fundamedios</a>. Her brother told C-Libre that she was held with about 30 other detainees, some of whom were infected with COVID-19.</p><p data-block-key=\"9cil9\">Galeas has been released and is awaiting a hearing on her asylum request, she told the Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"p5kp0\">ICE did not reply to a request for comment.</p></div>",
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"state": {
"name": "Georgia",
"abbreviation": "GA"
},
"updates": [],
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"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"ICE"
],
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"categories": [
"Other Incident"
],
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"Thirzia Galeas (Independent)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Videographer hit with crowd-control munitions while covering viral TikTok gathering",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/videographer-hit-with-crowd-control-munitions-while-covering-viral-tiktok-gathering/",
"first_published_at": "2021-07-09T17:06:41.401825Z",
"last_published_at": "2022-03-10T20:04:58.099266Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2022-03-10T20:04:58.044404Z",
"date": "2021-05-22",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Huntington Beach",
"longitude": -117.99923,
"latitude": 33.6603,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"oeq1o\">Police hit independent videographer Sean Beckner-Carmitchel with crowd-control munitions while he was covering an event that went viral on social media and gathered large crowds in Huntington Beach, California, on May 22, 2021.</p><p data-block-key=\"ubvlt\">According to<a href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/viral-tiktok-kickback-beach-parties-broken-california-police-after-huge-n1268266\"> NBC News</a>, the event, promoted as "Adrian's Kickback," began with a TikTok post from user adrian.lopez517 that invited people to "pop out n celebrate my bday." NBC reported that at least 2,500 people responded the night of May 22, gathering in streets and sidewalks in Huntington Beach and eventually drawing police, who declared an unlawful assembly <a href=\"https://twitter.com/HBPD_PIO/status/1396353566550290434\">"due to unruly crowds."</a> The NBC report said police arrested nearly 150 people for vandalism, setting off fireworks, failure to disperse and curfew violations. Police<a href=\"https://twitter.com/HBPD_PIO/status/1396353566550290434?s=20\"> tweeted</a> that an emergency curfew was in effect from 11:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.</p><p data-block-key=\"q92sa\">Beckner-Carmitchel<a href=\"https://twitter.com/ACatWithNews/status/1396318743056187393\"> tweeted</a> at 9:15 p.m. that he was in Huntington Beach and reporting on Adrian's Kickback. Two hours later, he<a href=\"https://twitter.com/ACatWithNews/status/1396353015150383108\"> tweeted a video</a> of people running along the sidewalk, while police roamed the streets. His tweet said police had fired crowd-control pepper munitions, “enough to where the air is causing people to cough.”</p><p data-block-key=\"jd976\">"Police dropped some pepper bullets. Firework thrown at police," he wrote in another<a href=\"https://twitter.com/ACatWithNews/status/1396358596552626177\"> tweet</a> at 11:53 p.m. "I was just hit by less lethal munitions."</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Police dropped some pepper bullets. Firework thrown at police. I was just hit by less lethal munitions in bio and… back of head. <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/adrianskickback?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#adrianskickback</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/hlwpk1Ah1Z\">pic.twitter.com/hlwpk1Ah1Z</a></p>— Sean Carmitchel (@ACatWithNews) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/ACatWithNews/status/1396358596552626177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 23, 2021</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"mgvyl\">Beckner-Carmitchel told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker he wore National Press Photographers Association credentials around his neck and was near Walnut Ave and 3rd Street when he sustained "very intense bruising on the right hip, as well as a laceration on the back of the head."</p><p data-block-key=\"uone3\">"My hip hurts right now but I can’t get to my car so I guess I’ll be covering for the rest of the night," he wrote in another<a href=\"https://twitter.com/ACatWithNews/status/1396358612071579650\"> tweet</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"0fx8i\">Huntington Beach police issued a<a href=\"https://twitter.com/HBPD_PIO/status/1397369485070258180/photo/2\"> press release</a> stating that "Chief Julian Harvey will be meeting with representatives from various social media platforms, including TikTok, to discuss the events that transpired to...minimize the potential for incidents such as this to happen again in the future."</p><p data-block-key=\"20kyw\">Public information officer Jennifer Carey told the Tracker she had no additional comment.</p></div>",
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"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "no",
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"links": [],
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"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
"updates": [],
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"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"shot / shot at"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Sean Beckner-Carmitchel (Independent)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": [],
"type_of_denial": null
},
{
"title": "Iowa judge seizes memory card from student photojournalist for violating court rules during murder trial",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/iowa-judge-seizes-memory-card-from-student-photojournalist-for-violating-court-rules-during-murder-trial/",
"first_published_at": "2021-06-24T15:12:32.905944Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-10-11T15:42:15.482856Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-10-11T15:42:15.370282Z",
"date": "2021-05-21",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Davenport",
"longitude": -90.57764,
"latitude": 41.52364,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"w5b4b\">A district court judge seized a memory card from a photojournalist for The Daily Iowan, the University of Iowa student newspaper, after she photographed jurors in a Davenport, Iowa, murder trial, in violation of court rules, on May 21, 2021, <a href=\"https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-aud-nw-mollie-tibbetts-iowa-student-trial-20210521-5s7o545bnneezd7ebvcictnu2m-story.html\">The Associated Press reported</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"b31mb\">The photojournalist, whom the judge asked media not to identify, took pictures of jurors as they were being shown photographs of the body of a slain woman during the murder trial of Cristhian Bahena Rivera, according to<a href=\"https://eu.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2021/05/21/mollie-tibbetts-case-judge-threatens-photographer-with-jail-photographs-jurors/5203675001/\"> The Des Moines Register</a>. The Daily Iowan acknowledged in an <a href=\"https://dailyiowan.com/2021/05/22/rivera-trial-blood-found-in-bahena-riveras-car-matches-dna-of-mollie-tibbetts/\">editor’s note</a> that its photographer had been removed from the courtroom because of “photographs involving jurors.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3iwu5\">The Register reported that as the jury was dismissed for a lunch break, one juror brought the photographer to the attention of Judge Joel Yates. After clearing the room of everyone but the photographer and an AP pool reporter, Yates asked the photographer, “What were you thinking?”</p><p data-block-key=\"2ig5a\">According to the Register, the photographer said that her editor told her it was OK to take pictures of the jury, and she was not aware of court rules that prohibit covering jurors.</p><p data-block-key=\"0gqs9\">The photographer deleted the photos from the camera in front of Yates, according to the Register. Yates then took the photographer’s memory card, which he said he believed would make sure no photographs of the jurors would be published, the Register reported.</p><p data-block-key=\"13xhe\">The judge then told the journalist to go home, according to the Register. The paper reported that Yates said she was a young journalist who made a mistake and that the judge asked other members of the media not to identify the journalist because he didn’t want the incident to damage her career.</p><p data-block-key=\"fr1gv\">Multiple requests from the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker for comment from The Daily Iowan were not answered. The publication acknowledged the incident in an editor’s note at the end of a<a href=\"https://dailyiowan.com/2021/05/22/rivera-trial-blood-found-in-bahena-riveras-car-matches-dna-of-mollie-tibbetts/\"> May 22 article</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"acu8q\">“The DI [Daily Iowan] recognizes the gravity of the mistake and regrets the error,” the note reads. “The DI has been allowed to and will continue to report on trial proceedings. Judge Joel Yates said during proceedings that it was an honest mistake made by a young photographer, and no further action was taken against the photographer.”</p><p data-block-key=\"xg5jh\">Steve Davis, spokesperson for the Iowa judicial branch, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that the photographer violated Iowa Court Rules by taking photographs of the jury.</p><p data-block-key=\"2smpg\"><a href=\"https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/ACO/CourtRulesChapter/05-31-2021.25.pdf\">Chapter 25 of the rules</a> bars media from covering jurors, except when they are returning a verdict or unless it is unavoidable in covering other proceedings in the courtroom. Media rules specifically set for the Bahena Rivera trial state that media coverage of jurors is prohibited, according to a<a href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20785752-rivera-expanded-media-rules\"> court document posted online by the Register</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"d8mda\">The Tracker documents all instances when journalists’ equipment is seized in the course of their work.</p><p data-block-key=\"bkev9\">Sarah Matthews, senior staff attorney for the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press and a member of the Tracker’s advisory committee, said that rules for photography vary between different courts, and can even vary from one trial to another.</p><p data-block-key=\"rvanh\">“Before reporters go into courts and start taking pictures, they need to be aware that they need to educate themselves and what their rules are for that particular court,” she said.</p><p data-block-key=\"v4097\">Courts have significant discretion for setting rules for media coverage, and for how those rules are enforced, according to Matthews.</p><p data-block-key=\"gndkk\">Matthews said that the judge’s confiscation of the journalist’s memory card was “troubling” — particularly if there were other photographs on the card besides the ones involving jurors.</p><p data-block-key=\"i2lmi\">“There's any, any number of ways that the judge could have handled it and typically they have a lot of discretion in that area as to how to handle violations of their orders,” she said.</p><p data-block-key=\"y622v\">One possibility would be for a judge to just give the photographer a warning, Matthews said, though another judge might have taken a harsher approach by holding the journalist in contempt of court. Matthews said the journalist should have had a hearing in order to have an opportunity to object to the judge taking the equipment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "storage device"
}
],
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"state": {
"name": "Iowa",
"abbreviation": "IA"
},
"updates": [],
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"tags": [],
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"categories": [
"Equipment Search or Seizure"
],
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"Unidentified photojournalist 12 (The Daily Iowan)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Spokesman-Review editor subpoenaed for information about agreement with Spokane sheriff",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/spokesman-review-editor-subpoenaed-for-information-about-agreement-with-spokane-sheriff/",
"first_published_at": "2023-01-26T20:31:05.017028Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-08-13T15:15:42.009391Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-08-13T15:15:41.902475Z",
"date": "2021-05-21",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Spokane",
"longitude": -117.42908,
"latitude": 47.65966,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"81fxp\">A Washington state Court of Appeals ruled on Jan. 10, 2023, that the state’s shield law protected a Spokesman-Review editor and the outlet from complying with subpoenas seeking testimony and documents as part of a defamation lawsuit. However, the 3-member panel ruled that some information sought from Executive Editor Rob Curley was not protected by reporter’s privilege.</p><p data-block-key=\"6jiqo\">The decision stemmed from a 2019 lawsuit filed by a Spokane sheriff’s deputy who was found to be <a href=\"https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/dec/23/spokane-county-jury-awards-195-million-to-former-s/\">wrongfully terminated</a> after an internal investigation accused him of using a racial slur and harassment while on duty.</p><p data-block-key=\"5mil6\">The Spokesman-Review was <a href=\"https://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/384446_pub.pdf\">first subpoenaed</a> on Nov. 25, 2019 for testimony and documents connected to an arrangement between the outlet and the Spokane sheriff’s office to delay coverage of the internal investigation until it was completed. In 2021, the sheriff testified in a deposition about the agreement, naming Executive Editor Curley. The Tracker documented the newspaper’s <a href=\"/all-incidents/spokesman-review-subpoenaed-in-defamation-lawsuit/\">November 2019 subpoena here</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"d9ie7\">According <a href=\"https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2023/jan/11/the-spokesman-review-protected-from-most-of-subpoe/\">to The Spokesman-Review</a>, Curley was subpoenaed on May 21, 2021 for testimony and documents related to the agreement. In June 2021, the outlet filed a motion to quash the subpoenas and for a protective order to prevent any violation of the state’s shield law and protect the newspaper’s First Amendment rights. The trial court partially granted the protective order in September, limiting who would need to respond to the subpoenas while allowing the request for documents and deposition of Curley. The newspaper filed for an emergency stay, or suspension, of the motion, and in November, the Appeals Court agreed to the review.</p><p data-block-key=\"b45pk\">In their 2023 decision to <a href=\"https://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/384446_pub.pdf\">uphold the lower court’s</a> partial granting and partial denial of the subpoenas, the three appellate judges wrote that state law protected Curley and the outlet from revealing privileged conversations and documents around any agreements. The court agreed, however, that the dates and times of any agreements made between Curley and the sheriff’s office were not protected by shield law. The ruling did not specify a date for providing information about the agreements.</p><p data-block-key=\"bohh9\">Spokesman-Review Attorney Casey Bruner told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker in an emailed statement that the newspaper was satisfied with the court’s ruling.</p><p data-block-key=\"76r8m\">Bruner wrote that the decision protected and clarified the state shield law. “We believe the decision is beneficial not just to the Spokesman-Review but to all reporters in the state and is a step in the right direction for protecting the freedom of the press.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"ei3fz\">A portion of the subpoena issued to The Spokesman-Review Executive Editor Rob Curley, on May 21, 2021, seeking testimony and documents during a defamation lawsuit in Spokane, Washington.</p>",
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"state": {
"name": "Washington",
"abbreviation": "WA"
},
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"categories": [
"Subpoena/Legal Order"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Rob Curley (The Spokesman-Review)"
],
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"quashed",
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],
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},
{
"title": "Roanoke-based broadcaster subpoenaed in ongoing defamation suit from ‘Unite the Right’ rally",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/roanoke-based-broadcaster-subpoenaed-in-ongoing-defamation-suit-from-unite-the-right-rally/",
"first_published_at": "2021-08-02T16:52:23.103169Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-07-05T17:56:03.143605Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-07-05T17:56:03.031834Z",
"date": "2021-05-20",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Charlottesville",
"longitude": -78.47668,
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"o5tzt\">NBC-affiliate WSLS 10 News was among multiple media outlets and journalists subpoenaed on May 20, 2021, for testimony in an ongoing lawsuit stemming from the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017.</p><p data-block-key=\"xm3ai\">Hundreds of white nationalists who had flocked to Charlottesville to protest plans to remove a Confederate statue were met by crowds of counterprotesters, Time Magazine <a href=\"https://time.com/charlottesville-white-nationalist-rally-clashes/\">reported in 2017</a>, and the resulting violence led Virginia's governor to declare a state of emergency.</p><p data-block-key=\"0wcya\">Plaintiff Brennan Gilmore alleged that after witnessing and filming the vehicular murder of anti-racism protester Heather Heyer during the Aug. 12 rally, he was subjected to a series of false articles and conspiracy theories and received numerous death threats against him and his family, The Daily Progress <a href=\"https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/judge-denies-attempts-from-rally-lawsuit-defendant-to-subpoena-reporters/article_04e2b72c-e99f-11eb-8de8-9bcf70b2ba5c.html\">reported</a>. He filed a defamation lawsuit against multiple defendants 一 including Jim Hoft of The Gateway Pundit, Alex Jones and his website InfoWars 一 in March 2018.</p><p data-block-key=\"57ml4\">Hoft, as part of his defense, alleged that coverage of the rally was skewed by a vast conspiracy involving the press and government actors; he issued numerous subpoenas to non-party individuals and government and law enforcement agencies in an apparent effort to uncover the supposed conspiracy.</p><p data-block-key=\"feyuv\">WSLS, which didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment, was issued a 19-page subpoena on May 20, 2021, ordering it to provide deposition testimony via Zoom on June 4.</p><p data-block-key=\"p18c7\">The subpoena, reviewed by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, notified the broadcast station of a broad range of possible subjects for the deposition, including: 1) “the ‘hundreds of top-tier media outlets’ which provided ‘extensive coverage to the Charlottesville residents who were showing up to challenge the spectre of white supremacy;’” 2) the lawsuit and all the topics therein; 3) the KKK and 4) multiple activist organizations and at least 28 named individuals, including former Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta and billionaire philanthropist George Soros, both of whom have been the subject of numerous conspiracy theories from the far-right.</p><p data-block-key=\"q8nu0\">The subpoena also commanded WSLS to turn over documents, videos, photos and communications exchanged by any of its employees or agents in connection with its coverage of the rally, Heyer’s death or the trials of her murderer, James Alex Fields, Jr.</p><p data-block-key=\"67dio\">WSLS reporter Ashley Curtis, NBC4 and its reporter Julie Carey and WVIR-TV <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/subpoena/?categories=6&city=Charlottesville&date_lower=2021-05-20&date_upper=2021-05-20\">received nearly identical subpoenas</a>. Attorney Leita Walker, representing all five parties, filed a motion to quash the subpoenas on June 14, describing them as “extremely overbroad and unduly burdensome.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4bsim\">“[The subpoenas] seek virtually <i>every</i> court filing, police report, email, press release, video, photo or other document that the Non-Party Journalists received from <i>anyone</i>一government sources, witnesses to the events, social media, fellow journalists, wire services, etc.,” Walker wrote in the motion, which was reviewed by the Tracker. “[Hoft] is clearly engaged in a massive and massively inappropriate fishing expedition that, in the case of the Non-Party Journalists, seeks information they obtained in the course of their newsgathering activities.”</p><p data-block-key=\"gctap\">U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Western District of Virginia Joel Hoppe ruled in favor of the journalists and outlets, quashing the subpoenas on July 20, citing Hoft’s inadequate pleadings, according to The Daily Progress.</p><p data-block-key=\"epg3f\">Walker didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment.</p></div>",
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{
"title": "Charlottesville-based broadcaster subpoenaed in defamation suit from ‘Unite the Right’ rally",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/charlottesville-based-broadcaster-subpoenaed-in-defamation-suit-from-unite-the-right-rally/",
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"iujlm\">Local NBC and CW+-affiliate WVIR-TV was among multiple media outlets and journalists subpoenaed on May 20, 2021, for testimony in an ongoing lawsuit stemming from the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017.</p><p data-block-key=\"za0fc\">Hundreds of white nationalists who had flocked to Charlottesville to protest plans to remove a Confederate statue were met by crowds of counterprotesters, Time Magazine <a href=\"https://time.com/charlottesville-white-nationalist-rally-clashes/\">reported in 2017</a>, and the resulting violence led Virginia's governor to declare a state of emergency.</p><p data-block-key=\"xq9ec\">Plaintiff Brennan Gilmore alleged that after witnessing and filming the vehicular murder of anti-racism protester Heather Heyer during the Aug. 12 rally, he was subjected to a series of false articles and conspiracy theories and received numerous death threats against him and his family, The Daily Progress <a href=\"https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/judge-denies-attempts-from-rally-lawsuit-defendant-to-subpoena-reporters/article_04e2b72c-e99f-11eb-8de8-9bcf70b2ba5c.html\">reported</a>. He filed a defamation lawsuit against multiple defendants 一 including Jim Hoft of The Gateway Pundit, Alex Jones and his website InfoWars 一 in March 2018.</p><p data-block-key=\"ryw9x\">Hoft, as part of his defense, alleged that coverage of the rally was skewed by a vast conspiracy involving the press and government actors; he issued numerous subpoenas to non-party individuals and government and law enforcement agencies in an apparent effort to uncover the supposed conspiracy.</p><p data-block-key=\"auakm\">WVIR, which didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment, was issued a 19-page subpoena on May 20, 2021, ordering it to provide deposition testimony via Zoom on June 4. Hoft issued an amended subpoena to the broadcaster on May 27.</p><p data-block-key=\"margy\">The subpoena, reviewed by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, notified the broadcast station of a broad range of possible subjects for the deposition, including: 1) “the ‘hundreds of top-tier media outlets’ which provided ‘extensive coverage to the Charlottesville residents who were showing up to challenge the spectre of white supremacy;’” 2) the lawsuit and all the topics therein; 3) the KKK and 4) multiple activist organizations and at least 28 named individuals, including former Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta and billionaire philanthropist George Soros, both of whom have been the subject of numerous conspiracy theories from the far-right.</p><p data-block-key=\"x7vuu\">The subpoena also commanded WVIR to turn over documents, videos, photos and communications exchanged by any of its employees or agents in connection with its coverage of the rally, Heyer’s death or the trials of her murderer, James Alex Fields Jr. The amended subpoena contained additional requests for any and all communications and files concerning the rally exchanged between the outlet and past or present employees of the City of Charlottesville, Office of the Commonwealth Attorney for the City of Charlottesville, the Virginia State Police Virginia Fusion Center, or “any person, organization, nonprofit, and/or other entity.”</p><p data-block-key=\"wn6lh\">WSLS and its reporter Ashley Curtis, and NBC4 and its reporter Julie Carey <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2021-05-20&date_upper=2021-05-20&city=Charlottesville&categories=Subpoena%2FLegal+Order\">received subpoenas</a> that were nearly identical to that initially served to WVIR. Attorney Leita Walker, representing all five parties, filed a motion to quash the subpoenas on June 14, describing them as “extremely overbroad and unduly burdensome.”</p><p data-block-key=\"n0da3\">“[The subpoenas] seek virtually <i>every</i> court filing, police report, email, press release, video, photo or other document that the Non-Party Journalists received from <i>anyone</i>一government sources, witnesses to the events, social media, fellow journalists, wire services, etc.,” Walker wrote in the motion, which was reviewed by the Tracker. “[Hoft] is clearly engaged in a massive and massively inappropriate fishing expedition that, in the case of the Non-Party Journalists, seeks information they obtained in the course of their newsgathering activities.”</p><p data-block-key=\"c4g8l\">U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Western District of Virginia Joel Hoppe ruled in favor of the journalists and outlets, quashing the subpoenas on July 20, citing Hoft’s inadequate pleadings, according to The Daily Progress.</p><p data-block-key=\"b0yi9\">Walker didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment.</p></div>",
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{
"title": "Jersey City Times sues mayor, city after removal from press list",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/jersey-city-times-sues-mayor-city-after-removal-from-press-list/",
"first_published_at": "2024-01-10T21:01:18.198096Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-01-10T21:01:18.198096Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-01-10T19:52:06.174286Z",
"date": "2021-05-20",
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"city": "Jersey City",
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"gtsto\">The Jersey City Times was removed from Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop’s press list after publishing a May 20, 2021, story critical of Fulop’s claims that his administration had reduced crime in the city. As a result, the local news site stopped receiving media advisories, news releases and invitations to news conferences and other official events, the outlet said.</p><p data-block-key=\"9ijkc\">The Times and its publisher and editor-in-chief, Aaron Morrill, subsequently <a href=\"https://jcitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/JCT-complaint-with-file-stamp.pdf\">sued</a> the city, Fulop and his press secretary, Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione, in federal court on Dec. 18, 2023, alleging that the outlet had been denied access in retaliation for the 2021 <a href=\"https://jcitytimes.com/while-press-says-otherwise-crime-is-up-under-mayor-fulop/\">report</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"54aa1\">Morrill <a href=\"https://jcitytimes.com/the-jersey-city-times-sues-mayor-fulop-press-secretary-and-city/\">told the Times</a>, which has been covering Jersey City news since he founded the site in 2019, that the outlet had a “relatively good relationship” with the mayor’s office until May 2021. “After the story, it was radio silence. We received no media advisories, press releases, nothing.”</p><p data-block-key=\"fm9b2\">The Times noted in its suit that in 2019, Wallace-Scalcione had offered to meet with the outlet and said its reporters “are fantastic to work with.” However, after the May 2021 article, both the mayor and his press secretary were critical of the Times’ coverage. Citing emails obtained via public records requests, the suit quoted Fulop describing the Times as “not a real news outlet,” and Wallace-Scalcione alleging that the outlet had a “political agenda against the Mayor.”</p><p data-block-key=\"frus3\">The mayor’s office did not respond to Morrill’s emails asking that the Times be restored to the press list, according to the suit. This continued until Jennifer Borg, a lawyer with Yale Law School’s Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic who is <a href=\"https://law.yale.edu/yls-today/news/mfia-clinic-sues-jersey-city-accusing-officials-stonewalling-local-news-site\">representing</a> the outlet, sent a protest letter to the city’s attorneys on April 7, 2022.</p><p data-block-key=\"ftdn4\">In the months after that letter was sent, the Times said it began to receive news releases again — often about events after they occurred — but still failed to receive media advisories and invitations to official events such as news conferences.</p><p data-block-key=\"14vch\">Attorneys for the Times sent a follow-up letter on July 25, 2023, stating that the city’s actions violated the outlet’s constitutional rights and asking again for it to be restored to the press list. It did not receive a response.</p><p data-block-key=\"2567q\">The Times’ attorneys sent another letter to the city on Nov. 24, 2023. Then, on Dec. 14, the city’s attorneys responded, stating that the Times “is already added to the press list for the City of Jersey City and will receive future press releases and media advisories.” However, according to the suit, the Times did not receive an emailed invitation to a news conference that was sent to other news organizations the next day.</p><p data-block-key=\"8jnfm\">The Times said it continued to receive “only sporadic and belated notices of local events” and did not receive “a single invitation to a press conference or event to which other members of the press have been invited.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1seop\">The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, accused the defendants of violating the First and 14th Amendment rights of both the Times and of Morrill, who wrote the May 2021 story, and of violating their due process rights and their rights under New Jersey’s constitution.</p><p data-block-key=\"2ibaj\">It alleges that the defendants treated the Times differently than other news organizations that retained access to the mayor’s office and that it retaliated against the outlet based on its critical reporting. It also noted that the city did not publish criteria for the press list.</p><p data-block-key=\"1tfsl\">The suit asks for the plaintiffs to be restored to the press list and that they be provided with the same “information and access” as other news organizations and journalists.</p><p data-block-key=\"7nsg\">Wallace-Scalcione, in a statement emailed to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, called the lawsuit “frivolous” and said the Times “was notified before the lawsuit that they were on the email list to receive all press releases and have been.”</p><p data-block-key=\"54uou\">Morrill told the Tracker in an email that two days after the suit was filed he received his first media advisory from the mayor’s office since May 2021, but that it was “unclear” if this would continue.</p><p data-block-key=\"t059\">Morrill also described the detrimental effects of the outlet’s removal from the press list, saying, “It’s impossible to know how many leads for stories might have come from attending the events we missed or how many contacts we might have made.”</p><p data-block-key=\"ad1f\">He added, “Having to reconstruct a story about the opening of a new homeless shelter or what was said at a press conference from press reports isn’t the kind of journalism we want to do. Being hours and sometimes days behind because you weren’t there hurts us in the eyes of our readers and hurts our site traffic to boot.”</p></div>",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"uadas\">Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop delivers the State of the City address on April 5, 2023. The Jersey City Times sued Fulop, his press secretary and the city on Dec. 18, 2023, after the outlet was removed from the press list in May 2021.</p>",
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