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{
"title": "Reporter assaulted at Tennessee mayoral forum",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-assaulted-at-tennessee-mayoral-forum/",
"first_published_at": "2023-10-10T17:02:23.036560Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-10-10T17:02:23.036560Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-10-10T16:47:23.244189Z",
"date": "2023-09-27",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Franklin",
"longitude": -86.86889,
"latitude": 35.92506,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"rvp6x\">WTVF-TV chief investigative reporter Phil Williams was assaulted while attempting to cover a mayoral forum in Franklin, Tennessee, on Sept. 27, 2023.</p><p data-block-key=\"9v483\">Williams said in a <a href=\"https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/chaos-erupts-at-franklin-mayoral-forum-as-gabrielle-hanson-supporters-to-block-nc5-from-event\">broadcast for the station</a> that he and a photographer had been invited by the organizer of the forum in the upscale community of Westhaven, where incumbent Mayor Ken Moore and candidate Gabrielle Hanson were speaking with residents.</p><p data-block-key=\"d248j\">As the journalists waited to enter the room alongside attendees, Williams reported that some of Hanson’s supporters attempted to block them from entering the room, standing shoulder to shoulder to try to keep their camera out.</p><p data-block-key=\"c54s2\">“One of them got a little testy with me,” Williams added.</p><p data-block-key=\"9b0po\">In <a href=\"https://twitter.com/nc5philwilliams/status/1707192446927491526\">footage</a> he captured and posted on social media, Williams confirms that a woman standing in front of him had struck his arm. Minutes later, she can be heard telling him, “Get your camera out of my face!” She then reaches out to grab his cellphone or knock it from his hands.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We were invited to a Franklin mayoral forum at Westhaven, but Gabrielle <a href=\"https://twitter.com/HansonforMayor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@HansonforMayor</a> supporters became quite agitated and attempted to keep us from entering the room. One kept backing into me and then accused me of assaulting him. <a href=\"https://t.co/Y9blWj7qwY\">pic.twitter.com/Y9blWj7qwY</a></p>— Phil Williams (@NC5PhilWilliams) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/NC5PhilWilliams/status/1707192446927491526?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 28, 2023</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=\"rvp6x\">A Franklin Police Department officer immediately intervenes and tells the woman to “Stop touching him or you’re going to jail.”</p><p data-block-key=\"fkb68\">Other Westhaven residents standing near the woman can later be heard saying, “Nobody wants you here” and “He’s the only liberal hack here,” while pointing at Williams.</p><p data-block-key=\"as0md\">Neither mayoral candidate responded to requests for comment or to confirm whether they had agreed to the attendance of the WTVF news crew.</p><p data-block-key=\"16h25\">Williams <a href=\"https://twitter.com/NC5PhilWilliams/status/1707193645894430759\">wrote</a> in a subsequent post that in order to diffuse the situation he agreed to remain outside the room while his photographer filmed from inside, noting that it did make it difficult to continue reporting in real time.</p><p data-block-key=\"eod7q\">Williams did not respond to an emailed request for comment.</p></div>",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"2xy81\">A police officer in Franklin, Tennessee, intervenes on behalf of WTVF-TV chief investigative reporter Phil Williams after a woman attending a mayoral forum repeatedly attempted to grab or knock the phone from his hands on Sept. 27, 2023.</p>",
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"assailant": "private individual",
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"state": {
"name": "Tennessee",
"abbreviation": "TN"
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"tags": [
"election"
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"categories": [
"Assault"
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"Phil Williams (WTVF)"
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},
{
"title": "Police union sues Las Vegas Review-Journal over jail video",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/police-union-sues-las-vegas-review-journal-over-jail-video/",
"first_published_at": "2024-04-04T15:32:15.158549Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-05-09T17:04:39.505250Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-05-09T17:04:39.320285Z",
"date": "2023-09-27",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Las Vegas",
"longitude": -115.13722,
"latitude": 36.17497,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"5jgo0\">A Nevada police union filed a lawsuit against the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Sept. 27, 2023, seeking an injunction requiring the newspaper to unpublish or censor footage and photos from inside the Henderson Detention Center, according to court documents reviewed by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"f0860\">The Review-Journal <a href=\"https://www.reviewjournal.com/investigations/henderson-jailers-get-millions-in-overtime-but-still-make-critical-mistakes-2907703/\">published a story</a> on Sept. 20 about millions of dollars paid in overtime and mistakes made by overworked corrections officers. Two days later, the Nevada Association of Public Safety Officers — a union representing Henderson officers, among others — sent a letter to the Review-Journal and Henderson city officials demanding that pictures and video obtained and published by the newspaper be edited to blur the officers’ faces, according to court filings. The union also called on the city to investigate the source of the leaked footage.</p><p data-block-key=\"51mu2\">“Frankly, it is quite distressing that both the newspaper and City have not already taken the steps outlined above,” NAPSO Executive Director Andrew Regenbaum wrote. “The officers who protect Henderson, indeed all peace officers throughout Nevada, should not have to worry that their safety and privacy would wantonly be jeopardized by the dissemination and cavalier use of their personal identities for ‘sensational’ motives.”</p><p data-block-key=\"cnqr7\">The newspaper declined to alter or replace its published work, defending its reporting as being in the public interest. NAPSO filed its lawsuit a few days later, asserting that the Review-Journal broke a <a href=\"https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-289.html#NRS289Sec025\">state law</a> dictating that images of officers in the possession of a law enforcement agency are confidential and “may be released” if the officer authorizes it or if the officer has been arrested.</p><p data-block-key=\"f9qo8\">Benjamin Lipman, the newspaper’s chief legal officer, <a href=\"https://www.reviewjournal.com/investigations/police-union-sues-review-journal-over-henderson-jail-video-2913167/\">told the outlet</a> that the lawsuit is baseless. “The statute that the union is suing under does not put any restrictions on the public, and if it were to apply to the public, it would violate the protections provided by the First Amendment,” Lipman said.</p><p data-block-key=\"23a0m\">On Oct. 2, District Judge Mark Denton ruled against issuing a temporary restraining order, finding that the union had not proven that its members face irreparable harm or injury.</p><p data-block-key=\"f4e2p\">Two weeks later, Denton denied NAPSO’s request for an injunction that would have required the Review-Journal to take down or alter its video or photos. Executive Editor Glenn Cook commended the Oct. 16 decision in a <a href=\"https://www.reviewjournal.com/investigations/judge-sides-with-rj-in-legal-battle-over-police-video-2922862/\">statement to the newspaper</a>, saying, “Today’s ruling was affirmation that press freedoms are enshrined in the First Amendment for an important reason: The government and public employees can’t tell the media what to publish and not publish.”</p><p data-block-key=\"frd2n\">After joining NAPSO as a plaintiff in early October, the city of Henderson <a href=\"https://www.reviewjournal.com/investigations/henderson-to-pay-review-journal-20k-in-legal-battle-over-police-video-2965015/\">settled its claims</a> against the Review-Journal on Dec. 13, agreeing to pay the newspaper $20,000 in legal fees.</p><p data-block-key=\"2q08m\">On Dec. 21, Denton denied the newspaper’s motion to dismiss the case under the state’s <a href=\"https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-041.html#NRS041Sec660\">anti-SLAPP law</a>, which argued that the case was filed in an attempt to chill the Review-Journal’s First Amendment rights.</p><p data-block-key=\"1r7s7\">William Schuller, an attorney representing the union, told the Tracker that they are no longer seeking an injunction and are only pursuing a decision from the court on whether the law enforcement confidentiality statute applies to third parties, such as the Review-Journal.</p><p data-block-key=\"ebsb6\">“Either the media has an absolute right to publish anything it wants at any time in any manner with no restraints or it doesn’t,” Schuller said. “And our position, obviously, is that it doesn’t.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5i4dr\">The Review-Journal appealed Denton’s ruling to the Nevada Supreme Court on Feb. 8, 2024. Attorney Lipman told the Tracker that if upheld, Denton’s decision could create a large loophole in the state’s anti-SLAPP law, but he is hopeful that the Supreme Court will reverse the denial.</p><p data-block-key=\"coog6\">“I think our arguments are very strong and with that I have high hopes that we will prevail,” Lipman said. “It’s a shame that all of this time and money is being wasted on a case that is simply seeking to shut down the ability of the press and the public to discuss issues of public concern.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Review-Journal_chilling.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"jl341\">A portion of the lawsuit filed by a Nevada police union against the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Sept. 27, 2023, which sought an injunction requiring the newspaper to take down published footage from inside the Henderson Detention Center.</p>",
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"state": {
"name": "Nevada",
"abbreviation": "NV"
},
"updates": [
"(2025-02-26 00:00:00+00:00) Court says suit against Las Vegas Review-Journal could be retaliatory",
"(2025-05-02 00:00:00+00:00) Police union settles suit against Las Vegas paper"
],
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"Las Vegas Review-Journal"
],
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{
"title": "New Hampshire reporter subpoenaed over defamation suit",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/new-hampshire-reporter-subpoenaed-over-defamation-suit/",
"first_published_at": "2023-11-06T21:32:54.456250Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-11-06T21:32:54.456250Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-11-06T21:32:54.373378Z",
"date": "2023-09-25",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Concord",
"longitude": -71.53757,
"latitude": 43.20814,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"jj9yz\">New Hampshire reporter Robert Blechl and a family-owned New England newspaper he works for were subpoenaed on Sept. 25, 2023, over Blechl’s coverage of a civil suit involving a local activist and an interstate waste management company, according to court documents reviewed by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"6pj3u\">The subpoenas, served to Blechl and the Caledonian Record, a daily covering northeastern Vermont and northern New Hampshire, were withdrawn on Oct. 6, the attorney representing them, Gregory Sullivan, told the Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"4ffn9\">According to an account by <a href=\"https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2023-10-13/nh-reporter-subpoenaed-in-ongoing-legal-battle-between-waste-company-and-activist?mibextid=S66gvF\">New Hampshire Public Radio</a>, lawyers for Casella Waste Systems Inc. claimed that a <a href=\"https://www.caledonianrecord.com/news/local/casella-drops-defamation-lawsuit-against-dalton-landfill-opponent/article_763dc91b-54c8-5171-8e11-91909345872a.html\">May 18 article</a> by Blechl misrepresented the settlement of its defamation suit against Jon Swan, who had been fighting a proposed landfill in New Hampshire. A review of court documents indicates the firm was seeking testimony and all of Blechl’s notes and communications with Swan related to the litigation and his May 18 report.</p><p data-block-key=\"19aui\">In a Sept. 29 affidavit describing his newsgathering, however, Blechl said that Swan had refused to speak to him about the litigation, so Blechl had relied strictly on public records.</p><p data-block-key=\"88o1d\">Sullivan told the Tracker that in his Sept. 29 motion to quash the subpoenas, he argued that New Hampshire law protects the news media from having to share sources and that neither Blechl nor the Record possessed any of the information that Casella was seeking.</p><p data-block-key=\"ad6g1\">“It is well-settled law that requiring reporters and publishers to respond to subpoenas and to appear for depositions has a chilling effect on the news gathering and publishing processes,” Sullivan wrote in his motion. “When, as in this case, no valid basis for the subpoenas exists, the First Amendment and … the New Hampshire Constitution mandate the quashing of the issued subpoenas.”</p><p data-block-key=\"15sea\">According to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, while New Hampshire does not have<a href=\"https://www.rcfp.org/privilege-compendium/new-hampshire/\"> a shield law</a>, the New Hampshire Supreme Court has recognized a qualified constitutional privilege to protect the identity of confidential news sources.</p><p data-block-key=\"a6n9n\">Although the subpoenas were dropped after they were issued, Sullivan said the fact that they were instigated in the first place creates a chilling effect on the media.</p><p data-block-key=\"4rnkc\">“Anytime a news media organization, or one of its reporters, is subpoenaed, and it’s not a necessary subpoena, it is an unfortunate situation, certainly for the paper,” he told the Tracker. “It's a significant amount of money for a small newspaper to incur based upon what we felt were frivolous attempts to get information.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Screenshot_of_Blechl_subpoena.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"dqsnk\">Screenshot of the subpoena served on Caledonian Record reporter Robert Blechl on Sept. 25, 2023.</p>",
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"name": "New Hampshire",
"abbreviation": "NH"
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{
"title": "New England newspaper subpoenaed over defamation suit",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/new-england-newspaper-subpoenaed-over-defamation-suit/",
"first_published_at": "2023-11-06T21:24:41.674421Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-11-06T21:24:41.674421Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-11-06T21:24:41.576793Z",
"date": "2023-09-25",
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"city": "Concord",
"longitude": -71.53757,
"latitude": 43.20814,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"2j55o\">A family-owned New England newspaper and its New Hampshire reporter Robert Blechl were subpoenaed on Sept. 25, 2023, over Blechl’s coverage of a civil suit involving a local activist and an interstate waste management company, according to court documents reviewed by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"cbkjv\">The subpoenas, served to Blechl and the Caledonian Record, a daily covering northeastern Vermont and northern New Hampshire, were withdrawn on Oct. 6, the attorney representing them, Gregory Sullivan, told the Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"erqkg\">According to an account by <a href=\"https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2023-10-13/nh-reporter-subpoenaed-in-ongoing-legal-battle-between-waste-company-and-activist?mibextid=S66gvF\">New Hampshire Public Radio</a>, lawyers for Casella Waste Systems Inc. claimed that a <a href=\"https://www.caledonianrecord.com/news/local/casella-drops-defamation-lawsuit-against-dalton-landfill-opponent/article_763dc91b-54c8-5171-8e11-91909345872a.html\">May 18 article</a> by Blechl misrepresented the settlement of its defamation suit against Jon Swan, who had been fighting a proposed landfill in New Hampshire. A review of court documents indicates the firm was seeking testimony and all of Blechl’s notes and communications with Swan related to the litigation and his May 18 report.</p><p data-block-key=\"dvpcm\">In a Sept. 29 affidavit describing his newsgathering, however, Blechl said that Swan had refused to speak to him about the litigation, so he had relied strictly on public records.</p><p data-block-key=\"3asc1\">Sullivan told the Tracker that in his Sept. 29 motion to quash the subpoenas, he argued that New Hampshire law protects the news media from having to share sources and that neither Blechl nor the Record possessed any of the information that Casella was seeking.</p><p data-block-key=\"d152o\">“It is well-settled law that requiring reporters and publishers to respond to subpoenas and to appear for depositions has a chilling effect on the news gathering and publishing processes,” Sullivan wrote in his motion. “When, as in this case, no valid basis for the subpoenas exists, the First Amendment and … the New Hampshire Constitution mandate the quashing of the issued subpoenas.”</p><p data-block-key=\"9rlff\">According to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, while New Hampshire does not have<a href=\"https://www.rcfp.org/privilege-compendium/new-hampshire/\"> a shield law</a>, the New Hampshire Supreme Court has recognized a qualified constitutional privilege to protect the identity of confidential news sources.</p><p data-block-key=\"1q2nb\">Although the subpoenas were dropped after they were issued, Sullivan said the fact that they were instigated in the first place creates a chilling effect on the media.</p><p data-block-key=\"fp7h1\">“Anytime a news media organization, or one of its reporters, is subpoenaed, and it's not a necessary subpoena, it is an unfortunate situation, certainly for the paper,” he told the Tracker. “It's a significant amount of money for a small newspaper to incur based upon what we felt were frivolous attempts to get information.”</p></div>",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"qvedn\">Screenshot of the subpoena served on the Caledonian Record on Sept. 25, 2023.</p>",
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"name": "New Hampshire",
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{
"title": "Man leaves fake bomb outside Ohio newspaper offices",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/man-leaves-fake-bomb-outside-ohio-newspaper-offices/",
"first_published_at": "2023-10-20T14:31:21.344529Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-10-23T15:27:54.580975Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-10-23T15:27:54.477728Z",
"date": "2023-09-24",
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"city": "Elyria",
"longitude": -82.10765,
"latitude": 41.36838,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"f37p2\">An Ohio man left a mailbox, lighter fluid and a note that said, “Bomb Don’t Touch,” outside the entrance to offices of The Chronicle-Telegram in the metro Cleveland area city of Elyria, Ohio, on Sept. 24, 2023, the newspaper <a href=\"https://chroniclet.com/news/366844/elyria-twp-man-charged-with-felony-in-threat-at-chronicle-telegram-sunday/\">reported</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"egcjo\">Elyria police and firefighters, along with the Lorain County bomb squad, investigated the items and did not find any explosives.</p><p data-block-key=\"fqn8d\">The next day, local resident Robert S. Reynolds Jr. turned himself in at the Lorain County Sheriff's Office and admitted to leaving the items, the newspaper reported. He was charged by the Lorain County prosecutor with inducing panic, a felony, and taken into custody and held without bond.</p><p data-block-key=\"cht8s\">A detective told the paper that Reynolds threatened the publication because he “was upset about coverage of his family earlier this year in the Chronicle.” Reynolds’ father owns a drive-through restaurant in the adjacent Elyria Township; the paper has reported on several complaints by the restaurant’s customers about racist remarks allegedly made by both Reynolds and his father.</p><p data-block-key=\"5rsf0\">“He was mad about our work,” the Chronicle-Telegram’s managing editor, Julie Wallace, told the Tracker via email. She added that the paper has not made any changes to safety protocols since the incident.</p><p data-block-key=\"e9gbn\">“Our building was remodeled and added onto in about 2008 and many safety precautions were added at that time,” Wallace said. “We are safe.”</p></div>",
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"name": "Ohio",
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"The Chronicle-Telegram"
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"bomb / bomb threat"
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{
"title": "Journalist assaulted filming Iranian delegation's New York visit",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-assaulted-filming-iranian-delegations-new-york-visit/",
"first_published_at": "2023-10-06T19:54:12.193869Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-10-06T19:54:12.193869Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-10-06T19:54:05.817304Z",
"date": "2023-09-20",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "New York",
"longitude": -74.00597,
"latitude": 40.71427,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"j69c7\">A correspondent for Iran International was assaulted on Sept. 20, 2023, in New York City by an official from the delegation of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, according to the London-based, Persian-language TV news service.</p><p data-block-key=\"c19a7\">Iran International <a href=\"https://www.iranintl.com/en/202309217257\">reports</a> that a protocol officer from Raisi’s entourage attempted to wrest correspondent Kian Amani’s cellphone from his hands as the journalist filmed the Iranian president departing a midtown Manhattan hotel. Raisi was in New York City that week for the U.N. General Assembly.</p><p data-block-key=\"bmort\">Iran International <a href=\"https://x.com/IranIntl_En/status/1704698596128403521?s=20\">posted a video</a> of the encounter with footage from Amani’s phone and from another person, who recorded it from a different angle.</p><p data-block-key=\"caqss\">In Amani’s video, a man from Raisi’s delegation is seen approaching him while asking in Farsi why he is taking the video and demanding that he show his press credentials, according to a <a href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/22/middleeast/iran-international-journalist-attack-new-york-intl-hnk/index.html\">CNN account</a>. Amani tells the man in English not to touch him and identifies himself as a journalist before a scuffle ensues.</p><p data-block-key=\"5pq3l\">In the other video, the assailant is seen attempting to pry Amani’s phone from his hands before a number of people, identified as hotel staff by Iran International, begin to intervene.</p><p data-block-key=\"4ivc2\">“Don’t touch him!” a woman said repeatedly to the man struggling physically with Amani. The scuffle ceased and the assailant departed from the scene.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#BREAKING</a> An Iranian official from President Raisi's delegation attacked Iran International's correspondent, Kian Amani, outside the Millennium Hilton New York One UN Plaza Hotel on Wednesday. Amani was capturing footage of them exiting the hotel. The security team finally… <a href=\"https://t.co/WH65JRb11P\">pic.twitter.com/WH65JRb11P</a></p>— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/IranIntl_En/status/1704698596128403521?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 21, 2023</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=\"jg9vr\">The next day, Abram Paley, the U.S. State Department’s deputy special envoy for Iran, <a href=\"https://x.com/USEnvoyIran/status/1704989989149233200?s=20\">posted a statement</a> condemning “the apparent harassment and intimidation of several journalists on US soil.”</p><p data-block-key=\"9p3jk\">A State Department official also <a href=\"https://www.iranintl.com/en/202309228107\">told Iran International</a> that they "have seen reports of threats, and assault on, an Iran International journalist by a member of the Iranian delegation. The behavior seen in the video footage is unacceptable."</p><p data-block-key=\"3ve21\">A representative from Iran International contacted by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker did not say if the incident was reported to police. The New York City Police Department also did not confirm if a report was filed. The State Department did not respond to a request for comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"azrro\">A journalist for Iran International, third from left, had his phone grabbed at by an Iranian official in New York on Sept. 20, during a visit by Iran’s president.</p>",
"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": "New York",
"abbreviation": "NY"
},
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"categories": [
"Assault"
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"Kian Amani (Iran International)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Judge orders journalist to turn over source communications",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/judge-orders-journalist-to-turn-over-source-communications/",
"first_published_at": "2023-10-24T18:29:45.173635Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-12-05T16:46:20.253039Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-12-05T16:02:54.899567Z",
"date": "2023-09-14",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Pittsburgh",
"longitude": -79.99589,
"latitude": 40.44062,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"6phy9\">A Pennsylvania judge granted a motion on Sept. 14, 2023, to compel journalist Mike Elk to disclose his correspondence with former sources, according to court documents reviewed by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"f6gkv\">The motion by the NewsGuild-Communications Workers of America and union officials Jon Schleuss, Fatima Hussein and Steve Cook was made as part of Elk’s defamation suit against the NewsGuild, the Pittsburgh NewsGuild and four individual defendants.</p><p data-block-key=\"74agq\">Elk subsequently objected to the NewsGuild’s requests on Oct. 16, so a ruling by the judge now awaits, Poynter <a href=\"https://www.poynter.org/ethics-trust/2023/newsguild-seeks-a-reporters-confidential-sources-as-it-faces-defamation-suit/\">reported</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"af3hm\">Elk, senior labor reporter and founder of the news site <a href=\"https://paydayreport.com/\">Payday Report</a>, had <a href=\"https://paydayreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Final-Complaint.pdf\">sued</a> the NewsGuild, the country’s largest journalists’ union, and other defendants in June 2021. He made claims against the NewsGuild for defamation, breach of contract, fraud and assault, alleging that the union mishandled its response to his investigation into sexual harassment allegations against then-president of the Pittsburgh NewsGuild Michael Fuoco. The NewsGuild and other defendants have denied Elk’s claims.</p><p data-block-key=\"8en1b\">In September 2022, the NewsGuild sought information on Elk’s investigation methods, as well as for the names of and his communications with the sources who told him about the harassment allegations.</p><p data-block-key=\"54bf0\">Elk was also asked to identify “every individual associated with the New York Times that you have communicated with regarding the lawsuit and the allegations” within his complaint (former New York Times columnist Ben Smith <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/06/business/media/pittsburgh-post-gazette-news-guild.html\">wrote</a> about Elk’s investigation in December 2020).</p><p data-block-key=\"ci54m\">After Elk refused to comply, the NewsGuild filed a <a href=\"https://www.poynter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Motion-to-Compel.pdf\">motion to compel discovery responses</a> from him, which the judge granted.</p><p data-block-key=\"6h138\">Elk argues in his responses to the NewsGuild that these communications are protected by the First Amendment and <a href=\"https://www.rcfp.org/privilege-compendium/pennsylvania/#a-shield-law-statute\">Pennsylvania Shield Law</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"c3arf\">In an emailed response to the Tracker’s request for comment, Schleuss, president of the NewsGuild, said: “We have no inherent interest in obtaining Elk’s communications regarding the New York Times reporting, other than to defend against Elk’s baseless legal claims. We have not sought, and will not seek any discovery from the New York Times or from any of its current or former reporters.”</p><p data-block-key=\"e9hrr\">Elk told the Tracker he is scheduled to be deposed by the NewsGuild on Nov. 13.</p></div>",
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"state": {
"name": "Pennsylvania",
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"(2023-12-01 00:00:00+00:00) Journalist settles NewsGuild suit; No longer required to turn over source communications"
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"Mike Elk (Payday Report)"
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{
"title": "Miami mayor tries to grab phone from reporter’s hands",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/miami-mayor-tries-to-grab-phone-from-reporters-hands/",
"first_published_at": "2023-09-21T20:33:05.960893Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-09-22T14:07:18.545970Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-09-22T14:07:18.432166Z",
"date": "2023-09-09",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Miami",
"longitude": -80.19366,
"latitude": 25.77427,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"26wsy\">Miami Mayor Francis Suarez attempted to “snatch” the phone from Miami Herald investigative reporter Sarah Blaskey’s hands at City Hall on Sept. 9, 2023, after she asked him about a complaint being investigated by the state ethics commission.</p><p data-block-key=\"97g6q\">The Herald <a href=\"https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article279367734.html\">reported</a> that Blaskey approached Suarez in a hallway outside a city budget hearing and asked him about his multiday appearance at the Formula One Miami Grand Prix using tickets provided by a hedge fund executive. Suarez initially told Blaskey that once she made an appointment with his assistant he’d be happy to speak with her.</p><p data-block-key=\"ftp5b\">In <a href=\"https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article279370389.html\">footage of the interaction</a>, Blaskey then appeared to tilt her phone up in order to capture Suarez’s face, at which point the mayor noticed that he was being filmed and attempted to grab the device from her hands. A sergeant-at-arms who serves as his bodyguard intervened and acknowledged Blaskey’s right to record, according to the Herald.</p><p data-block-key=\"2u9a3\">Blaskey seemed visibly shaken by the interaction in her footage, but persisted in asking Suarez about whether he had been approached by federal investigators and how much he paid back for the tickets.</p><p data-block-key=\"f0105\">Following the incident, the mayor’s office <a href=\"https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/miami-mayor-francis-suarez-responds-to-video-of-heated-exchange-with-miami-herald-reporter/3113652/\">released this statement</a>: "Mayor Francis Suarez has repeatedly answered questions from the local newspaper about the Formula One (F1) event. Last Saturday, after having answered several questions on the subject, without prior notice and unnecessarily, the reporter placed her cell phone inches from the mayor's personal space, who was surprised and, as any human being would react, moved the device away from his face.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3uct3\">The mayor’s office did not respond to an emailed request for further comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"fb6ro\">In a <a href=\"https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/from-the-editor/article279469484.html\">column for the newspaper</a>, Herald Executive Editor Alex Mena condemned Suarez’s attempt to grab the phone from Blaskey, stating that, “Any kind of physical interaction with our reporters is not acceptable.”</p><p data-block-key=\"eveqv\">Mena also criticized the mayor’s response to the incident, noting that more than half of the outlet’s 55 requests for comment from the mayor have gone unanswered.</p><p data-block-key=\"7obe6\">“The mayor has since misrepresented to other news outlets his willingness to speak with our reporters, with his office issuing a statement saying the mayor has ‘repeatedly responded’ to the Miami Herald’s questions and that Saturday’s confrontation occurred after he answered ‘several questions on the topic,’” Mena wrote. “In fact, Suarez answered none of our questions that day — until our reporters confronted him with a camera rolling.”</p><p data-block-key=\"f4tgp\">Senior Managing Editor Dana Banker told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that Suarez has not apologized to Blaskey, but agreed to meet with leadership from the Herald on Sept. 22.</p><p data-block-key=\"8bq3h\">“[Blaskey] was shaken up and understandably so,” Banker said. “We want to get with the mayor and talk this through tomorrow. ... It was 100% unacceptable and we’re going to make that clear.”</p><p data-block-key=\"fve6v\">Banker added: “At the end of the day we’re just going to keep digging and we’re going to let our reporting speak for itself. But it definitely is not going to chill anything we’re doing here at the Herald.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3a5ut\"><i>Editor's Note: This article has been updated to clarify that two ethics complaints were filed against Miami Mayor Francis Suarez. One of the complaints, before the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics & Public Trust, was dismissed after it was found to be legally insufficient. A second complaint is under investigation by the Florida Commission on Ethics.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"q7yce\">Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, pictured here speaking at an event in February 2023, attempted to ‘snatch’ the phone from Miami Herald investigative reporter Sarah Blaskey when she asked him a question outside a budget hearing on Sept. 9, 2023.</p>",
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"assailant": "politician",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
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"state": {
"name": "Florida",
"abbreviation": "FL"
},
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"Assault"
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"Sarah Blaskey (Miami Herald)"
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},
{
"title": "Chicago TV reporter attacked while livestreaming",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/chicago-tv-reporter-attacked-while-livestreaming/",
"first_published_at": "2023-09-21T15:29:16.303109Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-09-21T15:29:16.303109Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-09-21T15:11:54.224225Z",
"date": "2023-09-06",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Chicago",
"longitude": -87.65005,
"latitude": 41.85003,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"byfuo\">A Univision Chicago journalist was assaulted and threatened by an unidentified man during a live shoot on Sept. 6, 2023. She was uninjured and police are searching for a suspect.</p><p data-block-key=\"7vcjg\">According to a <a href=\"https://cwbchicago.com/2023/09/chicago-univision-tv-news-reporter-assaulted-south-loop-live-stream.html\">report by CWBChicago</a>, the unnamed TV reporter and a camera operator were streaming on Facebook Live from a shopping center in the city’s South Loop around 7:45 p.m. when the man approached her, grabbed her, tried to grab her phone and said: “You know I could kill you.”</p><p data-block-key=\"960mj\">The Chicago Police Department Office of Communications also confirmed the report, adding that a witness intervened and the man fled the scene.</p><p data-block-key=\"a5tqi\">The incident was filmed, according to CWBChicago, but it has since been taken down from the internet.</p><p data-block-key=\"4voin\">Raza Siddiqui, president of NABET-CWA Local 41, the union representing broadcast technicians in Chicago, said in light of this assault and at least two others in the Chicago area involving members of the media, he has now met with Univision representatives and camera operators regarding safety.</p><p data-block-key=\"ep4i3\">“We have discussed the measures we are going to take to make safety a priority in covering news in Chicago, along with empowering our news crews to know that they have the final discretion” to determine whether a scene is safe and to continue coverage, he told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker via email.</p><p data-block-key=\"hndd\">For example, Siddiqui told the Tracker, stations may choose to forgo a live shot and rely on doing a “look live” — when a reporter appears to be live in the field but tapes their introduction or a part of their package in the studio or at another location.</p><p data-block-key=\"6s3mt\">He said the union is also planning on meeting with other broadcast unions to express concerns and consider safety steps.</p><p data-block-key=\"5l7q7\">The Sept. 6 assault is the third incident in a month in Chicago involving members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"7crc\">On Aug. 8, a WLS-TV <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/wls-tv-photographer-assaulted-phones-stolen-vehicle-damaged/\">videographer</a> attending a press conference on Chicago’s West Side was robbed and two phones he had inside his vehicle were stolen. Then, on Aug. 28, a different Univision <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/univision-reporter-photographer-robbed-at-gunpoint-in-chicago/\">reporter</a> and a <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/univision-photographer-reporter-robbed-at-gunpoint-in-chicago/\">cameraperson</a> were robbed at gunpoint and a TV station camera stolen while the crew was preparing to file a report from the city’s North Side about its robbery problem.</p><p data-block-key=\"9om7f\">There were no injuries and no suspects have been named in either case, police said. Neither police nor Siddiqui identified any of the news crews involved in the incidents.</p></div>",
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"assailant": "private individual",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
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"state": {
"name": "Illinois",
"abbreviation": "IL"
},
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"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Unidentified reporter 6 (WGBO-DT)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Videographer assaulted at NY migrant housing protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/videographer-assaulted-at-ny-migrant-housing-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2023-09-15T14:29:42.104974Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-01-21T22:07:12.341268Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-01-21T22:07:12.223472Z",
"date": "2023-09-05",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "New York",
"longitude": -74.00597,
"latitude": 40.71427,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"1xscc\">A New York-based journalist said he was assaulted on Sept. 5, 2023, while covering a protest against a migrant shelter.</p><p data-block-key=\"751fv\">Lukasz Matyja <a href=\"https://twitter.com/L2FTV/status/1699221516548812970\">posted</a> that he was “mini assaulted/groped” and “accosted” while filming at the former St. John Villa Academy in Staten Island, where a crowd had gathered to oppose its use to house asylum seekers.</p><p data-block-key=\"12mst\">The independent videographer journalist, who documented the press violation with a<a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp-zF84Tdjc\"> video</a> shared on YouTube, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was not injured nor his equipment damaged. He did not file a police report and was not seeking to press charges.</p><p data-block-key=\"eob4e\">Matyja, who told the Tracker that he was wearing New York press credentials while covering the protest as a freelancer, said that he contributes breaking news footage of crime scenes, fires and unusual incidents to<a href=\"https://freedomnews.tv/\"> the news agency Freedomnews.TV</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"5gc8i\">The incident began when he started filming a photographer being criticized by the crowd for wearing a face mask. “As I was filming her, a man approached me, started licking his fingers and tried to smudge my camera lens,” Matyja said via email. “The man tried smudging my camera a few times and eventually I boxed him away from my camera with my body and swatted his hand away.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1i29o\">A group of people then surrounded Matyja. “That is when I got accosted by others. … People started bumping into me on purpose and screaming at me. After that, they chased me off of the event. I was called a ‘rat’ for filming that scene,” he said.</p><p data-block-key=\"f38nt\">Of the incident, Matyja wrote in a YouTube post that he wasn't hurt, but would need to attend to his camera. “I will most likely have to disinfect my camera really well now,” he wrote.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/NY_Protest0905_Matyja_assault_09-.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"6vccf\">A man seeks to block news videographer Lukasz Matyja from capturing footage of protesters haranguing another photographer at a rally in Staten Island, New York.</p>",
"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": "New York",
"abbreviation": "NY"
},
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"tags": [
"immigration",
"protest"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Lukasz Matyja (Freelance)"
],
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},
{
"title": "NBC subpoenaed in connection with Massachusetts murder trial",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/nbc-subpoenaed-in-connection-with-massachusetts-murder-trial/",
"first_published_at": "2025-04-01T15:31:53.714110Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-04-01T15:31:53.714110Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-04-01T15:19:05.787589Z",
"date": "2023-09-01",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Dedham",
"longitude": -71.16616,
"latitude": 42.24177,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"jm24z\">NBC News was subpoenaed on Sept. 1, 2023, for interview footage in connection with a murder trial in Dedham, Massachusetts. A judge struck down the request the following month, according to court records reviewed by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"de7a8\">In July, NBC News released a <a href=\"https://www.nbc.com/today/video/new-questions-emerge-surrounding-taillight-murder/NBCN130309517\">preview</a> of a “Dateline” segment in which correspondent Dennis Murphy interviewed Karen Read, who <a href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/03/28/nx-s1-5343433/karen-read-second-murder-trial\">stands accused</a> of the murder of her boyfriend in a case that has captured national attention.</p><p data-block-key=\"5rj8s\">Prosecutors filed a request with the court two months later, asking that it compel NBC to turn over the full interview recording, including any unaired footage.</p><p data-block-key=\"553qi\">Massachusetts does not have a formally recognized reporter’s shield law protecting journalists from being forced to disclose newsgathering materials. Prosecutors issued a <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/abc-subpoenaed-in-connection-with-massachusetts-murder-trial\">similar subpoena</a> to ABC News on Sept. 1 as well.</p><p data-block-key=\"1d88u\">In a Sept. 20 letter to the court, an attorney representing both national broadcast networks informed the court that they had not received notice of the subpoenas and raised objections to turning over the materials.</p><p data-block-key=\"946qr\">In her ruling on Oct. 11, Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone struck down the prosecutors’ requests, noting that they had not followed the required procedures for obtaining materials from out-of-state, nonparty witnesses.</p><p data-block-key=\"35c15\">After the case against Read ended in a mistrial in July 2024, prosecutors <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/nbc-local-affiliate-subpoenaed-ahead-of-massachusetts-murder-trial\">tried to obtain</a> NBC’s interview recordings and notes again, attempting to get around the subpoena procedures by including NBC’s Needham-based affiliate, WBTS-CD. That subpoena did not move forward either.</p><p data-block-key=\"fiutb\">NBC did not respond to requests for comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/NBC_2023_subpoena.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"8xf7l\">A portion of a Massachusetts judge’s ruling on Oct. 11, 2023, striking down prosecutors’ motion to force correspondents from NBC News and ABC News to disclose footage from their interviews with Karen Read ahead of her trial on murder charges.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
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"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
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"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
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"assailant": null,
"was_journalist_targeted": null,
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": "State",
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "Massachusetts",
"abbreviation": "MA"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [
"NBC News"
],
"tags": [],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Subpoena/Legal Order"
],
"targeted_journalists": [],
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"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "ABC subpoenaed in connection with Massachusetts murder trial",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/abc-subpoenaed-in-connection-with-massachusetts-murder-trial/",
"first_published_at": "2025-04-01T15:26:34.007234Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-04-01T15:26:34.007234Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-04-01T15:10:12.883327Z",
"date": "2023-09-01",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Dedham",
"longitude": -71.16616,
"latitude": 42.24177,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"h3gz2\">ABC News was subpoenaed on Sept. 1, 2023, for interview footage in connection with a murder trial in Dedham, Massachusetts. A judge struck down the request the following month, according to court records reviewed by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"8d64f\">In August, the ABC News show “Nightline” aired a segment in which Chief National Correspondent Matt Gutman interviewed Karen Read, who <a href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/03/28/nx-s1-5343433/karen-read-second-murder-trial\">stands accused</a> of the murder of her boyfriend in a case that has captured national attention.</p><p data-block-key=\"20goq\">Prosecutors filed a request with the court the following month, asking that it compel ABC to turn over the full interview recording, including any unaired footage. They noted that Read contradicted past statements during the interview and alleged that police had tampered with evidence or otherwise engaged in misconduct to frame her.</p><p data-block-key=\"1fc4m\">“The statements made by the defendant are highly significant as they pertain to the defendant’s involvement in and culpability for the murder of John O’Keefe,” prosecutors wrote. “The defendant voluntarily gave this interview, knowing that under Massachusetts Rules of Evidence, any statements made would be admissible in the Commonwealth’s case against her.”</p><p data-block-key=\"294ip\">Massachusetts does not have a formally recognized reporter’s shield law protecting journalists from being forced to disclose newsgathering materials. Prosecutors issued a <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/nbc-subpoenaed-in-connection-with-massachusetts-murder-trial\">similar subpoena</a> to NBC News on Sept. 1 as well.</p><p data-block-key=\"fjea6\">In a Sept. 20 letter to the court, an attorney representing both national broadcast networks informed the court that they had not received notice of the subpoenas and raised objections to turning over the materials.</p><p data-block-key=\"72jqb\">In her ruling on Oct. 11, Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone struck down the prosecutors’ requests, noting that they had not followed the required procedures for obtaining materials from out-of-state, nonparty witnesses.</p><p data-block-key=\"8n8s1\">After the case against Read ended in a mistrial in July 2024, prosecutors <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/abc-local-affiliate-subpoenaed-ahead-of-massachusetts-murder-trial\">tried to obtain</a> ABC’s interview recordings and notes again, attempting to get around the subpoena procedures by including ABC’s Needham-based affiliate, WCVB-TV. Cannone struck down that request as well in December.</p><p data-block-key=\"794ra\">ABC did not respond to requests for comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/ABC_2023_subpoena.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"7ksoa\">A portion of Massachusetts prosecutors’ Sept. 1, 2023, motion to force ABC News to disclose recordings and notes from correspondent Matt Gutman’s interview with Karen Read ahead of her trial on murder charges. The request was struck down.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
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"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
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"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
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"assailant": null,
"was_journalist_targeted": null,
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": "State",
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "Massachusetts",
"abbreviation": "MA"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [
"ABC News"
],
"tags": [],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Subpoena/Legal Order"
],
"targeted_journalists": [],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Media barred from identifying officer working DeSantis security",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/media-barred-from-identifying-officer-working-desantis-security/",
"first_published_at": "2023-11-30T20:30:54.001585Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-11-30T20:30:54.001585Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-11-30T20:30:49.205351Z",
"date": "2023-08-30",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Miami",
"longitude": -80.19366,
"latitude": 25.77427,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"vl8kg\">A Florida circuit court judge issued a prior restraint on Aug. 30, 2023, barring members of the press from publishing anything that might identify an officer who had provided security for Gov. Ron DeSantis.</p><p data-block-key=\"fop9q\">The ruling was the result of a lawsuit brought by Grant Stern, the executive editor of the news arm of progressive political organization Occupy Democrats, after he and a columnist were <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/two-occupy-democrats-journalists-barred-from-desantis-press-conference/\">barred by a plainclothes officer</a> from attending the governor’s Sept. 22, 2022, press conference at Miami Dade College.</p><p data-block-key=\"cg1n0\">The officer, who refused to identify himself at the time, filmed the pair of journalists on a cellphone and ordered a uniformed officer to remove them from the building. Stern made an on-the-spot records request for a copy of the recording and ultimately filed a formal records request to identify the plainclothes officer.</p><p data-block-key=\"e8jcl\">The Miami Police Department refused to identify the officer, asserting that he was working undercover, as distinct from simply in civilian clothes, and was therefore exempt from such disclosures. Stern filed the lawsuit in October 2022 challenging the decision.</p><p data-block-key=\"9bgip\">During a hearing on Aug. 30, 2023, Circuit Court Judge Migna Sanchez-Llorens told the parties she would reserve judgment on the distinction. Attorneys for the city then asked that — if the judge were to rule that the officer was working undercover — the images and videos filed as evidence in the suit be sealed, redacted or blurred out to protect his identity.</p><p data-block-key=\"8dn66\">Sanchez-Llorens noted an objection raised by Stern’s attorney but heard no arguments before ruling that Stern’s photograph and any other identifiers of the officer would be placed under seal until she ruled on the question of his status.</p><p data-block-key=\"4hj75\">The following day, the judge expanded the gag order to include all media and said that no one should disclose the identity of the officer. “This means that all persons shall refrain from releasing name, photos, or badge number of the undercover agent,” Sanchez-Llorens wrote.</p><p data-block-key=\"25hve\">“[The judge] did all of that without briefing, motion, nothing,” Stern told the Tracker. “They [city’s attorneys] merely suggested, just to get a sense of the court, if they could get a further order after the ruling. That’s all they asked for. She went ahead and did the rest.”</p><p data-block-key=\"dvm19\">Stern told the Tracker that there is virtually no limit on how long the judge can reserve judgment, and that he and other media will remain gagged until she issues a ruling.</p><p data-block-key=\"4gokl\">“This is two out of the three branches of Florida government now censoring this,” Stern said. “If the state doesn’t want you around they exercise every lever of government to prevent state officials from facing tough questions.”</p><p data-block-key=\"9cu6a\">Stern subsequently filed a motion asking the judge to recuse herself from the case, arguing that not only did she issue her order without following proper procedure but had also prejudged that the officer was working undercover, showing bias in the case. Sanchez-Llorens denied the motion, which Stern has since appealed to the Third District Court of Appeal of Florida.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Stern_prior_restraint.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"axs4l\">A portion of the order, filed Aug. 31, 2023, ordering Occupy Democrats’ Executive Editor Grant Stern and all other media not to publish photos or other identifying information for a police officer who had worked security for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
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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,
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"assailant": null,
"was_journalist_targeted": null,
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": "pending",
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
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"state": {
"name": "Florida",
"abbreviation": "FL"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [
"Media"
],
"tags": [],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Prior Restraint"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Grant Stern (Occupy Democrats)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Univision reporter, photographer robbed at gunpoint in Chicago",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/univision-reporter-photographer-robbed-at-gunpoint-in-chicago/",
"first_published_at": "2023-08-31T19:37:44.877626Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-09-21T15:51:42.879986Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-09-21T15:51:42.704876Z",
"date": "2023-08-28",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Chicago",
"longitude": -87.65005,
"latitude": 41.85003,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"1qfrh\">A Univision news crew was robbed at gunpoint in Chicago, Illinois, on Aug. 28, 2023, while reporting on a spike in armed robbery in the city’s North Side. A broadcast camera and the journalists’ personal belongings were taken but the station said they were uninjured, <a href=\"https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-chicago-tv-news-crew-robbed-20230828-nm6dm6kzabcwbmprlfyyd77cz4-story.html\">according to the Chicago Tribune</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"bibv4\">The reporter and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/univision-photographer-reporter-robbed-at-gunpoint-in-chicago/\">photographer</a> were preparing to do a live shot in the neighborhood of Wicker Park shortly before 5 a.m. when two vehicles approached them, the Tribune reported. The Chicago Police Department told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that three individuals donning ski masks and displaying firearms robbed them. The police said that the incident is under investigation and no arrests have been made.</p><p data-block-key=\"f49lv\">Univision Chicago Vice President of News Luis Felipe Godinez told the Tribune that the journalists were uninjured, though equipment was taken.</p><p data-block-key=\"453k\">“Mainly it was personal items, and they took a camera,” Godinez said, adding that the station is not identifying the journalists in order to protect their privacy.</p><p data-block-key=\"5dnuj\">When <a href=\"https://blockclubchicago.org/2023/08/28/tv-news-crew-robbed-in-wicker-park-while-reporting-on-spike-in-armed-robberies/\">contacted by Block Club Chicago</a>, the reporter — who asked to remain anonymous — confirmed that the camera was the only item of value stolen and called the robbery “total irony.”</p><p data-block-key=\"bujob\">“As a journalist, you never want to be the story, right? You’re reporting on the story but you never think that you can become the story,” he said. “So I guess it’s another reminder of how important it is to keep doing these stories and to keep pressure on our local authorities to try to prevent more events like that.”</p><p data-block-key=\"20geb\">The incident was the second robbery of journalists in Chicago in less than a month — a WLS-TV photographer was <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/wls-tv-photographer-assaulted-phones-stolen-vehicle-damaged/\">assaulted and robbed</a> while preparing to cover a news conference on Aug. 8, the station <a href=\"https://abc7chicago.com/chicago-shooting-east-garfield-park-reward-reverend-paul-jakes/13619841/\">reported</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"1htb5\">Raza Siddiqui, president of the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians Local 41, which represents TV photographers in Chicago, <a href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2023/8/28/23850057/chicago-tv-news-crew-robbed-at-gunpoint-while-reporting-on-armed-robberies\">told the Chicago Sun-Times</a> that the union is arranging a safety meeting for members to voice concerns about the dangers they are increasingly facing.</p><p data-block-key=\"1d35d\">“We want to make sure that we provide a longer-lasting solution, that we work not only with management but our members, and make sure that we read some protocols that everyone is happy with and feels can be a workable solution,” Siddiqui said.</p><p data-block-key=\"5q8vg\">Some Chicago news stations have begun to implement additional security measures in the meantime, Siddiqui added, including hiring security for some TV crews.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/RTS367NU.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"aljae\">Motorists and pedestrians navigate the Wicker Park neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, in this 2020 file photo. A Univision news crew was robbed at gunpoint on Aug. 28, 2023, while preparing for a live shoot in the area.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
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"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": null,
"did_authorities_ask_about_work": null,
"assailant": "private individual",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "Illinois",
"abbreviation": "IL"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"robbery"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Unidentified reporter 5 (WGBO-DT)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": null
},
{
"title": "Univision photographer, reporter robbed at gunpoint in Chicago",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/univision-photographer-reporter-robbed-at-gunpoint-in-chicago/",
"first_published_at": "2023-08-31T19:39:21.677053Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-10-27T21:03:14.202440Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-10-27T21:03:14.045674Z",
"date": "2023-08-28",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Chicago",
"longitude": -87.65005,
"latitude": 41.85003,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"1op7u\">A Univision news crew was robbed at gunpoint in Chicago, Illinois, on Aug. 28, 2023, while reporting on a spike in armed robbery in the city’s North Side. A broadcast camera and the journalists’ personal belongings were taken but the station said they were uninjured, <a href=\"https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-chicago-tv-news-crew-robbed-20230828-nm6dm6kzabcwbmprlfyyd77cz4-story.html\">according to the Chicago Tribune</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"foftd\">The photographer and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/univision-reporter-photographer-robbed-at-gunpoint-in-chicago/\">reporter</a> were preparing to do a live shot in the neighborhood of Wicker Park shortly before 5 a.m. when two vehicles approached them, the Tribune reported. The Chicago Police Department told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that three individuals donning ski masks and displaying firearms robbed them. The police said that the incident is under investigation and no arrests have been made.</p><p data-block-key=\"fgq57\">Univision Chicago Vice President of News Luis Felipe Godinez told the Tribune that the journalists were uninjured, though equipment was taken.</p><p data-block-key=\"4asg6\">“Mainly it was personal items, and they took a camera,” Godinez said, adding that the station is not identifying the journalists in order to protect their privacy.</p><p data-block-key=\"ffrps\">When <a href=\"https://blockclubchicago.org/2023/08/28/tv-news-crew-robbed-in-wicker-park-while-reporting-on-spike-in-armed-robberies/\">contacted by Block Club Chicago</a>, the reporter — who asked to remain anonymous — confirmed that the camera was the only item of value stolen and called the robbery “total irony.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1sf2j\">“As a journalist, you never want to be the story, right? You’re reporting on the story but you never think that you can become the story,” he said. “So I guess it’s another reminder of how important it is to keep doing these stories and to keep pressure on our local authorities to try to prevent more events like that.”</p><p data-block-key=\"60ul0\">The incident was the second robbery of journalists in Chicago in less than a month — a WLS-TV photographer was <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/wls-tv-photographer-assaulted-phones-stolen-vehicle-damaged/\">assaulted and robbed</a> while preparing to cover a news conference on Aug. 8, the station <a href=\"https://abc7chicago.com/chicago-shooting-east-garfield-park-reward-reverend-paul-jakes/13619841/\">reported</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"3pffk\">Raza Siddiqui, president of the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians Local 41, which represents TV photographers in Chicago, <a href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2023/8/28/23850057/chicago-tv-news-crew-robbed-at-gunpoint-while-reporting-on-armed-robberies\">told the Chicago Sun-Times</a> that the union is arranging a safety meeting for members to voice concerns about the dangers they are increasingly facing.</p><p data-block-key=\"cs0o7\">“We want to make sure that we provide a longer-lasting solution, that we work not only with management but our members, and make sure that we read some protocols that everyone is happy with and feels can be a workable solution,” Siddiqui said.</p><p data-block-key=\"ap4pj\">Some Chicago news stations have begun to implement additional security measures in the meantime, Siddiqui added, including hiring security for some TV crews.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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{
"title": "ProPublica reporter subpoenaed over IRS suit",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/propublica-reporter-subpoenaed-over-irs-suit/",
"first_published_at": "2023-09-29T17:11:47.747680Z",
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"6b25v\">ProPublica and five of its journalists — including reporter Paul Kiel — were each subpoenaed on Aug. 22, 2023, in connection with an ongoing lawsuit filed by hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin against the Internal Revenue Service, the nonprofit newsroom confirmed to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"ev33b\">Griffin filed the suit in federal court in Miami in December 2022, alleging that the IRS failed to establish “appropriate administrative, technical, and/or physical safeguards” to protect his private data.</p><p data-block-key=\"89gl6\">A ProPublica spokesperson told the Tracker via email that the outlet and journalists received “sprawling subpoenas for documents” in an apparent attempt to identify ProPublica’s source following the publication of its series, “<a href=\"https://www.propublica.org/series/the-secret-irs-files\">The Secret IRS Files</a>,” which relied on what it called “a vast cache” of tax documents.</p><p data-block-key=\"babra\">“As we reported from the first day the series appeared, we don’t know the identity of the source who provided this trove of information on the taxes paid by the wealthiest Americans,” the spokesperson wrote. “We are deeply committed to protecting our sources — who are the lifeblood of our journalism — and maintaining the independence of our newsroom. These principles are sacrosanct at ProPublica and will remain our priority as we address Griffin’s subpoenas. If necessary, we are prepared to defend our rights in court.”</p><p data-block-key=\"6us7t\">ProPublica declined to provide further information about the content of the subpoenas or how the outlet is responding to them.</p><p data-block-key=\"2vea4\">A <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.625155/gov.uscourts.flsd.625155.36.0.pdf\">joint status report</a> filed in the underlying lawsuit identified the <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2023-08-22&date_upper=2023-08-22&targeted_institutions=ProPublica&categories=Subpoena%2FLegal+Order\">journalists subpoenaed</a> as Kiel; former reporter Mick Dumke; senior editor and reporter Jesse Eisinger; senior data reporter Jeff Ernsthausen; and reporter, designer and developer Ash Ngu. According to the report, responses to the subpoenas were due on Sept. 26 and the deadline to begin production of materials is Oct. 6.</p></div>",
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],
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{
"title": "ProPublica senior data reporter subpoenaed over IRS lawsuit",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/propublica-senior-data-reporter-subpoenaed-over-irs-lawsuit/",
"first_published_at": "2023-09-29T17:10:54.927332Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-04-08T16:44:17.256028Z",
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"vyhp6\">ProPublica and five of its journalists — including senior data reporter Jeff Ernsthausen — were each subpoenaed on Aug. 22, 2023, in connection with an ongoing lawsuit filed by hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin against the Internal Revenue Service, the nonprofit newsroom confirmed to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"decn0\">Griffin filed the suit in federal court in Miami in December 2022, alleging that the IRS failed to establish “appropriate administrative, technical, and/or physical safeguards” to protect his private data.</p><p data-block-key=\"bhiat\">A ProPublica spokesperson told the Tracker via email that the outlet and journalists received “sprawling subpoenas for documents” in an apparent attempt to identify ProPublica’s source following the publication of its series, “<a href=\"https://www.propublica.org/series/the-secret-irs-files\">The Secret IRS Files</a>,” which relied on what it called “a vast cache” of tax documents.</p><p data-block-key=\"8dt7j\">“As we reported from the first day the series appeared, we don’t know the identity of the source who provided this trove of information on the taxes paid by the wealthiest Americans,” the spokesperson wrote. “We are deeply committed to protecting our sources — who are the lifeblood of our journalism — and maintaining the independence of our newsroom. These principles are sacrosanct at ProPublica and will remain our priority as we address Griffin’s subpoenas. If necessary, we are prepared to defend our rights in court.”</p><p data-block-key=\"ejc5b\">ProPublica declined to provide further information about the content of the subpoenas or how the outlet is responding to them.</p><p data-block-key=\"1e8ce\">A <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.625155/gov.uscourts.flsd.625155.36.0.pdf\">joint status report</a> filed in the underlying lawsuit identified the <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2023-08-22&date_upper=2023-08-22&targeted_institutions=ProPublica&categories=Subpoena%2FLegal+Order\">journalists subpoenaed</a> as Ernsthausen; former reporter Mick Dumke; senior editor and reporter Jesse Eisinger; reporter Paul Kiel; and reporter, designer and developer Ash Ngu. According to the report, responses to the subpoenas were due on Sept. 26 and the deadline to begin production of materials is Oct. 6.</p></div>",
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"state": {
"name": "Florida",
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],
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},
{
"title": "Former ProPublica reporter subpoenaed over IRS lawsuit",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/former-propublica-reporter-subpoenaed-over-irs-lawsuit/",
"first_published_at": "2023-09-29T17:00:38.617572Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-04-08T16:44:57.748371Z",
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"city": "Miami",
"longitude": -80.19366,
"latitude": 25.77427,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"7rahu\">ProPublica and five of its journalists — including former reporter Mick Dumke — were each subpoenaed on Aug. 22, 2023, in connection with an ongoing lawsuit filed by hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin against the Internal Revenue Service, the nonprofit newsroom confirmed to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"8eap5\">Griffin filed the suit in federal court in Miami in December 2022, alleging that the IRS failed to establish “appropriate administrative, technical, and/or physical safeguards” to protect his private data.</p><p data-block-key=\"4bl38\">A ProPublica spokesperson told the Tracker via email that the outlet and journalists received “sprawling subpoenas for documents” in an apparent attempt to identify ProPublica’s source following the publication of its series, “<a href=\"https://www.propublica.org/series/the-secret-irs-files\">The Secret IRS Files</a>,” which relied on what it called “a vast cache” of tax documents.</p><p data-block-key=\"abref\">“As we reported from the first day the series appeared, we don’t know the identity of the source who provided this trove of information on the taxes paid by the wealthiest Americans,” the spokesperson wrote. “We are deeply committed to protecting our sources — who are the lifeblood of our journalism — and maintaining the independence of our newsroom. These principles are sacrosanct at ProPublica and will remain our priority as we address Griffin’s subpoenas. If necessary, we are prepared to defend our rights in court.”</p><p data-block-key=\"f8e2m\">ProPublica declined to provide further information about the content of the subpoenas or how the outlet is responding to them.</p><p data-block-key=\"dcvhe\">A <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.625155/gov.uscourts.flsd.625155.36.0.pdf\">joint status report</a> filed in the underlying lawsuit identified the journalists subpoenaed as Dumke, who left the outlet in December 2022; senior editor and reporter Jesse Eisinger; senior data reporter Jeff Ernsthausen; reporter Paul Kiel; and reporter, designer and developer Ash Ngu. According to the report, responses to the subpoenas were due on Sept. 26 and the deadline to begin production of materials is Oct. 6.</p></div>",
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"state": {
"name": "Florida",
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],
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},
{
"title": "ProPublica journalist subpoenaed over IRS lawsuit",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/propublica-journalist-subpoenaed-over-irs-lawsuit/",
"first_published_at": "2023-09-29T17:08:21.320043Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-04-08T16:43:28.796431Z",
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"date": "2023-08-22",
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"city": "Miami",
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"latitude": 25.77427,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"a3p71\">ProPublica and five of its journalists — including reporter, designer and developer Ash Ngu — were each subpoenaed on Aug. 22, 2023, in connection with an ongoing lawsuit filed by hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin against the Internal Revenue Service, the nonprofit newsroom confirmed to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"d4ltr\">Griffin filed the suit in federal court in Miami in December 2022, alleging that the IRS failed to establish “appropriate administrative, technical, and/or physical safeguards” to protect his private data.</p><p data-block-key=\"3svru\">A ProPublica spokesperson told the Tracker via email that the outlet and journalists received “sprawling subpoenas for documents” in an apparent attempt to identify ProPublica’s source following the publication of its series, “<a href=\"https://www.propublica.org/series/the-secret-irs-files\">The Secret IRS Files</a>,” which relied on what it called “a vast cache” of tax documents.</p><p data-block-key=\"2elt2\">“As we reported from the first day the series appeared, we don’t know the identity of the source who provided this trove of information on the taxes paid by the wealthiest Americans,” the spokesperson wrote. “We are deeply committed to protecting our sources — who are the lifeblood of our journalism — and maintaining the independence of our newsroom. These principles are sacrosanct at ProPublica and will remain our priority as we address Griffin’s subpoenas. If necessary, we are prepared to defend our rights in court.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4nhug\">ProPublica declined to provide further information about the content of the subpoenas or how the outlet is responding to them.</p><p data-block-key=\"46ljv\">A <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.625155/gov.uscourts.flsd.625155.36.0.pdf\">joint status report</a> filed in the underlying lawsuit identified the <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2023-08-22&date_upper=2023-08-22&targeted_institutions=ProPublica&categories=Subpoena%2FLegal+Order\">journalists subpoenaed</a> as Ngu, former reporter Mick Dumke; senior editor and reporter Jesse Eisinger; senior data reporter Jeff Ernsthausen; and reporter Paul Kiel. According to the report, responses to the subpoenas were due on Sept. 26 and the deadline to begin production of materials is Oct. 6.</p></div>",
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"state": {
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],
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{
"title": "ProPublica senior editor subpoenaed over IRS lawsuit",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/propublica-senior-editor-subpoenaed-over-irs-lawsuit/",
"first_published_at": "2023-09-29T17:11:29.940931Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-04-08T16:44:37.037905Z",
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"rfvzw\">ProPublica and five of its journalists — including senior editor and reporter Jesse Eisinger — were each subpoenaed on Aug. 22, 2023, in connection with an ongoing lawsuit filed by hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin against the Internal Revenue Service, the nonprofit newsroom confirmed to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"cf373\">Griffin filed the suit in federal court in Miami in December 2022, alleging that the IRS failed to establish “appropriate administrative, technical, and/or physical safeguards” to protect his private data.</p><p data-block-key=\"8stqs\">A ProPublica spokesperson told the Tracker via email that the outlet and journalists received “sprawling subpoenas for documents” in an apparent attempt to identify ProPublica’s source following the publication of its series, “<a href=\"https://www.propublica.org/series/the-secret-irs-files\">The Secret IRS Files</a>,” which relied on what it called “a vast cache” of tax documents.</p><p data-block-key=\"5f35s\">“As we reported from the first day the series appeared, we don’t know the identity of the source who provided this trove of information on the taxes paid by the wealthiest Americans,” the spokesperson wrote. “We are deeply committed to protecting our sources — who are the lifeblood of our journalism — and maintaining the independence of our newsroom. These principles are sacrosanct at ProPublica and will remain our priority as we address Griffin’s subpoenas. If necessary, we are prepared to defend our rights in court.”</p><p data-block-key=\"hcfu\">ProPublica declined to provide further information about the content of the subpoenas or how the outlet is responding to them.</p><p data-block-key=\"4e3td\">A <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.625155/gov.uscourts.flsd.625155.36.0.pdf\">joint status report</a> filed in the underlying lawsuit identified the <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2023-08-22&date_upper=2023-08-22&targeted_institutions=ProPublica&categories=Subpoena%2FLegal+Order\">journalists subpoenaed</a> as Eisinger, former reporter Mick Dumke; senior data reporter Jeff Ernsthausen; reporter Paul Kiel; and reporter, designer and developer Ash Ngu. According to the report, responses to the subpoenas were due on Sept. 26 and the deadline to begin production of materials is Oct. 6.</p></div>",
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"name": "Florida",
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},
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"(2023-10-06 00:00:00+00:00) Outcome unknown for ‘sprawling’ subpoenas to ProPublica and its reporters"
],
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},
{
"title": "Independent journalist repeatedly assaulted while documenting LA protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/independent-journalist-repeatedly-assaulted-while-documenting-la-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2023-12-06T20:49:52.341883Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-12-06T21:52:16.903434Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-12-06T21:52:16.808446Z",
"date": "2023-08-22",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ravdf\">Independent journalist Vishal Singh was repeatedly assaulted while reporting on a protest against the Los Angeles Unified School District on Aug. 22, 2023.</p><p data-block-key=\"7kkt1\">Singh, who uses they/he pronouns, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that demonstrators they characterized as anti-LGBTQ+ marched from City Hall to the district’s headquarters to call for greater limits on education about the LGBTQ+ community. The school board was holding its first meeting of the new school year that day, <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/who-are-the-people-behind-leave-our-kids-alone-and-why-do-they-want-to-limit-lgbtq-education/\">according to CBS News</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"99tfs\">While following the march, Singh deliberately kept at a distance from the participants, staying about a block behind.</p><p data-block-key=\"60v7r\">“As I was doing that, there were three separate incidents where I got kind of picked out and attacked, primarily by the same individual,” Singh said.</p><p data-block-key=\"27il5\">The first assault happened shortly after 11 a.m. In Singh’s <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/CwQaFGIJBHN/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D\">footage</a>, a demonstrator can be seen noticing Singh, then crossing the street to block their camera with a “Leave Our Kids Alone” T-shirt and telling them to “back the fuck up.” When a police vehicle beeps its siren, the man can be seen striking Singh and their cellphone with the shirt before turning and walking away.</p><p data-block-key=\"b8qs0\">An hour later on a freeway overpass near the school district headquarters, the same man approached Singh again, blocking them from filming and telling them to leave the area.</p><p data-block-key=\"54io1\">“You don’t think I know who the fuck you are?” the man says in <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CwQiSuApbsa/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again\">Singh’s footage</a>. “And you think your camera is going to save you? And the cops, you think that’s going to save you?”</p><p data-block-key=\"ah49m\">The man then repeatedly shoves Singh to prevent them from walking toward the front of the march and in an attempt to knock the phone from their hands. Singh told the Tracker that 20 or 30 Los Angeles Police Department officers witnessed the attack and did nothing to intervene.</p><p data-block-key=\"sh5j\">“At one point, [the assailant] actually shoved me and pushed me into the cops and the cops didn’t do anything,” Singh said.</p><p data-block-key=\"ruc\">Singh told the Tracker that the man <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/CwQjFzEJtcz/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=7ed3e7f1-820d-49df-92a2-455af51c4e30\">continued to shove them</a> back across the bridge and into a construction site, calling them a homophobic slur and nearly pushing them to the ground atop fallen nails.</p><p data-block-key=\"2vegp\">“I basically just had to retreat,” Singh said. “I missed about an hour of the protest just trying to get to safety.”</p><p data-block-key=\"94j6b\">They said they were eventually able to go around a different way to the front of the march to report from behind the police line.</p><p data-block-key=\"aa576\">Singh told the Tracker they called Adam Rose, the secretary of the LA Press Club and chair of the press rights committee, about the incident and filed a police report listing it as a hate crime. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department told the Tracker via email that officers took a battery simple assault report and the investigation is still ongoing. </p><p data-block-key=\"9nh73\">“I know what’s happening to me isn’t just happening to me, and it’s making the whole temperature here in LA a lot more dangerous for other journalists,” Singh said. “It hurts everybody every time one of us gets assaulted.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7fm6b\">Singh told the Tracker that they have largely stopped reporting on protests because of the targeted attacks.</p><p data-block-key=\"3nr36\">“I can’t even do a story if every single time I’m going to get attacked and that becomes the story,” Singh said. “It’s a disservice to me and it’s a disservice to what I’m reporting on.”</p><p data-block-key=\"9h8em\"><i>Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with comment received from the Los Angeles Police Department after publication.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"h3pdh\">Independent journalist Vishal Singh was assaulted multiple times while reporting on a march in Los Angeles, California, on Aug. 22, 2023, organized by the protest group Leave Our Kids Alone in opposition to the inclusion of LGBTQ+ education.</p>",
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"assailant": "private individual",
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"state": {
"name": "California",
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},
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"LGBTQ+ rights",
"protest"
],
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"Assault"
],
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"Vishal Singh (Independent)"
],
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},
{
"title": "ProPublica receives ‘sprawling’ subpoena following tax evasion series",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/propublica-receives-sprawling-subpoena-following-tax-evasion-series/",
"first_published_at": "2023-09-29T16:35:44.603839Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-04-08T16:00:54.451989Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-04-08T16:00:54.297107Z",
"date": "2023-08-22",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Miami",
"longitude": -80.19366,
"latitude": 25.77427,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"zpkd1\">ProPublica and five of its journalists were each subpoenaed on Aug. 22, 2023, in connection with an ongoing lawsuit filed by hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin against the Internal Revenue Service, the nonprofit newsroom confirmed to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"3o1mk\">Griffin filed the suit in federal court in Miami in December 2022, alleging that the IRS failed to establish “appropriate administrative, technical, and/or physical safeguards” to protect his private data.</p><p data-block-key=\"307b7\">A ProPublica spokesperson told the Tracker via email that the outlet and journalists received “sprawling subpoenas for documents” in an apparent attempt to identify ProPublica’s source following the publication of its series, “<a href=\"https://www.propublica.org/series/the-secret-irs-files\">The Secret IRS Files</a>,” which relied on what it called “a vast cache” of tax documents.</p><p data-block-key=\"9pn6j\">“As we reported from the first day the series appeared, we don’t know the identity of the source who provided this trove of information on the taxes paid by the wealthiest Americans,” the spokesperson wrote. “We are deeply committed to protecting our sources — who are the lifeblood of our journalism — and maintaining the independence of our newsroom. These principles are sacrosanct at ProPublica and will remain our priority as we address Griffin’s subpoenas. If necessary, we are prepared to defend our rights in court.”</p><p data-block-key=\"dpm8i\">ProPublica declined to provide further information about the content of the subpoenas or how the outlet is responding to them.</p><p data-block-key=\"cvk3m\">A <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.625155/gov.uscourts.flsd.625155.36.0.pdf\">joint status report</a> filed in the underlying lawsuit identified the <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2023-08-22&date_upper=2023-08-22&targeted_institutions=ProPublica&categories=Subpoena%2FLegal+Order\">journalists subpoenaed</a> as former reporter Mick Dumke; senior editor and reporter Jesse Eisinger; senior data reporter Jeff Ernsthausen; reporter Paul Kiel; and reporter, designer and developer Ash Ngu. According to the report, responses to the subpoenas were due on Sept. 26 and the deadline to begin production of materials is Oct. 6.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/RTS7J820.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"bevop\">Hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin, seen here speaking at a conference in 2022, subpoenaed ProPublica and five of its journalists on Aug. 22, 2023, in connection with his lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"state": {
"name": "Florida",
"abbreviation": "FL"
},
"updates": [
"(2023-10-06 00:00:00+00:00) Outcome unknown for ‘sprawling’ subpoenas to ProPublica and its reporters"
],
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"ProPublica"
],
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},
{
"title": "Florida broadcast photographer assaulted outside of jail",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/florida-broadcast-photographer-assaulted-outside-of-jail/",
"first_published_at": "2023-08-24T15:32:31.497116Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-08-24T15:32:31.497116Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-08-24T15:28:26.869049Z",
"date": "2023-08-17",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Miami",
"longitude": -80.19366,
"latitude": 25.77427,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"a8tl9\">A WPLG-TV photographer was assaulted in Miami, Florida, on Aug. 17, 2023, while covering the release from jail of a woman accused of grand theft and fraudulent use of a credit card.</p><p data-block-key=\"jnjg\">The station <a href=\"https://www.local10.com/news/local/2023/08/17/father-of-accused-yoga-studio-thief-goes-on-tirade-grabs-photojournalist-as-daughter-leaves-jail/\">reported</a> that the woman ran out of the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center covering her face with papers when she was released on bond. A man, identified as the woman’s father, confronted the WPLG photojournalist for filming her, shoving the journalist and shouting expletives.</p><p data-block-key=\"9cost\">In footage from the incident, the man can be heard shouting, “Stop fucking filming my fucking kid” and “You’re a fucking criminal.”</p><p data-block-key=\"frnhv\">South Miami Police Sgt. Fernando Bosch told WPLG, “I just saw the video and that’s an assault.” The Miami Police Department Public Information Office did not respond to a voicemail requesting additional information.</p><p data-block-key=\"auj4d\">WPLG did not respond to multiple requests for comment.</p></div>",
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"assailant": "private individual",
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"state": {
"name": "Florida",
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},
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"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Unidentified photojournalist 29 (WPLG)"
],
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},
{
"title": "New York congressman lifts press ban for public town hall meetings",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/new-york-congressman-lifts-press-ban-for-public-town-hall-meetings/",
"first_published_at": "2024-01-08T19:44:01.377724Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-04-11T19:41:02.974326Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-04-11T19:41:02.883198Z",
"date": "2023-08-12",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Carmel",
"longitude": -73.68013,
"latitude": 41.43009,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">A New York congressman for several months in 2023 enforced a policy of restricting press access at his town hall events to journalists who live in his district, prohibiting reporters in attendance from recording the events, using cameras and asking questions.</p><p data-block-key=\"7kb1p\">U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., ultimately reversed the policy on Jan. 5, 2024, announcing that his office will now grant access to all credentialed media and allow cameras. Lawler said he will also take reporters’ questions after each event.</p><p data-block-key=\"d5rns\">Lawler’s press crackdown was first reported after an Aug. 22, 2023, meeting when his staff only allowed a reporter for The Highlands Current to enter a Carmel, New York, town hall with restrictions <a href=\"https://highlandscurrent.org/2023/08/25/lawler-urges-immigration-reform-energy-policy/?noamp=available\">on her newsgathering methods.</a></p><p data-block-key=\"a1i62\">“On entering, with my ticket, I had my camera around my neck. Lawler’s staff members said that I could not take photos or otherwise record the event and had to immediately either put the camera back in my car or surrender it until the town hall ended,” Liz Schevtchuk Armstrong told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"41gr9\">Armstrong added: “When I explained that I was with the press, the staff answered that the town hall was not open to news media coverage. I expressed my surprise and questioned how a House member and his staff, all paid by taxpayers, could forbid press coverage of a public forum held in a public, local government building. The staff appeared confused and a long discussion ensued between me and one of Rep. Lawler’s senior staff members.”</p><p data-block-key=\"8jhv4\">Armstrong said she was finally able to gain entry to the town hall using a ticket issued to one of Lawler’s constituents.</p><p data-block-key=\"7ukbm\">Similar press restrictions were imposed throughout the fall of 2023. Lawler’s staff, for instance, barred journalists from attending a Sept. 25 town hall event in East Fishkill, New York, Kayla Guo of <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/28/us/politics/government-shutdown-house-republicans.html\">The New York Times reported</a>. Guo interviewed town hall attendees outside the venue.</p><p data-block-key=\"aur9a\">Lawler also barred the press from a Nov. 19 town hall event at Rockland Community College in Suffern, New York, where attendees were threatened with expulsion if they recorded the event, <a href=\"https://www.lohud.com/story/news/politics/2023/12/18/lawler-press-ban-continues-at-congressional-town-hall-in-westchester/71903896007/\">reported David McKay Wilson of The Journal News</a>. Wilson gained access to the sold-out town hall by obtaining a friend’s ticket to the event. He published an account and a photo of the event in The Journal News.</p><p data-block-key=\"9euap\">The Rockland Daily reported that its request for a press pass to the Nov. 19 event was denied, but that one of its photographers was allowed to attend the town hall in his capacity as a private citizen and a constituent of Lawler’s, and was permitted to take photos with his cellphone.</p><p data-block-key=\"5qr50\">Lawler’s Dec. 17 town hall at a high school in Thornwood, New York, was also closed to the press, according to the Eventbrite <a href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com.mx/e/westchester-county-town-hall-tickets-772512996167?aff=ebdsoporgprofile&keep_tld=1\">page for the event</a>. A <a href=\"https://www.lohud.com/story/news/politics/2023/12/18/lawler-press-ban-continues-at-congressional-town-hall-in-westchester/71903896007/\">Journal News photographer</a> and a <a href=\"https://westchester.news12.com/rep-lawler-bans-media-cameras-from-town-hall-meetings\">News 12 Westchester camera crew</a> were barred from entering the venue.</p><p data-block-key=\"82s18\">The Journal News’ Wilson said he was allowed to attend that event as a constituent but not as a member of the press — he reported that attendees were again threatened with expulsion if they recorded Lawler’s exchanges or took photos.</p><p data-block-key=\"e2rga\">“This was an event of a member of Congress, in his official capacity as member of Congress,” Wilson told the Tracker. “It’s the first time I was barred from a public congressional event.”</p><p data-block-key=\"9bak6\">The New York Times and News 12 did not immediately respond to requests for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"252ke\">Lawler, in his Jan. 5 statement, said his office had imposed the policy to make the town halls “as hospitable and welcoming as possible. … The goal was to prevent these town halls from being hijacked by out-of-district political grandstanders desperately searching for a viral video clip, and instead geared towards hearing directly from constituents with serious questions or concerns.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7ibqh\">Lawler’s statement added: “Upon reflection, while well-intentioned, these rules could have been explained and implemented in a better way.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Lawler_town_hall_rules-August.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"9ue6o\">Placard displayed at an Aug. 22 town hall event hosted by U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-NY.</p>",
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"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
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"state": {
"name": "New York",
"abbreviation": "NY"
},
"updates": [],
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"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [
"Media",
"News 12 Westchester",
"Rockland Daily",
"The Highlands Current",
"The Journal News",
"The New York Times"
],
"tags": [],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [
"Federal government: Legislature"
],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Denial of Access"
],
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]
},
{
"title": "Newsroom, personal equipment seized in Kansas raid",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/newsroom-personal-equipment-seized-in-kansas-raid/",
"first_published_at": "2023-08-14T19:56:36.521489Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-08-07T19:07:24.872243Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-08-07T19:07:24.620008Z",
"date": "2023-08-11",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Marion",
"longitude": -97.01725,
"latitude": 38.34835,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"n9296\">Local law enforcement executed a search warrant on the offices of the Marion County Record on Aug. 11, 2023, seizing computers, cellphones, a file server and journalistic work product. The Kansas newspaper reported that the seizures jeopardized its ability to publish its weekly edition.</p><p data-block-key=\"3eom9\">A copy of the <a href=\"https://kansasreflector.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/SearchWarrant2.jpg\">search warrant</a>, obtained by the Kansas Reflector, shows that the search was undertaken as part of an investigation into alleged unlawful use of a computer and identity theft.</p><p data-block-key=\"2nr98\"><a href=\"https://www.marionrecord.com/direct/updated_illegal_raids_contribute_to_death_of_newspaper_co_owner+5447raid+555044415445443a20496c6c6567616c20726169647320636f6e7472696275746520746f20646\">According to the Record</a>, however, when one of the paper’s reporters requested a copy of the probable cause affidavit that summarizes the circumstances and evidence supporting the warrant, the district court issued a signed statement that there wasn’t one on file.</p><p data-block-key=\"tc70\">The Record reported that during an Aug. 7 city council meeting a local restaurant owner, Kari Newell, had accused the newspaper of illegally obtaining information that she had a prior DUI conviction and had driven without a license, as well as supplying the information to Marion Vice Mayor Ruth Herbel.</p><p data-block-key=\"9gm69\">In an <a href=\"http://marionrecord.com/direct/restaurateur_accuses_paper_councilwoman+5447newell+52657374617572617465757220616363757365732070617065722c20636f756e63696c776f6d616e\">article responding</a> to the allegations, Record Publisher and Editor Eric Meyer said that a source had reached out with the information via Facebook, and had independently sent it to Herbel as well. The Record had verified the allegations through a public website but decided not to publish it, instead alerting the Marion Police Department that the source may have obtained the information illegally.</p><p data-block-key=\"2qgrp\">The morning of Aug. 11, Marion County District Court Magistrate Judge Laura Viar signed the search warrant for the Record’s office. Marion Police Department officers and Marion County sheriff’s deputies executed it within two hours, ordering staff to leave the office as equipment was seized.</p><p data-block-key=\"7a85c\">Officers also arrived simultaneously with a <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/kansas-newspaper-editors-home-raided-by-local-law-enforcement/\">second warrant</a> at Meyer’s home — where he lives with his 98-year-old mother, Joan Meyer, a co-owner and correspondent for the Record, the Reflector <a href=\"https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/11/police-stage-chilling-raid-on-marion-county-newspaper-seizing-computers-records-and-cellphones/\">reported</a>. Joan Meyer passed away the following day, which <a href=\"http://marionrecord.com/direct/updated_illegal_raids_contribute_to_death_of_newspaper_co_owner+5447raid+555044415445443a20496c6c6567616c20726169647320636f6e7472696275746520746f206465617468206f66206e657773706170657220636f2d6f776e65723c212d2d2d2d3e?\">the Record attributed</a> in part to the stress of the raid.</p><p data-block-key=\"bhc3i\">Eric Meyer told the Reflector that officers seized “everything” from the newsroom, and that he wasn’t sure how the staff would complete the edition before it needed to go to press on Aug. 15. According to court documents <a href=\"https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/court-documents-police-seized-5-computers-2-cell-phones-in-raid-on-kansas-newspaper\">obtained by KSHB</a>, officers seized four computers, a backup hard drive and reporting materials as part of the warrant.</p><p data-block-key=\"9632i\">Officers also seized two personal cellphones belonging to reporters <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/kansas-reporter-injured-during-police-raid-of-newsroom/\">Deb Gruver</a> and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/kansas-reporter-files-suit-after-phone-seized-in-newsroom-raid/\">Phyllis Zorn</a>, which were not listed on the warrant. Gruver <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/deb.gruver/posts/pfbid02kHWHUHWeEh7PhUyzqy6dFv95Vk1dQzw8KUjSpjCTdjr8fJF3kNy1v3q3Jjp7cze3l\">alleged on Facebook</a> that Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody injured her finger when he “forcibly yanked” the phone from her hand.</p><p data-block-key=\"6eo76\">Eric Meyer, a veteran reporter from the Milwaukee Journal and former journalism professor at the University of Illinois, <a href=\"https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/kansas/article278212472.html\">told The Kansas City Star</a> following the raid that the Record had also been investigating Cody’s background and allegations of wrongdoing.</p><p data-block-key=\"c4nhv\">Cody, who did not immediately respond to a request for further information, told the Star that the lack of an article about the allegations shows they had no basis. “If it was true, they would’ve printed it,” Cody said.</p><p data-block-key=\"46oai\">On Aug. 14, a coalition of more than 30 press freedom organizations <a href=\"https://www.rcfp.org/marion-county-record-raid-letter/\">sent a letter</a> to Cody condemning the raid and calling for the return of the newspaper’s equipment and reporting materials.</p><p data-block-key=\"8doh3\">Freedom of the Press Foundation, which operates the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, <a href=\"https://freedom.press/news/fpf-statement-on-alarming-police-raid-of-kansas-newspaper/\">called the raid</a> “alarming.”</p><p data-block-key=\"2ji6r\">“Based on the reporting so far, the police raid of the Marion County Record on Friday appears to have violated <a href=\"https://www.justice.gov/archives/jm/criminal-resource-manual-661-privacy-protection-act-1980\">federal law</a>, the First Amendment, and basic human decency,” said Director of Advocacy Seth Stern. “Everyone involved should be ashamed of themselves.”</p><p data-block-key=\"ckfvf\">In a <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/marionpoliceks/posts/pfbid02fzBK6Mp4voBLB39mF6p1ug9uQreXjZ8yPnK5mWFqYwsXdkkzBzBUj46sQeeeP6mHl\">statement released on Facebook</a>, Cody defended the legality of the raid and said that the Marion Police Department had received assistance from local and state investigators.</p><p data-block-key=\"75mg2\">“It is true that in most cases, [the federal Privacy Protection Act] requires police to use subpoenas, rather than search warrants, to search the premises of journalists unless they themselves are suspects in the offense that is the subject of the search,” Cody wrote.</p><p data-block-key=\"dj7sc\">Eric Meyer, who could not immediately be reached for comment, told the Record that while the paper’s attorneys are working to have the equipment returned, they also plan to file a federal lawsuit to ensure that such a raid never happens again.</p><p data-block-key=\"eqvm6\">“Our first priority is to be able to publish next week,” he said, “but we also want to make sure no other news organization is ever exposed to the Gestapo tactics we witnessed today. We will be seeking the maximum sanctions possible under law.”</p><p data-block-key=\"d9bbo\"><i>This article was updated to reflect reporting from KSHB around the type of equipment seized.</i></p><p data-block-key=\"2c9a5\"><i>Editor’s Note: The incident and its metadata have been updated to reflect that the equipment belonging to the Marion County Record was seized as part of a warrant, but the equipment belonging to reporters Deb Gruver and Phyllis Zorn was taken by law enforcement without any legal order permitting the seizure. Gruver’s cellphone seizure and the assault she experienced during the raid are documented</i> <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/kansas-reporter-injured-during-police-raid-of-newsroom/\"><i>here</i></a><i>. The seizure of Zorn’s cellphone is now documented</i> <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/kansas-reporter-files-suit-after-phone-seized-in-newsroom-raid/\"><i>here</i></a><i>.</i></p></div>",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"chqmo\">Kansas law enforcement officers raided the Marion County Record office Aug. 11, 2023, with a search warrant that free press attorneys and advocates say violated federal law.</p>",
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"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": "2:24-cv-02122",
"case_type": "CIVIL",
"status_of_seized_equipment": "returned in full",
"is_search_warrant_obtained": true,
"actor": "law enforcement",
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"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
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"legal_order_venue": "State",
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"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [
{
"quantity": 4,
"equipment": "computer"
},
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "storage device"
},
{
"quantity": 2,
"equipment": "work product"
}
],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "Kansas",
"abbreviation": "KS"
},
"updates": [
"(2023-10-02 15:12:00+00:00) Police chief in Kansas raid resigns; paper reports on new bodycam footage",
"(2023-08-28 16:24:00+00:00) Kansas authorities to destroy digital files from newspaper raid",
"(2023-08-30 16:16:00+00:00) Police turn over files secretly copied during raid on Marion County newspaper, destroy backups",
"(2024-04-01 00:00:00+00:00) Kansas publisher files First Amendment lawsuit against city and county",
"(2023-08-16 15:45:00+00:00) Kansas county attorney withdraws search warrant, returns seized equipment",
"(2024-08-05 00:00:00+00:00) Marion County Record journalists committed no crimes, say special prosecutors"
],
"case_statuses": [
"ongoing"
],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [
"Marion County Record"
],
"tags": [],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Equipment Search or Seizure",
"Subpoena/Legal Order"
],
"targeted_journalists": [],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
}
]
