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{
"title": "Newsmax ordered to turn over journalists’ texts in Dominion defamation suit",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/newsmax-ordered-to-turn-over-journalists-texts-in-dominion-defamation-suit/",
"first_published_at": "2024-01-08T21:25:34.957682Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-01-08T21:30:19.401428Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-01-08T21:30:19.320166Z",
"date": "2023-12-01",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Wilmington",
"longitude": -75.54659,
"latitude": 39.74595,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"te9nv\">Newsmax was ordered on Dec. 1, 2023, to turn over its journalists’ personal texts and other electronic communications, as part of Dominion Voting Systems’ ongoing defamation suit against the conservative news network.</p><p data-block-key=\"evr65\">Dominion filed the $1.6 billion lawsuit in 2021, <a href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna128179\">alleging</a> that Newsmax defamed the voting machine company when the news outlet falsely claimed that Dominion had rigged the 2020 presidential election.</p><p data-block-key=\"4mm5o\">According to court records reviewed by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, one of Dominion’s early discovery requests was for all documents and communications concerning mentions of the company on Newsmax since November 2018. Newsmax objected to the request, stating in part that it would violate multiple states’ constitutional free speech protections and reporter’s privilege laws.</p><p data-block-key=\"141jf\">In August 2023, Dominion filed a motion to compel Newsmax to review and turn over texts and other non-email communications of current employees, including those on the employees’ personal devices.</p><p data-block-key=\"a3r8c\">“This is not a case where a bright line separates business-related and personal documents,” Dominion argued. “One of the central issues is whether any of Newsmax’s media professionals expressed, behind the scenes, disbelief about the election-related lies the network was airing publicly.”</p><p data-block-key=\"btrr6\">Newsmax objected to the request, arguing in court filings that it had already searched records and communications that were “in furtherance of Newsmax business,” as ordered by a special master in the parallel <a href=\"https://www.reuters.com/legal/judge-rejects-newsmaxs-bid-dismiss-smartmatic-lawsuit-over-2020-election-2023-08-23/\">Smartmatic litigation</a>. It added that it was only able to do so because employees had cooperated voluntarily once they were assured that their private data would not be collected, reviewed or produced.</p><p data-block-key=\"bhneg\">The news network added that it has no custody or control over its employees’ personal devices, and lacks the “legal right or practical ability to demand employees turn over such devices.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3a2d8\">Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis overruled Newsmax’s arguments on Dec. 1, ordering the news network to produce the private communications.</p><p data-block-key=\"f60ds\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker, Newsmax said it is examining its options in light of the judge’s ruling.</p><p data-block-key=\"7kcos\">“Newsmax remains deeply concerned about the chilling effect that this litigation is having and will continue to have on the freedom of the press and how it covers largely live news events and controversies,” the statement said.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Smartmatic.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"glqn0\">A portion of the order issued Dec. 1, 2023, ordering Newsmax to produce its journalists’ personal texts and other electronic communications as part of Dominion’s $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against the company.</p>",
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"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
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"state": {
"name": "Delaware",
"abbreviation": "DE"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [
"Newsmax Media"
],
"tags": [
"election",
"Election 2020"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Subpoena/Legal Order"
],
"targeted_journalists": [],
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},
{
"title": "Texas attorney general subpoenas Media Matters after report on X",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/texas-attorney-general-subpoenas-media-matters-after-report-on-x/",
"first_published_at": "2024-01-05T17:51:11.548738Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-04-18T16:38:22.327564Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-04-18T16:38:22.127456Z",
"date": "2023-12-01",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Austin",
"longitude": -97.74306,
"latitude": 30.26715,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"v2hy6\">Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Dec. 1, 2023, demanded that Media Matters for America turn over what the media watchdog called a “sweeping array” of materials related to its reporting, according to court documents reviewed by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"86h60\">Media Matters <a href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/media-matters-elon-musk-texas-attorney-general-ken-paxton-rcna129402\">sued</a> on Dec. 11 to block the “civil investigative demand,” an administrative subpoena that is part of a <a href=\"https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-opens-investigation-media-matters-potential-fraudulent-activity\">probe</a> launched Nov. 20 by Paxton into what his office characterized as “potential fraudulent activity” under the Texas Business Organizations Code and the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.</p><p data-block-key=\"4ecgt\">The probe followed the Nov. 16 publication of a Media Matters <a href=\"https://www.mediamatters.org/twitter/musk-endorses-antisemitic-conspiracy-theory-x-has-been-placing-ads-apple-bravo-ibm-oracle\">report</a> that found advertisements for major brands appeared next to pro-Nazi posts on X, formerly known as Twitter. <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/17/technology/elon-musk-twitter-x-advertisers.html\">Several</a> major companies <a href=\"https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/17/23965928/apple-x-ads-elon-musk-antisemitic-posts\">paused</a> their advertising on the platform shortly after the report and following a post on X by owner Elon Musk that appeared to endorse an antisemitic conspiracy theory.</p><p data-block-key=\"apfj\">Paxton, a Republican, said he was “extremely troubled” by allegations that the progressive, Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit had manipulated data on X. “We are examining the issue closely to ensure that the public has not been deceived by the schemes of radical left-wing organizations who would like nothing more than to limit freedom by reducing participation in the public square,” he added.</p><p data-block-key=\"5108u\">The allegations of data manipulation were contained in a Nov. 20 <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.txnd.383454/gov.uscourts.txnd.383454.1.0_1.pdf\">lawsuit</a> filed by X against Media Matters and senior investigative reporter Eric Hananoki in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. X’s suit alleged that the group and Hananoki, who wrote the story, manipulated the platform’s algorithms to produce feeds in which advertisers’ posts appeared next to pro-Nazi content, with the intent of harming X’s relationship with advertisers.</p><p data-block-key=\"ectch\">The suit sought unspecified damages and asked a judge to order Media Matters to remove the report from its website and social media accounts.</p><p data-block-key=\"e33sq\">Media Matters President Angelo Carusone, in a <a href=\"https://twitter.com/GoAngelo/status/1726800683263771051?s=20\">statement</a> after Musk filed the suit, said, “This is a frivolous lawsuit meant to bully X’s critics into silence. Media Matters stands behind its reporting.”</p><p data-block-key=\"6t7md\">In its suit against Paxton, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, where Hananoki lives and works, Media Matters said that the Texas attorney general demanded “a sweeping array of materials from Media Matters and Hananoki, including documents and communications about their research and reporting.”</p><p data-block-key=\"8gkam\">The suit called the investigation “retaliatory” and an “extraordinarily invasive intrusion into Plaintiffs’ news gathering and reporting activities [that] is plainly intended to chill those activities.”</p><p data-block-key=\"ehhru\">Media Matters accused Paxton of violating the plaintiffs’ First, Fourth and 14th Amendment rights, as well as its rights under reporters shield laws in <a href=\"https://www.rcfp.org/privilege-compendium/maryland/\">Maryland</a> and <a href=\"https://www.rcfp.org/privilege-compendium/district-of-columbia/\">Washington, D.C.</a>, and asked the court to permanently block the investigation.</p><p data-block-key=\"dluvv\">Carusone, in a Dec. 17 <a href=\"https://www.mediamatters.org/angelo-carusone/msnbc-angelo-carusone-discusses-how-free-speech-line-media-matters-lawsuit-against\">interview</a> with MSNBC about the suit against Paxton, said, “In some respects, it was really our only path because the alternative would be to do nothing and have him continue to barrel ahead with this investigation, which he says could be both civil and criminal.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3nr1e\">Carusone told the Tracker in a phone interview that Paxton’s investigation added a “layer of unpredictability” in terms of “what could be exposed and what information somebody could get access to, and the process for that.” He added that the probe “leads to a culture, internally, of self-censoring.”</p><p data-block-key=\"38beo\">Paxton’s office did not reply to an emailed request for updates on the investigation.</p><p data-block-key=\"4pjd6\">Meanwhile, on Dec. 11, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey opened his own investigation into Media Matters. In a <a href=\"https://ago.mo.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023.12.11-Notice-of-Investigation-MMFA-Final.pdf\">letter to the watchdog group</a>, he alleged that it appeared to have used the “coordinated, inauthentic activity” described in X’s lawsuit “to solicit charitable donations from consumers,” and that his office would look into whether this violated Missouri’s consumer protection laws, “including laws that prohibit nonprofit entities from soliciting funds under false pretenses.” Bailey instructed the group to preserve all records related to the case.</p><p data-block-key=\"ds65a\">Three days later, Bailey <a href=\"https://ago.mo.gov/attorney-general-bailey-directs-letter-to-advertisers-amidst-media-matters-investigation/\">announced</a> that he and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry had sent letters to several major companies that paused their advertising on X, including Disney, IBM and Sony, informing them of the investigation into Media Matters.</p><p data-block-key=\"d21k8\">Bailey’s office told the Tracker in a Jan. 4, 2024, email that there were no further updates in the investigation.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/RTSA6HKR.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"cs5p8\">Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, seen at an August 2022 Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas, subpoenaed watchdog Media Matters on Dec. 1, 2023, after the group reported on the social platform X.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": "1:24-cv-00147",
"case_type": "CIVIL",
"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
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"actor": null,
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"assailant": null,
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"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
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"state": {
"name": "Texas",
"abbreviation": "TX"
},
"updates": [
"(2024-04-12 00:00:00+00:00) Media Matters wins injunction against Texas attorney general"
],
"case_statuses": [
"ongoing"
],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [
"Media Matters for America"
],
"tags": [],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Subpoena/Legal Order",
"Chilling Statement"
],
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"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Arizona radio reporter arrested at pro-Palestinian protest in Tucson",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/arizona-radio-reporter-arrested-at-pro-palestinian-protest-in-tucson/",
"first_published_at": "2023-11-30T22:23:12.620924Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-03-14T16:11:17.418790Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-03-14T16:11:17.314007Z",
"date": "2023-11-30",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Tucson",
"longitude": -110.92648,
"latitude": 32.22174,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"fn4zl\">KJZZ radio reporter Alisa Reznick was arrested and charged with criminal trespass while reporting on a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Tucson, Arizona, on the morning of Nov. 30, 2023.</p><p data-block-key=\"ei2pc\">The Arizona Republic <a href=\"https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2023/11/30/deputies-detain-kjzz-reporter-raytheon-protest-in-tucson/71754739007/\">reported</a> that Reznick was among 26 arrested as demonstrators gathered at a University of Arizona satellite campus where weapons manufacturer Raytheon is housed. Approximately 60 protesters blockaded the entrance to the facility, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/UR_Ninja/status/1730259721347838423\">according to Unicorn Riot</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"eerde\">In <a href=\"https://twitter.com/UR_Ninja/status/1730285671980659137\">footage</a> captured by Unicorn Riot, Reznick, who is a senior field correspondent for KJZZ’s Fronteras Desk and the NPR network, can be heard identifying herself as a journalist and telling a Pima County Sheriff’s deputy that she was walking to her vehicle nearby.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">After clearing protesters from blocking UA Tech/Raytheon's entrance road, Pima County Sheriffs also insisted on also arresting <a href=\"https://twitter.com/kjzzphoenix?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@kjzzphoenix</a> journalist <a href=\"https://twitter.com/AlisaReznick?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@AlisaReznick</a> despite Reznick clearly carrying media equipment and repeatedly identifying herself as press. <a href=\"https://t.co/XJWf6tTCWW\">pic.twitter.com/XJWf6tTCWW</a></p>— UNICORN RIOT (@UR_Ninja) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/UR_Ninja/status/1730285671980659137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 30, 2023</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"fn4zl\">“I'm a reporter,” Reznick said, with a press credential around her neck, recording equipment in her hand and a camera hanging from her shoulder.</p><p data-block-key=\"897k9\">The deputy, while holding her by the arm and wrist, responded, “And you're under arrest.” When she repeated that she was attempting to return to her car and leave, he responded, “You had plenty of time to go to your car and you haven’t.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7ks3k\">The deputy allowed a nearby reporter from Unicorn Riot to take her equipment, saying that he didn’t want to break it.</p><p data-block-key=\"92u7r\">A public information officer for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that Reznick was charged with criminal trespass, as were 25 demonstrators.</p><p data-block-key=\"31kls\">“That journalist was arrested in the same fashion as the demonstrators,” the officer said. “They were on private property, they were requested to leave and they failed to comply.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7ujj0\">Neither Reznick nor KJZZ was immediately available for comment. Michel Marizco, senior editor of KJZZ's Fronteras Desk, told The Arizona Republic that Reznick was released after several hours and was in “strong spirits.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3rhho\">“We are continuing to seek clarity from the sheriff’s department on the circumstances of this incident where a clearly identified journalist was in the course of reporting the news," Marizco said.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Reznick.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"05tnr\">KJZZ senior field correspondent Alisa Reznick was arrested for criminal trespass on Nov. 30, 2023, while reporting on a pro-Palestinian protest at a University of Arizona satellite campus in Tucson.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "Pima County Sheriff's Department",
"arrest_status": "arrested and released",
"release_date": "2023-11-30",
"detention_date": "2023-11-30",
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
"case_type": null,
"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
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"denial_of_entry": false,
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"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
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"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "Arizona",
"abbreviation": "AZ"
},
"updates": [
"(2023-12-21 15:09:00+00:00) Charges dropped against radio reporter arrested at Tucson protest"
],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"Israel-Gaza war",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Alisa Reznick (KJZZ)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Colorado reporter ignores order to return, destroy legally obtained court filings",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/colorado-reporter-ignores-order-to-return-destroy-legally-obtained-court-filings/",
"first_published_at": "2023-12-12T19:52:10.707685Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-12-12T19:52:10.707685Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-12-12T19:52:10.577887Z",
"date": "2023-11-30",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Denver",
"longitude": -104.9847,
"latitude": 39.73915,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"8qae1\">BusinessDen reporter Justin Wingerter, who covers courts and white-collar crime for the local business news site, was ordered on Nov. 30, 2023, to return or delete all copies of legal filings he had obtained from a court in Denver, Colorado. He ignored the order and on Dec. 4 <a href=\"https://businessden.com/2023/12/04/seven-years-after-21m-sale-founders-of-sports-recruiting-startup-sue-buyer/\">published</a> an article with details about the underlying case containing information he obtained from the court filings.</p><p data-block-key=\"8492v\">Wingerter told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he had been reviewing recently filed lawsuits on Nov. 28 when he noticed something unusual: a <a href=\"https://businessden.com/2023/12/04/seven-years-after-21m-sale-founders-of-sports-recruiting-startup-sue-buyer/\">civil case</a> with a pending motion for it to be “suppressed,” more commonly referred to as sealed. He then requested records from the case.</p><p data-block-key=\"29vbg\">“I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get the documents,” Wingerter said. “The nature of a records request is you don’t know exactly what you’re going to get back, but you make the request because you’d rather be told ‘no’ than to not file it at all.”</p><p data-block-key=\"8aedt\">A clerk of the court later called to notify him that the request had been granted, and, after paying 25 cents per page over the phone, Wingerter received the files via email the following morning, Nov. 29.</p><p data-block-key=\"64fd\">That same evening, however, District Judge Kandace Cecilia Gerdes granted the plaintiff’s motion to suppress. When Gerdes learned that Wingerter had obtained the records before they were sealed, she <a href=\"https://coloradofoic.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Order.pdf\">issued a second order</a> on Nov. 30 that read:</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-blockquote\">\n\n<blockquote class=\"blockquote\" >\n\t<div class=\"rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"5bkre\">“The Court hereby orders that all documents obtained by any media outlet, including by not limited to those obtained by Justin Wingerter of BusinessDen, shall be returned to the Court by hand-delivery, specifically Courtroom 275 … by 4:00 p.m., on November 30, 2023. All electronic copies of said documents shall be permanently deleted from servers as well. Failure to do so will be considered contempt of this Court’s Order.”</p></div>\n\t\n</blockquote>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"8qae1\">The order further stipulated that any subsequent attempts to access copies of the filings without Gerdes’ written permission would also be considered contempt of court.</p><p data-block-key=\"687u6\">Shortly after the order was issued, Wingerter said the clerk of the court alerted him to the order and told him that he was expected to comply.</p><p data-block-key=\"f8g7v\">Ashley Kissinger, an attorney representing Wingerter and BusinessDen, <a href=\"https://coloradofoic.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DB6417AD8F7D5.pdf\">filed a motion</a> on Dec. 1 notifying the court that her clients would not be complying and arguing that the order constituted a “classic prior restraint.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7gojf\">“Mr. Wingerter obtained access to these court records simply by asking the Court for them. He submitted an open records request to the Court through an online form,” Kissinger wrote. “This is ordinary, lawful, newsgathering activity.”</p><p data-block-key=\"f42qa\">Wingerter told the Tracker that, after discussing it internally, BusinessDen decided to push ahead with his coverage.</p><p data-block-key=\"b8vbg\">“We don’t feel that the judge has the power of prior restraint,” Wingerter said. “So we didn’t see any reason to stop the reporting process. We just continued doing our jobs.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3s2e6\">The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and a coalition of Colorado media organizations sent a letter on Dec. 11 to Gerdes in support of Kissinger’s motion.</p><p data-block-key=\"1nac3\">“Because each minute an unconstitutional prior restraint remains in place constitutes a separate and distinct First Amendment violation causing ‘irreparable harm’ to BusinessDen and its readers, we urge the Court to lift its prior restraint order immediately,” the letter read.</p><p data-block-key=\"e0n0i\">Kissinger told the Tracker that nothing has been filed in the case since, but that she believes the parties to the underlying case have until Dec. 22 to respond to her motion to vacate the prior restraint.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Wingerter.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"9bwwn\">A portion of the Nov. 30, 2023, court order requiring BusinessDen reporter Justin Wingerter to return or permanently delete filings he legally obtained through a records request. His attorney asserts the order is “a classic prior restraint.”</p>",
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"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
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"denial_of_entry": false,
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"status_of_prior_restraint": "ignored",
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"state": {
"name": "Colorado",
"abbreviation": "CO"
},
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"targeted_journalists": [
"Justin Wingerter (BusinessDen)"
],
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{
"title": "California journalist barred from press conference with district attorney",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/california-journalist-barred-from-press-conference-with-district-attorney/",
"first_published_at": "2023-12-13T22:28:17.348484Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-12-14T18:55:39.462192Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-12-14T18:55:39.301641Z",
"date": "2023-11-29",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Berkeley",
"longitude": -122.27275,
"latitude": 37.87159,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"uyhqm\">Journalist Emilie Raguso, who operates the crime and safety news site The Berkeley Scanner, was barred from attending a press conference on Nov. 29, 2023, with Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. Three days later, the DA’s office announced that Raguso’s exclusion from the media list was an “oversight” and that she was “welcome” at future press events.</p><p data-block-key=\"5dauu\">Raguso told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that though she launched The Scanner in 2022, she has covered crime and courts for more than a decade. But after she published an article in January including criticisms of Price, her office made it clear that it was displeased with Raguso’s coverage.</p><p data-block-key=\"4b08\">Raguso said that she was one of the few journalists who attended Price’s first press conference in March, and that everything had seemed to go normally.</p><p data-block-key=\"8mkij\">“Afterward, people started getting in touch with me, saying, ‘She wanted to throw you out of that press conference,’” Raguso said, adding that she believed it was because of her prior reporting. “Fortunately some people who worked for her at the time were able to convince her that that was not appropriate.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5ko18\">Throughout the summer, Raguso said she was <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/california-journalist-restored-to-district-attorneys-media-list\">removed from the DA’s media list</a> multiple times, but was readded when she raised the issue. In October, she was told that the list — and her request to be included — was under review.</p><p data-block-key=\"7fut0\">When Raguso learned from other journalists that Price was to hold a press conference on the morning of Nov. 29, she planned to attend.</p><p data-block-key=\"bf270\">“I thought there was a possibility they wouldn’t let me in, but I didn’t think it was a strong possibility because they don’t have a legal reason to do that,” Raguso said.</p><p data-block-key=\"580c4\">When Raguso arrived at the press conference, she was barred at the door due to unspecified “safety issues.” Raguso said that two individuals from the DA’s office recognized her as press but said that her credentials provided by the Oakland Police Department were insufficient. She added that nearly half a dozen other journalists were allowed in that day without being asked to show their credentials, and some without even signing a check-in sheet.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I was just turned away from an announced press conference with elected <a href=\"https://twitter.com/AlamedaCountyDA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@AlamedaCountyDA</a> Pamela Price. Every other member of the media who came was let in without any checking of credentials. <a href=\"https://twitter.com/FACoalition?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@FACoalition</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/rcfp?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@rcfp</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/SPJ_NorCal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@SPJ_NorCal</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/GInIcGHlpM\">pic.twitter.com/GInIcGHlpM</a></p>— The Berkeley Scanner (@BerkeleyScanner) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/BerkeleyScanner/status/1729941721923121526?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 29, 2023</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"uyhqm\">When Raguso saw Price exiting an elevator, she petitioned the district attorney directly to intervene and allow her to attend the press conference, but Price declined to do so.</p><p data-block-key=\"811si\">A statement released by Price’s office the following day referred to Raguso as an “uninvited person” and The Scanner as simply a “blog.” It also asserted that the employees were enforcing credentialing standards that are “long-standing and predate the election of District Attorney Pamela Price.”</p><p data-block-key=\"80tbd\">Following <a href=\"https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2023/12/01/editors-desk/pamela-price-alameda-county-das-office-first-amendment/\">public outcry</a> — including a <a href=\"https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2023-11-30-DA-Price-re-Free-Press.pdf\">letter</a> penned by the First Amendment Coalition — Price’s office on Dec. 2 released a statement that Raguso would be added back to the media list and allowed to attend future press conferences. It said that Raguso’s removal from the media list, as well as that of local news website the Bay City News, had been an “oversight.”</p><p data-block-key=\"d7adv\">The statement also noted that Price would be leading an effort to establish new media guidelines, saying that “this critical work is long overdue.” Price’s office did not respond to an emailed request for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"299f\">Raguso told the Tracker that the main concern now is how the DA’s office will handle other reporters’ access moving forward. “Will people need to provide a credential? Or will people need to be on your email list to come to your press events? I asked that and they haven’t answered,” Raguso said.</p><p data-block-key=\"9j95i\">She added that she thinks the DA’s office could retaliate against her in this way because the Scanner is a one-person operation.</p><p data-block-key=\"3bifi\">“But they didn’t realize that there are so many people in the journalism world and in the First Amendment world and in the broader community who believe strongly in the First Amendment,” Raguso said, “and who understand that the government does not get to define and decide who gets to report the news.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"qp10m\">Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price's office barred journalist Emilie Raguso from her Nov. 29, 2023, press conference citing “security concerns.” Price later announced that Raguso could attend future press events.</p>",
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"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
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},
{
"title": "Illinois watchdog blog subpoenaed in defamation case; subpoena later withdrawn",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/illinois-watchdog-blog-subpoenaed-in-defamation-case-subpoena-later-withdrawn/",
"first_published_at": "2023-12-21T16:14:03.699999Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-12-21T16:14:03.699999Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-12-21T16:14:03.612171Z",
"date": "2023-11-28",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Belleville",
"longitude": -89.98399,
"latitude": 38.52005,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"fea2v\">Illinois-based blog Edgar County Watchdogs was subpoenaed on Nov. 28, 2023, for testimony and communications about the parties to a civil defamation case, but the subpoena was subsequently withdrawn on Dec. 20.</p><p data-block-key=\"2ovut\">The <a href=\"https://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20231213_120925.pdf\">subpoena</a> had been filed with the 20th Circuit Court in St. Clair County by Gerard Scott Jr., the plaintiff in the defamation case. It ordered a representative from the Edgar County Watchdogs, which is based in St. Clair County outside St. Louis, to testify on Jan. 3, 2024, and to bring all written correspondence related to the suit to the hearing.</p><p data-block-key=\"9v31s\">Edgar County Watchdogs <a href=\"https://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2023/12/county-board-member-sued-foia-requester-wants-names-of-village-trustees-who-provided-information/\">reported</a> that Scott, a Village of Caseyville employee and St. Clair County board member, filed the suit against researcher and blogger Bradley VanHoose.</p><p data-block-key=\"a233f\">VanHoose had sought information about an invoice paid by the village for an automobile repair via Freedom of Information Act requests and by asking questions of local officials. VanHoose later informed Edgar County Watchdogs that he believed an employee of the village had used taxpayer funds for repairs on a privately owned vehicle, according to the blog.</p><p data-block-key=\"akrkh\">Edgar County Watchdogs co-founder and reporter John Kraft initially told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that it would seek to quash the subpoena under the <a href=\"https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs4.asp?DocName=073500050HArt%2E+VIII+Pt%2E+9&ActID=2017&ChapterID=56&SeqStart=57600000&SeqEnd=58600000\">Illinois Reporter’s Privilege Act</a>, which <a href=\"https://www.rcfp.org/privilege-compendium/illinois/#:~:text=The%20Illinois%20Reporter's%20Privilege%20Statute,either%20that%20%E2%80%9Cdisclosure%20of%20the\">protects</a> reporters’ sources from compelled disclosure.</p><p data-block-key=\"cg7qu\">Before that motion could be filed, the two parties agreed that the subpoena would be withdrawn, Kraft and the plaintiff’s attorney, Douglas Stewart, told the Tracker. Stewart, in an email to Kraft, wrote, “I believe that the information that I seek is readily available from others.”</p><p data-block-key=\"8cmrc\">The subpoena was withdrawn during a Dec. 20 hearing, the blog reported.</p><p data-block-key=\"6r1ci\">The Tracker has documented <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?search=%22edgar%20county%20watchdogs%22%20subpoena\">multiple other subpoenas</a> against Edgar County Watchdogs, most recently in 2020.</p></div>",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"e5lu3\">A portion of the subpoena demanding Edgar County Watchdogs’ communications and testimony related to a civil defamation case.</p>",
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"state": {
"name": "Illinois",
"abbreviation": "IL"
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"Edgar County Watchdogs"
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"Subpoena/Legal Order"
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},
{
"title": "California newsroom, free speech group get $500,000 in public records lawsuit",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/california-newsroom-free-speech-group-get-500000-in-public-records-lawsuit/",
"first_published_at": "2024-03-13T13:48:36.743223Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-03-13T13:48:36.743223Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-03-13T13:42:27.738726Z",
"date": "2023-11-28",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "San Jose",
"longitude": -121.89496,
"latitude": 37.33939,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"rbzsk\">The San Jose City Council approved a $500,000 payment to the San José Spotlight and the First Amendment Coalition on Nov. 28, 2023, following their public records lawsuit against the California city and former Mayor Sam Liccardo.</p><p data-block-key=\"5pogo\">The Spotlight, a nonprofit newsroom, <a href=\"https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/San-Jose-Spotlight-FAC-v.-San-Jose-Verified-Petition-for-Writ-of-Mandate-2.3.22.pdf\">filed the lawsuit</a> on Feb. 3, 2022, alleging that the state’s Public Records Act was violated when Liccardo used private emails and text messages for city business in order to shield the communications from disclosure, and the city improperly searched the records. The lawsuit said it sought to enforce the public’s right of access to communications sent or received on nongovernmental devices.</p><p data-block-key=\"8n7b7\">In July 2023, Santa Clara Superior Court Judge Thomas Kuhnle ordered the city to release hundreds of pages of improperly withheld records, the Spotlight <a href=\"https://sanjosespotlight.com/ex-san-jose-mayor-sam-liccardo-and-city-violated-the-law-judge-rules-california-public-records-act/\">reported</a>. The following month, Kuhnle ruled that Liccardo and the city had violated transparency laws by failing to provide details about how they attempted to locate and search Liccardo’s private communications.</p><p data-block-key=\"40l25\">The financial award is the result of mandated fee-shifting under California’s records act — wherein the “prevailing party” is reimbursed for its legal costs. The Spotlight <a href=\"https://sanjosespotlight.com/san-jose-approves-hefty-pay-out-for-california-public-records-lawsuit/\">reported</a> that the San Jose City Council unanimously authorized the $500,000 payment for attorneys fees for the news outlet and nonprofit at the meeting in November.</p><p data-block-key=\"9j16h\">In a statement to the news outlet, Liccardo expressed dissatisfaction with the agreement and said that the money would “incentivize lawyers to continue trolling ‘gotcha’ public records lawsuits.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7lf5v\">Karl Olson, an attorney representing the Spotlight, <a href=\"https://sanjosespotlight.com/san-jose-to-pay-six-figures-after-losing-public-records-lawsuit/\">told the outlet</a>, “We think this was a hard fought victory that helped vindicate the public’s right to know, and we hope in the future it won’t be necessary for parties to have to go to court to get public records.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7d063\">Spotlight co-founder and CEO Ramona Giwargis told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that it’s community members, not the public officials, who are paying the price.</p><p data-block-key=\"ckgq0\">“I heard from a lot of residents later saying that this is unfair. Taxpayers are on the hook now for half a million dollars because city officials didn’t follow the law,” Giwargis said. “Even though they keep getting sued it doesn’t stop or change anything. For the city, it’s just a blip on the radar.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7efih\">Giwargis said that the Spotlight has since worked with State Sen. Dave Cortese to <a href=\"https://sd15.senate.ca.gov/news/senator-cortese-announces-bill-boost-transparency-public-records\">draft a bill</a>, proposed in January 2024, to improve transparency and provide structure for complying with the California Public Records Act.</p><p data-block-key=\"57tju\">“We need to put more teeth into these policies so that there is some kind of repercussion that actually makes a difference,” Giwargis said.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"3p0io\">San José Spotlight Senior Reporter Joseph Geha, at left, interviews Mayor Matt Mahan in 2023. The Spotlight was awarded $500,000 in November following its victory in a public records lawsuit involving a former mayor’s communications.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": "22CV394443",
"case_type": "CIVIL",
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"state": {
"name": "California",
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{
"title": "Reporter subpoenaed for testimony in Title IX lawsuit",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-subpoenaed-for-testimony-in-title-ix-lawsuit/",
"first_published_at": "2024-01-05T17:53:06.176220Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-02-08T22:11:02.207674Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-02-08T22:11:02.023953Z",
"date": "2023-11-22",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Sacramento",
"longitude": -121.4944,
"latitude": 38.58157,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ezj50\">California-based USA Today reporter Kenneth “Kenny” Jacoby was subpoenaed on Nov. 22, 2023, to testify in connection with an ongoing lawsuit against multiple Louisiana universities. Jacoby was served a separate subpoena in October for documents and source communications, which was quashed in December.</p><p data-block-key=\"esq2m\">In a May 2021 <a href=\"https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/investigations/2021/05/26/louisiana-officials-skirted-law-meant-curb-campus-sex-crimes/7048845002/\">article,</a> Jacoby reported that various Louisiana schools and police forces failed to share relevant information with each other after multiple women reported the same college student for sexual misconduct.</p><p data-block-key=\"2af6u\">One of the women cited in Jacoby’s reporting filed a lawsuit against two university systems and a local government in May 2022, alleging negligence and violations of her rights under Title IX. According to the <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.lamd.60517/gov.uscourts.lamd.60517.1.0.pdf\">complaint</a>, the woman — identified only as Jane Doe to protect her identity — learned from Jacoby’s article that the universities had been aware of her assailant’s history of sexual misconduct before the attack against her.</p><p data-block-key=\"af51e\">The board of supervisors of the University of Louisiana System initially issued Jacoby a <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/subpoena-quashed-for-reporters-communications-as-part-of-title-ix-lawsuit\">sweeping document subpoena</a>, which listed 28 requests for his communications, reporting materials and unpublished work product around the article. It was subsequently limited to just his texts with Doe and notes from their conversations, as well as an affidavit authenticating and contextualizing them.</p><p data-block-key=\"dgt80\">The university system argued that the communications would prove that Doe had learned the material facts underlying her allegations earlier than she claimed and had missed the statute of limitations to file the lawsuit.</p><p data-block-key=\"9nikv\">Though that subpoena was ultimately quashed on Dec. 21, the university system issued a <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.caed.438351/gov.uscourts.caed.438351.1.1.pdf\">second subpoena</a> on Nov. 22 for Jacoby to testify concerning his communications with Doe (the subpoena was reissued just over a week later changing the time of the deposition).</p><p data-block-key=\"2mpp8\">Jacoby <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.caed.438351/gov.uscourts.caed.438351.1.0.pdf\">filed a request</a> for a protective order on Dec. 6 requesting that the court ensure he is not compelled to testify. When contacted by the Tracker, Jacoby declined to comment further until the matter is resolved.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"yxh5q\">A portion of the subpoena issued to USA Today reporter Kenneth “Kenny” Jacoby on Nov. 22, 2023, ordering him to testify in connection with a negligence lawsuit against the University of Louisiana System.</p>",
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"state": {
"name": "California",
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"categories": [
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},
{
"title": "St. Louis TV reporter shot with pellet gun, suspect arrested",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/st-louis-tv-reporter-shot-with-pellet-gun-suspect-arrested/",
"first_published_at": "2023-11-27T19:48:10.124216Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-11-27T19:48:10.124216Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-11-27T19:39:17.066458Z",
"date": "2023-11-20",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "St. Louis",
"longitude": -90.19789,
"latitude": 38.62727,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"d38w2\">KTVI-TV reporter Andy Banker was shot by a pellet gun while reporting in St. Louis, Missouri, on Nov. 20, 2023. Banker was not seriously injured and a suspect has since been arrested on charges of assault.</p><p data-block-key=\"6g39o\">Banker reported for <a href=\"https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/fox-2-reporter-photographer-victims-of-pellet-gun-drive-by/\">KTVI</a> that he was standing on a residential street in South St. Louis at around 12:45 p.m., using his phone to send an email, when a car drove past.</p><p data-block-key=\"ekjpa\">“Photographer Brian Ledford and I first heard the rapid fire, then saw what appeared to be gel-blaster-style guns made for airsoft games,” he said. “There were male teens firing pellets directly at us from the front and rear passenger seats.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Only on <a href=\"https://twitter.com/FOX2now?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@FOX2now</a> new at 9: frightening video ... we come "under fire" today ... it turns out to be from pellet guns, I was shot in the head, not seriously hurt. <a href=\"https://twitter.com/slmp?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@slmp</a> looking for suspects, have plate number. Past victims say someone will eventually shoot back & not w pellets <a href=\"https://t.co/gMD7rTLSSo\">pic.twitter.com/gMD7rTLSSo</a></p>— Andy Banker (@andybankertv) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/andybankertv/status/1726773046600519724?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 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=\"d38w2\">Banker said that the pellets struck him in the head and torso, but that he was not seriously injured. <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/st-louis-news-crew-shot-at-with-pellet-guns-suspect-arrested\">Ledford</a> was not struck.</p><p data-block-key=\"e027b\">“I felt something hit me in the side of my head, near my ear, and it hurt quite a bit,” Banker said in an <a href=\"https://www.audacy.com/podcast/mark-reardon-show-c052a/episodes/how-ai-could-change-the-economy-eacb0\">interview with KTFK-FM</a>. “I bent over and checked to see if I was bleeding, I didn’t know what happened.”</p><p data-block-key=\"cchj5\">In a <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/AndyBankerFOX2/posts/pfbid0qJiYwBq1ixHPnQ77U8h6Up4hr75KGoKEsLLjVCJYjBhYkUy5tzx4boKDJ1j5gaQVl?__cft__[0]=AZVx2Nm-OqxpQ2xkx3aDVoSQfK597QqNBKhtzWPtIX02ISOuLKx_u-xsNr-bCiGWzwHY1wx3y038xJTQHm3OMcG0Mup9ruiOFVXPv1r3pRonW8nprZiUqUhA2CSSqgjqomAHPoiQRLFjj4-0blwvnubnHN2X71nC4-OqblQiITv38QKEVJF573lHeTsTPavuAV4&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R\">social media post</a>, Banker called the incident “extremely unnerving.” Neither Banker nor Ledford responded to requests for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"92gbg\">KTVI <a href=\"https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/police-arrest-suspect-in-pellet-gun-shooting-of-fox-2-crew/\">reported</a> on Nov. 21 that St. Louis Metropolitan Police arrested the alleged driver, a juvenile, and are still searching for the two passengers who are suspected of firing the gel-blaster guns.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Banker.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"phzk4\">Security footage shared by KTVI captured the moment when reporter Andy Banker, standing, at right, and photojournalist Brian Ledford were shot at with pellet guns by multiple individuals in a car while reporting in St. Louis, Missouri, on Nov. 20, 2023.</p>",
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"name": "Missouri",
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"shot / shot at"
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"Andy Banker (KTVI)"
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{
"title": "St. Louis TV crew shot at with pellet guns, suspect arrested",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/st-louis-tv-crew-shot-at-with-pellet-guns-suspect-arrested/",
"first_published_at": "2023-11-27T19:49:34.756392Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-11-27T19:49:34.756392Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-11-27T19:49:34.575311Z",
"date": "2023-11-20",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "St. Louis",
"longitude": -90.19789,
"latitude": 38.62727,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"fwz4y\">KTVI-TV photojournalist Brian Ledford and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/st-louis-tv-reporter-shot-with-pellet-gun-suspect-arrested\">reporter Andy Banker</a> were shot at with pellet gun munitions while reporting in St. Louis, Missouri, on Nov. 20, 2023. Ledford was not hit, and Banker was not seriously injured. A suspect has since been arrested on charges of assault.</p><p data-block-key=\"3to81\">Banker reported for <a href=\"https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/fox-2-reporter-photographer-victims-of-pellet-gun-drive-by/\">KTVI</a> that he was standing on a residential street in South St. Louis at around 12:45 p.m., using his phone to send an email, when a car drove past.</p><p data-block-key=\"bjoel\">“Photographer Brian Ledford and I first heard the rapid fire, then saw what appeared to be gel-blaster-style guns made for airsoft games,” he said. “There were male teens firing pellets directly at us from the front and rear passenger seats.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Only on <a href=\"https://twitter.com/FOX2now?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@FOX2now</a> new at 9: frightening video ... we come "under fire" today ... it turns out to be from pellet guns, I was shot in the head, not seriously hurt. <a href=\"https://twitter.com/slmp?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@slmp</a> looking for suspects, have plate number. Past victims say someone will eventually shoot back & not w pellets <a href=\"https://t.co/gMD7rTLSSo\">pic.twitter.com/gMD7rTLSSo</a></p>— Andy Banker (@andybankertv) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/andybankertv/status/1726773046600519724?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 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=\"fwz4y\">In a <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/AndyBankerFOX2/posts/pfbid0qJiYwBq1ixHPnQ77U8h6Up4hr75KGoKEsLLjVCJYjBhYkUy5tzx4boKDJ1j5gaQVl?__cft__[0]=AZVx2Nm-OqxpQ2xkx3aDVoSQfK597QqNBKhtzWPtIX02ISOuLKx_u-xsNr-bCiGWzwHY1wx3y038xJTQHm3OMcG0Mup9ruiOFVXPv1r3pRonW8nprZiUqUhA2CSSqgjqomAHPoiQRLFjj4-0blwvnubnHN2X71nC4-OqblQiITv38QKEVJF573lHeTsTPavuAV4&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R\">social media post</a>, Banker called the incident “extremely unnerving,” stating that the pellets struck him in the head and torso.</p><p data-block-key=\"bk9gk\">Neither Banker nor Ledford responded to requests for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"fatvb\">KTVI <a href=\"https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/police-arrest-suspect-in-pellet-gun-shooting-of-fox-2-crew/\">reported</a> on Nov. 21 that St. Louis Metropolitan Police arrested the alleged driver, a juvenile, and are still searching for the two passengers who are suspected of firing the gel-blaster guns.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Ledford.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"3om3p\">KTVI photojournalist Brian Ledford, left, and reporter Andy Banker were shot at with pellet guns by multiple individuals in a car while reporting in St. Louis, Missouri, on Nov. 20, 2023. One of the suspects in the shooting has since been arrested.</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": "Missouri",
"abbreviation": "MO"
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"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Brian Ledford (KTVI)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Photojournalist sues City of Cincinnati following arrest at accident scene",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-sues-city-of-cincinnati-following-arrest-at-accident-scene/",
"first_published_at": "2024-11-04T18:47:49.835866Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-11-04T18:47:49.835866Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-11-04T18:47:49.736747Z",
"date": "2023-11-19",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Cincinnati",
"longitude": -84.51439,
"latitude": 39.12711,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"nz1ut\">Freelance photojournalist Calvin Andrus was arrested while recording the aftermath of a car accident in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the early hours of Nov. 19, 2023. Charges were later dropped, and Andrus filed a lawsuit against the city and a police sergeant in October 2024.</p><p data-block-key=\"bs2d3\">According to his <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ohsd.297452/gov.uscourts.ohsd.297452.1.0.pdf\">lawsuit</a>, Andrus was filming the response to a <a href=\"https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/cpd-1-dead-after-driver-fleeing-from-traffic-stop-crashes-into-building\">deadly crash</a> using both his cellphone and a body camera, and remained outside the perimeter established by police.</p><p data-block-key=\"fl55\">But a police sergeant approached Andrus and ordered him to leave the scene, explained Steve Goodin, an attorney who represented Andrus in the criminal case. The sergeant ignored the press credentials Andrus was wearing and refused to acknowledge or read a card he carries listing laws protecting the media and the right to film police in public spaces, Goodin added.</p><p data-block-key=\"beh6k\">“They told him he needed to move away, and he couldn't film there,” Goodin told the Tracker. “When he persisted and said, ‘Look, I know I'm allowed to be here,’ they expanded the crime scene by almost two acres — which was absurd. He refused to acknowledge the new crime scene, so they cuffed him and threw him in the back of the cruiser, and we think they forgot about him.”</p><p data-block-key=\"39sc0\">Andrus was held in the cruiser for at least an hour and a half, Goodin said, and suffered a panic attack that required treatment at a hospital. “I think most people, if you're trapped in an enclosed place with your hands cuffed, by yourself, you would start to freak out,” he added.</p><p data-block-key=\"8bbi6\">Andrus was issued a citation that night for obstructing official business, a second-degree misdemeanor; the charge wasn’t formally filed until Nov. 24, according to court records reviewed by the Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"3cd19\">Goodin told the Tracker that Andrus continued working while fighting the charge, but “felt like he had a target on his back.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3g79h\">“He would go to crime scenes, and people certainly were aware of the charge pending,” Goodin said. “Police just saying, ‘Hey, you can't be here. We don't want you taping this on this public street’: That's wrong. And I mean both legally wrong and wrong from a public policy standpoint, in our view. And it has — no question — has a chilling effect on everybody, on journalists, just generally.”</p><p data-block-key=\"6ppuf\">After around seven months of failed negotiations and multiple trial dates, Goodin said, he filed a motion to dismiss the charge on June 21. That began to get press attention and an assistant city prosecutor dropped the case four days later.</p><p data-block-key=\"8n667\">“I do want to commend the city at the end of the day for doing the right thing here. I have to applaud the city lawyers for having the tough conversations with police officers and actually dismissing the case,” Goodin told the Tracker. “I wish it hadn't taken so much time and energy, but they eventually did do it.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7flr5\">A separate Andrus attorney, Robert Klinger, filed the federal lawsuit against police Sgt. Kraig Kunz and the city on Andrus’ behalf Oct. 11. The suit alleges false arrest, malicious prosecution, unreasonable seizure and First Amendment retaliation.</p><p data-block-key=\"6el70\">“Mr. Andrus was lawfully exercising these rights as a member of the media when he stood outside of the police line tape and filmed the emergency response,” the lawsuit said. “Mr. Andrus would not have been arrested had he not been engaged in protected First Amendment activity at the scene.”</p><p data-block-key=\"eklh9\">The suit also calls for an injunction against the police to prevent unreasonable expansions of crime scenes to restrict public access or wrongful arrests of journalists.</p><p data-block-key=\"96nt6\">A spokesperson for the Cincinnati Police Department told the Tracker that it does not comment on open litigation.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Andrus_arrest.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"wfp0e\">Photojournalist Calvin Andrus filmed with a body camera as he attempted to hand an officer a card detailing his rights to document an accident scene in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Nov. 19, 2023. Andrus was arrested and charged with obstructing official business.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "Cincinnati Police Department",
"arrest_status": "arrested and released",
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": "2023-11-19",
"unnecessary_use_of_force": true,
"case_number": "1:24-cv-00572",
"case_type": "CIVIL",
"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": null,
"was_journalist_targeted": null,
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
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"state": {
"name": "Ohio",
"abbreviation": "OH"
},
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"ongoing"
],
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"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Calvin Andrus (Freelance)"
],
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"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Boston reporter grabbed from behind while on camera",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/boston-reporter-grabbed-from-behind-while-on-camera/",
"first_published_at": "2023-11-22T20:50:09.682772Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-11-22T20:50:09.682772Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-11-22T20:44:09.683578Z",
"date": "2023-11-18",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Boston",
"longitude": -71.05977,
"latitude": 42.35843,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"tj8dv\">WHDH-TV reporter Grant Hermes was grabbed from behind by a passerby while setting up for a live shot outside the TD Garden arena in Boston, Massachusetts, on Nov. 18, 2023.</p><p data-block-key=\"46v3m\">Hermes, who was preparing to report on a hockey game inside the arena, <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Cz0EbfSuUHU/\">shared</a> a video on Instagram of the assault. In the video, a man approaches him from behind as Hermes stands in front of the TV camera, shouts “Yeah, boy! Whoo!” and grabs Hermes around the shoulders. Hermes shakes the man off and chases him out of frame.</p><p data-block-key=\"7stid\">Hermes wrote in a comment that accompanied the video that he and his photographer were fine after the incident. “But I wanna be clear how not ok this is,” he wrote, adding, “The people you see on TV are at work, at a job where people make threats at us regularly. So we don’t know when you yell at us, run into our live shots or grab us, we don’t know what you’re there to do.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1i1rg\">Hermes told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker by email that he didn’t know what the man was going to do next. “Thankfully he just ran off,” Hermes said.</p><p data-block-key=\"jntu\">“Our job can come with inherent dangers because we need to be where the news happens and it’s a privilege to be in those places,” Hermes said. “But a routine live shot isn’t what we should mean when we talk about danger.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
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"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,
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"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
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"state": {
"name": "Massachusetts",
"abbreviation": "MA"
},
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"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Grant Hermes (WHDH-TV)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
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},
{
"title": "Freelance journalist detained while reporting on climate activists",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/freelance-journalist-detained-while-reporting-on-climate-activists/",
"first_published_at": "2023-11-22T21:03:11.987506Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-11-22T21:03:11.987506Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-11-22T20:30:55.121518Z",
"date": "2023-11-17",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Washington",
"longitude": -77.03637,
"latitude": 38.89511,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"7v151\">Freelance journalist Will Allen-DuPraw was detained by security at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., while reporting on climate activists at the museum on Nov. 17, 2023.</p><p data-block-key=\"2upoe\">Allen-DuPraw told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was on assignment for News2Share, a collective that sells footage to news outlets, to film as two protesters handed out flyers encouraging museum patrons to call on President Joe Biden to declare a climate emergency.</p><p data-block-key=\"1gfui\">Security officers told the protesters they needed to leave after approximately 20 minutes, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/FordFischer/status/1725899309114126453\">Allen-DuPraw</a> said, and he continued to film as one of them refused to immediately leave and was walked out in handcuffs. Shortly after, Allen-DuPraw was handcuffed as well.</p><p data-block-key=\"534cs\">In <a href=\"https://twitter.com/FordFischer/status/1725899296791249342\">footage</a> posted by News2Share co-founder and Editor-in-Chief Ford Fischer, Allen-DuPraw can be heard asking the detained protester whether he had any statements to make as a security officer led him away in handcuffs. As the man begins to answer, one security guard blocks the journalist’s camera while a second begins to place Allen-DuPraw under arrest.</p><p data-block-key=\"a7q4r\">“All of the sudden I was pushed from behind up against a pillar in the museum,” Allen-DuPraw said. “He seemed to be more of an actual police officer, he was wearing a white shirt and had a badge.”</p><p data-block-key=\"29f65\">The National Gallery employs a mix of federal and private security staff and it was unclear which were involved in the detention.</p><p data-block-key=\"dfaqt\">Allen-DuPraw said he identified himself as a journalist and while he wasn’t wearing credentials, he had his National Press Photographers Association identification in his wallet.</p><p data-block-key=\"5su9b\">“Sir, I’m an independent journalist, you cannot put your hands on me, sir,” Allen-DuPraw said. “You have no reason to detain me, I’m on assignment right now recording and exercising my First Amendment rights.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">VIDEO THREAD: On Friday, as freelance journalist <a href=\"https://twitter.com/wallendupraw?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@wallendupraw</a> filmed two climate activists and one bystander be handcuffed and detained over flyering in the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, security handcuffed and detained him as well, apparently for filming. <a href=\"https://t.co/FKBiogCCQD\">pic.twitter.com/FKBiogCCQD</a></p>— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/FordFischer/status/1725899296791249342?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 18, 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=\"7v151\">The security officer is heard telling him that he will “come down” with the officers, they’ll identify him and then he can do whatever he wants to do. When Allen-DuPraw asks why he is being detained, the officer does not reply.</p><p data-block-key=\"cmuuc\">The National Gallery of Art did not respond to requests for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"uja4\">Allen-DuPraw told the Tracker that he was led down to the basement conference room and, once there, he was patted down, his pockets emptied and his photo taken from the front and side by an officer. After approximately 30 minutes, he, the two protesters and the bystander were released without charges.</p><p data-block-key=\"4nflh\">Allen-DuPraw said that it was particularly alarming that — despite identifying himself as a journalist to multiple officers — no effort was made to verify his press credentials. “A lack of training was just evident,” he added.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Allen-DuPraw.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"3m79v\">Freelance journalist Will Allen-DuPraw, center, was detained while on assignment for News2Share documenting climate activists distributing flyers at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 17, 2023.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "National Gallery of Art Protection Services",
"arrest_status": "detained and released without being processed",
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"state": {
"name": "District of Columbia",
"abbreviation": "DC"
},
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"environmentalism",
"protest"
],
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"categories": [
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"Assault"
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{
"title": "Freelancer tear-gassed, shoved while reporting on Atlanta forest protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/freelancer-tear-gassed-shoved-while-reporting-on-atlanta-forest-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2023-11-20T17:13:45.901450Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-11-20T17:13:45.901450Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-11-20T16:37:19.616094Z",
"date": "2023-11-13",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Atlanta",
"longitude": -84.38798,
"latitude": 33.749,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"y0n6i\">Freelance journalist Carlos Berríos Polanco was tear-gassed and pushed by police while documenting a demonstration against the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center on Nov. 13, 2023.</p><p data-block-key=\"bc7r3\">Berríos Polanco told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that approximately 500 protesters had gathered in Gresham Park for a “Block Cop City” protest march to the construction site for the center in a forest southeast of Atlanta.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">(2/x) Activists gathered in Gresham Park early in the morning carrying puppets, signs, banners, trees, and gardening tools. The intention was to peacefully march to the site, occupy it, and plant trees there in hopes of reforesting. Before marching, multiple speakers addressed... <a href=\"https://t.co/aRSjPO31HJ\">pic.twitter.com/aRSjPO31HJ</a></p>— carlos (vibe describer) (@Vaquero2XL) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Vaquero2XL/status/1724556250682106290?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 14, 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=\"y0n6i\">As the marchers moved onto Constitution Road, they were met by approximately 70 law enforcement officers and dozens of police vehicles, Berríos Polanco said. When officers launched the first tear gas canister, it landed at the feet of a group of at least 30 journalists — including Berríos Polanco — who were standing ahead of the march.</p><p data-block-key=\"3dsea\">“I think it was purposefully sent toward this group of journalists,” he told the Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"41d4s\">Berríos Polanco said that the group was divided amid the resulting chaos, and he and approximately 10 other journalists were separated from the march. When they attempted to return, he said that DeKalb County Police and Georgia State Patrol officers stopped them under threat of arrest, stating that it was an “active crime scene.”</p><p data-block-key=\"8tdav\">“It was a very funny example of police just flying by the seat of their pants,” Berríos Polanco said. “One Georgia State Patrol officer told us to keep moving back while another one told us to keep moving forward. And at the exact same time, one had their hand aimed down the road and one had their hand aimed up the road.”</p><p data-block-key=\"816rd\">As he attempted to comply with the orders, Berríos Polanco said that an officer placed a hand on his backpack and pushed him in an apparent attempt to make him move faster. Berríos said that he and the other journalists were eventually allowed to move back toward the march and protesters ultimately returned to Gresham Park.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">(7/x) continually threatened with arrest if we didn't obey, even though we were doing our jobs and also standing on public property. We were eventually allowed back towards the march and stood in a gap between activists and police. <a href=\"https://t.co/PtsnpNaeE5\">pic.twitter.com/PtsnpNaeE5</a></p>— carlos (vibe describer) (@Vaquero2XL) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Vaquero2XL/status/1724556271926325664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 14, 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=\"y0n6i\">Berríos Polanco told the Tracker he believes the incident was emblematic of how law enforcement officers have treated the journalists covering protests against the training center as though they were themselves activists.</p><p data-block-key=\"4d0rm\">“Even mainstream media outlets were shuffled off,” Berríos Polanco said. “Even Atlanta Journal-Constitution, one of the biggest outlets here, was not allowed to return to the march.”</p><p data-block-key=\"du0hu\">The DeKalb County Police Department acknowledged the Tracker’s request for comment via email, but did not provide a response. The Georgia Patrol did not respond to requests for comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"image_caption": "",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
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"subpoena_type": null,
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"state": {
"name": "Georgia",
"abbreviation": "GA"
},
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"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"chemical irritant",
"environmentalism",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Carlos Berríos Polanco (Freelance)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Czech TV reporter, cameraman robbed at gunpoint in San Francisco",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/czech-tv-reporter-cameraman-robbed-at-gunpoint-in-san-francisco/",
"first_published_at": "2023-11-20T21:30:28.746156Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-11-20T21:30:28.746156Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-11-20T21:30:24.861796Z",
"date": "2023-11-12",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "San Francisco",
"longitude": -122.41942,
"latitude": 37.77493,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"7c9hi\">A Česká Televize (Czech Television) reporter and photojournalist were robbed at gunpoint while filming a report in San Francisco, California, on Nov. 12, 2023.</p><p data-block-key=\"2t8v1\">Correspondent Bohumil Vostal told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker via email that he and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/czech-tv-cameraman-reporter-robbed-at-gunpoint-in-san-francisco\">photographer Milan Nosek</a> were recording across the street from City Lights Bookstore in the city’s North Beach neighborhood. Shortly before 5 p.m., three masked men got out of a car with weapons drawn and ordered them to hand over their equipment.</p><p data-block-key=\"1vaav\">“One of them told me ‘not to make any problems’ or something like that,” Vostal said. “It was all so shocking we could not even react.”</p><p data-block-key=\"d290l\">Vostal said more than $19,000 of equipment was lost, including the crew’s video camera, a GoPro, multiple camera lenses, external batteries, SD cards, microphones and tripods.</p><p data-block-key=\"cf3o6\">“The worst is we lost material we filmed about San Francisco,” Vostal said. Footage from a tour around the city and interviews with a representative of the Transgender District and a gallery owner were lost.</p><p data-block-key=\"crai8\">The journalists quickly called the police and filed a report, but were forced to purchase replacement equipment in order to refilm and to cover the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit taking place in San Francisco at that time. Vostal told the Tracker the experience did impact how they approached their reporting.</p><p data-block-key=\"db4sh\">“We were concerned about our safety afterwards and so we made our [live shots] for the Czech TV News Channel only with the police behind us or nearby our hotel,” he said.</p><p data-block-key=\"82vgi\">The San Francisco Police Department <a href=\"https://sfstandard.com/2023/11/13/camera-crew-robbed-san-francisco-city-lights/\">told the San Francisco Standard</a> that its robbery unit was investigating. SFPD did not respond to a request for additional information.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Vostal.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"oqo8m\">Česká Televize (Czech Television) reporter Bohumil Vostal and his cameraman were robbed at gunpoint in San Francisco, California, on Nov. 12, 2023, losing $19,000 in equipment and their footage, including of the Painted Ladies landmark pictured above.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
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"case_number": null,
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"actor": "private individual",
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"denial_of_entry": false,
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"assailant": "private individual",
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"legal_order_venue": null,
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"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
"equipment_broken": [
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "miscellaneous equipment"
},
{
"quantity": 4,
"equipment": "recording equipment"
}
],
"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
"updates": [],
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"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"robbery"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault",
"Equipment Damage"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Bohumil Vostal (Česká Televize)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Czech TV cameraman, reporter robbed at gunpoint in San Francisco",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/czech-tv-cameraman-reporter-robbed-at-gunpoint-in-san-francisco/",
"first_published_at": "2023-11-20T21:30:09.600764Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-11-20T21:30:09.600764Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-11-20T21:30:04.684146Z",
"date": "2023-11-12",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "San Francisco",
"longitude": -122.41942,
"latitude": 37.77493,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"cleja\">A Česká Televize (Czech Television) photojournalist and reporter were robbed at gunpoint while filming a report in San Francisco, California, on Nov. 12, 2023.</p><p data-block-key=\"cvi9p\">Photographer Milan Nosek and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/czech-tv-reporter-cameraman-robbed-at-gunpoint-in-san-francisco\">correspondent Bohumil Vostal</a> were recording shortly before 5 p.m. across the street from City Lights Bookstore in the city’s North Beach neighborhood when three masked men approached them. With weapons drawn, the men ordered the journalists to hand over their equipment, Vostal told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker via email.</p><p data-block-key=\"em0b9\">Vostal said more than $19,000 of equipment was lost, including the crew’s video camera, a GoPro, multiple camera lenses, external batteries, SD cards, microphones and tripods. Footage from a tour around the city and interviews with a representative of the Transgender District and a gallery owner were lost as well.</p><p data-block-key=\"eaacr\">The journalists quickly called the police and filed a report, but were forced to purchase replacement equipment in order to refilm and to cover the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit taking place in San Francisco at that time.</p><p data-block-key=\"dbgbc\">The San Francisco Police Department <a href=\"https://sfstandard.com/2023/11/13/camera-crew-robbed-san-francisco-city-lights/\">told the San Francisco Standard</a> that its robbery unit was investigating. SFPD did not respond to a request for additional information.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Nosek.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"7ltwh\">Česká Televize (Czech Television) photographer Milan Nosek and reporter Bohumil Vostal were robbed at gunpoint in San Francisco, California, on Nov. 12, 2023, losing $19,000 in equipment, including the camera he is seen carrying earlier that day.</p>",
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"assailant": "private individual",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
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"legal_order_venue": null,
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"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
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{
"quantity": 2,
"equipment": "camera"
},
{
"quantity": 11,
"equipment": "camera equipment"
},
{
"quantity": 2,
"equipment": "camera lens"
},
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "equipment bag"
},
{
"quantity": 3,
"equipment": "external battery"
},
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "miscellaneous equipment"
},
{
"quantity": 2,
"equipment": "storage device"
}
],
"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
"updates": [],
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"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"robbery"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault",
"Equipment Damage"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Milan Nosek (Česká Televize)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
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},
{
"title": "Independent journalist pushed, arrested at NYC pro-Palestinian march",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/independent-journalist-pushed-arrested-at-nyc-pro-palestinian-march/",
"first_published_at": "2023-12-01T20:53:40.594798Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-03-14T16:17:50.755730Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-03-14T16:17:50.638709Z",
"date": "2023-11-11",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "New York",
"longitude": -74.00597,
"latitude": 40.71427,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"pz12y\">Independent journalist Ashoka Jegroo was pushed and arrested by police officers while documenting a pro-Palestinian demonstration in New York City on Nov. 11, 2023.</p><p data-block-key=\"qq5k\">Jegroo told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that as the crowd began to disperse near Grand Central Terminal in midtown Manhattan, some demonstrators noticed a pole with American and United Nations flags and one climbed up to replace them with the Palestinian flag. Police then surrounded the pole, pushing everyone back, and prepared to arrest him once he climbed down.</p><p data-block-key=\"8rdmk\">After the protester was placed in handcuffs, Jegroo and other press and protesters followed as officers led the protester to a police van. In <a href=\"https://twitter.com/AshAgony/status/1723568566425866270\">footage</a> Jegroo posted to social media, an NYPD officer is heard ordering Jegroo to back up and saying that he was pushing the journalist to get him to move.</p><p data-block-key=\"95t09\">“I’m at a reasonable distance,” Jegroo replies. Moments later, multiple officers appear to form a line forcing everyone back, and Jegroo is pushed again as officers order the crowd to get on the sidewalk.</p><p data-block-key=\"4pfj2\">Jegroo asks, “Why are you touching me?” Seconds later, he too is arrested.</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/FreePalestine?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#FreePalestine</a> protesters marched in Midtown Manhattan last nite.<br><br>As I was recording NYPD arrest a protester, cops began pushing folks. You can hear me tell cops “I’m at a reasonable distance.” Then you can hear me complain about being pushed & then you hear the cuffs put on me. <a href=\"https://t.co/d8ME4Aw1WX\">pic.twitter.com/d8ME4Aw1WX</a></p>— Ash J (@AshAgony) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/AshAgony/status/1723568566425866270?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 12, 2023</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"pz12y\">Jegroo told the Tracker that he was held in a cell at NYPD headquarters at One Police Plaza for two to three hours before being released with two citations for disorderly conduct. Both citations were signed by Inspector Frank DiGiacomo, the commanding officer for the department’s Technical Assistance Response Unit.</p><p data-block-key=\"5iva7\">“When I finally was released,” Jegroo said, “the cop who was escorting me out of the precinct and to the door outside, he remarked that, like, ‘Wow, the inspector himself filled out your tickets. That usually never happens, you must have done something. What did you do?’”</p><p data-block-key=\"470l7\">At an initial hearing on Nov. 29, the judge informed Jegroo that police had not properly filed the tickets so he was free to go. Jegroo said that as far as the court records show, the charges against him never happened, but he doesn’t know whether the department could choose to refile them at a later date.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Jegroo.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"ufbd7\">Independent journalist Ashoka Jegroo was arrested by New York Police Department officers while reporting on a pro-Palestinian march in Manhattan on Nov. 11, 2023. The two charges of disorderly conduct against him have since been dropped.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "New York City Police Department",
"arrest_status": "arrested and released",
"release_date": "2023-11-11",
"detention_date": "2023-11-11",
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
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"protest"
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"Arrest/Criminal Charge",
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"Ashoka Jegroo (Independent)"
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{
"title": "Senator calls on Justice Department to investigate news outlets",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/senator-calls-on-justice-department-to-investigate-news-outlets/",
"first_published_at": "2023-11-13T20:28:18.796967Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-03-14T16:11:02.217229Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-03-14T16:11:02.138311Z",
"date": "2023-11-09",
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"city": "Washington",
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"oihz0\">Sen. Tom Cotton on Nov. 9, 2023, called for the Justice Department to investigate multiple news outlets for their alleged employment of Hamas-affiliated journalists in the Gaza Strip.</p><p data-block-key=\"7jt9r\">The Arkansas Republican, in a letter to the U.S. attorney general, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/sentomcotton/status/1722994349972095174\">alleged</a> that The Associated Press, CNN, The New York Times and Reuters had employed freelance journalists who had ties to the armed Palestinian militant group and prior knowledge of its Oct. 7 attack against Israel. The senator cited unspecified “reports” as the basis for his accusations, in apparent reference to <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-photographers-attack-200be1ba47361f1c1fc113cdaeb65d04\">since-debunked claims</a> pushed by pro-Israel watchdog group HonestReporting.</p><p data-block-key=\"d190h\">“Providing material support or assistance, including funding, to a terrorist organization such as Hamas is a federal crime,” Cotton wrote. “The Department of Justice must immediately open a national security investigation into these four media outlets to determine whether they or their leadership committed federal crimes by supporting Hamas terrorists.”</p><p data-block-key=\"20a4g\">In <a href=\"https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-demands-answers-on-journalists-embedded-with-hamas\">additional letters</a> to each of the news outlets, Cotton asked how many journalists employed by the news organizations were embedded with Hamas on Oct. 7 and how many are currently embedded. He also asked the outlets for an itemized total of their “funding” to Hamas and affiliates in Gaza over the past five years.</p><p data-block-key=\"7ei43\">The four news outlets <a href=\"https://www.thewrap.com/news-outlets-deny-hamas-attacks-advance-knowledge-gaza-photojournalists/\">categorically denied</a> having any prior knowledge of the Oct. 7 attack and defended their reporting. The Times stood by its decision to work with freelancer Yousef Masoud, <a href=\"https://www.nytco.com/press/statement-on-yousef-masoud/\">writing in a statement</a> that there was no basis for HonestReporting’s claims.</p><p data-block-key=\"4hvcn\">“Our review of his work shows that he was doing what photojournalists always do during major news events, documenting the tragedy as it unfolded,” the statement read. “We are gravely concerned that unsupported accusations and threats to freelancers endangers them and undermines work that serves the public interest.”</p><p data-block-key=\"8g0ij\">Both CNN and AP said, however, they have suspended their relationship with freelance photojournalist Hassan Eslaiah, <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/09/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-hamas-photographers.html\">according to the Times</a>. Eslaiah told the outlet that he had no prior knowledge of the attack and had no ties to Hamas.</p><p data-block-key=\"5ot3q\">Freedom of the Press Foundation, which oversees the operation of the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, <a href=\"https://freedom.press/news/disinformation-campaign-puts-journalists-lives-at-risk-in-gaza/\">characterized</a> HonestReporting’s claims as a “malicious disinformation campaign” that endangers the lives of journalists covering the war.</p><p data-block-key=\"1g1fk\">“It’s a virtual certainty that, despite HonestReporting’s about-face, its nonsense report will be cited to justify past and future attacks against journalists in what’s already by far the <a href=\"https://cpj.org/2023/11/journalist-casualties-in-the-israel-gaza-conflict/\">deadliest war</a> for the press in modern memory,” FPF Advocacy Director Seth Stern wrote.</p><p data-block-key=\"1fjms\">Cotton’s office did not respond to a voicemail requesting comment as of press time.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"i65ke\">Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, seen here ahead of a briefing in Washington, D.C., in April 2023, wrote a Nov. 9 letter to the U.S. attorney general calling for an investigation into four news outlets for allegedly employing Hamas-affiliated freelancers.</p>",
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"CNN",
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"The Associated Press",
"The New York Times"
],
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"Israel-Gaza war"
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"Chilling Statement"
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},
{
"title": "Student journalist reports being pushed while filming Princeton protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/student-journalist-reports-being-pushed-while-filming-princeton-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2023-11-28T14:01:18.624780Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-03-14T16:18:27.388432Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-03-14T16:18:27.307061Z",
"date": "2023-11-09",
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"city": "Princeton",
"longitude": -74.65905,
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"8dahk\">Student journalist Alexandra Orbuch said she was pushed and stepped on by a fellow student while documenting a pro-Palestinian protest at Princeton University in New Jersey on Nov. 9, 2023.</p><p data-block-key=\"e219j\">Orbuch <a href=\"https://twitter.com/OrbuchA/status/1722796352474644511\">wrote on social media</a> that she was covering a student-led “<a href=\"https://www.theprincetontory.com/princeton-sjp-hosts-walkout-for-palestine-journalists-face-harassment/\">Walkout for Palestine</a>” in her capacity as a reporter for The Princeton Tory. Orbuch also <a href=\"https://www.theprincetontory.com/author/alexandra-orbuch/\">serves as its editor-in-chief</a> and has authored multiple news articles on antisemitism and op-eds in support of Israel and Zionism.</p><p data-block-key=\"5dcqp\">“I stood at a distance, gathering footage and audio of the protestors, but protesters continued to stalk and harass me,” she wrote. Footage from the incident shows participants deliberately using signs and flags to block Orbuch’s camera.</p><p data-block-key=\"79d51\">As the event continued, Orbuch <a href=\"https://twitter.com/OrbuchA/status/1722799564652990502\">wrote</a> that one individual became emboldened and ultimately pushed her and stepped on her foot.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I repeatedly told him that his level of closeness made me extremely uncomfortable, and I attempted to move away a number of times. He refused to leave me alone. It escalated to the point that he pushed me and stepped on my foot. Free speech is one thing. Assault is another. <a href=\"https://t.co/YA3HyVdrgB\">pic.twitter.com/YA3HyVdrgB</a></p>— Alexandra Orbuch (@OrbuchA) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/OrbuchA/status/1722799564652990502?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 10, 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=\"8dahk\">The Princeton Committee on Palestine <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CzhnlFTr5sS/?hl=en&img_index=1\">posted a statement</a> to social media claiming that the protester that Orbuch publicly identified had kept a respectful distance and that Orbuch ran into him, then baselessly accused him of assault.</p><p data-block-key=\"a3atj\">Orbuch did not respond to multiple requests for comment.</p></div>",
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"Israel-Gaza war",
"protest",
"student journalism"
],
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{
"title": "Senators criticize VOA editorial guidelines on Israel-Gaza war, call for firings",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/senators-criticize-voa-editorial-guidelines-on-israel-gaza-war-call-for-firings/",
"first_published_at": "2023-12-12T19:26:16.848177Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-03-14T16:19:24.732779Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-03-14T16:19:24.637479Z",
"date": "2023-11-07",
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"city": "Washington",
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"4kopv\">Seven Republican senators on Nov. 7, 2023, criticized Voice of America’s editorial guidelines for covering the Israel-Gaza war and called for the firing of two staffers at the government-funded, editorially independent outlet.</p><p data-block-key=\"dm4db\">The senators, in a <a href=\"https://www.hagerty.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/NOV20231107-FINAL-BH-Letter-to-USAGM-on-Hamas.pdf\">letter</a> to Amanda Bennett, chief executive officer of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, or USAGM — which oversees VOA — expressed “grave concern” about an Oct. 10 internal email sent by Carol Guensburg, the outlet’s associate editor for news standards.</p><p data-block-key=\"8bdq\">In the internal email, which came in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent <a href=\"https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war\">declaration of war</a>, and bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza, Guensburg advised VOA reporters and editors not to refer to members of Hamas as “terrorists” in reporting, except when quoting others. The Washington Post <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2023/11/29/voice-of-america-hamas-israel-terrorist-militant-hagerty/\">reported</a> that Guensburg said Hamas’ attack on Israel could be referred to as “terrorist acts” or “acts of terror.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7o0np\">According to a <a href=\"https://www.nationalreview.com/2023/10/voice-of-america-staff-ordered-not-to-call-hamas-terrorists/\">report</a> by The National Review, Guensburg’s email explained that, “This practice conforms with the VOA News Standards and Best Practices guide and current usage by the wires and major U.S. news organizations, bearing in mind that the language including terrorism is often used to demonize individuals and groups with whom the speaker disagrees. Useful alternatives are <i>militant group</i> or <i>militants</i> or <i>fighters</i>.”</p><p data-block-key=\"96rm3\">The senators called on Bennett to terminate Guensburg and Patsy Widakuswara, VOA’s White House bureau chief, who suggested in a reply to Guensburg that VOA stories include the context that “the militant group’s attack was done in retaliation for Israel’s decades-long occupation.”</p><p data-block-key=\"fj6cv\">The letter was led by Tennessee Sen. Bill Hagerty and joined by Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Marco Rubio of Florida, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Pete Ricketts and Deb Fischer of Nebraska, and John Barrasso of Wyoming. All sit on the Senate foreign relations or appropriations committees, which have <a href=\"https://www.usagm.gov/who-we-are/oversight/congressional-committees/\">oversight</a> over USAGM’s policies and funding.</p><p data-block-key=\"c4o2g\">While VOA’s <a href=\"https://www.usagm.gov/our-work/strategy-and-results/strategic-priorities/budget-submissions/\">budget</a> comes from a congressional appropriation, the outlet’s independence from government interference is enshrined in USAGM’s authorizing legislation, the <a href=\"https://www.usagm.gov/who-we-are/oversight/legislation/international-broadcasting-act/\">International Broadcasting Act</a>. The act established a “<a href=\"https://www.usagm.gov/who-we-are/firewall/\">firewall</a>” that guarantees all USAGM outlets, which also include Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, full editorial autonomy in order to maintain their “professional independence and integrity.”</p><p data-block-key=\"brhga\">In their letter, however, the senators stated that, “As members of the Senate committees with jurisdiction over the policies and funding of [USAGM], we believe that VOA’s editorial policy against the use of the term ‘terrorist’ contradicts VOA’s principle of providing ‘accurate, objective, and comprehensive’ news. Indeed, we seriously question how VOA’s editorial policy advances the interests of the American taxpayers who generously fund this news organization every year.”</p><p data-block-key=\"90m98\">The senators noted that Hamas has been designated a “foreign terrorist organization” by the State Department, and that President Joe Biden had <a href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/11/16/remarks-by-president-biden-in-a-press-conference-woodside-ca/\">referred to Hamas</a> as “terrorists.”</p><p data-block-key=\"8lt3r\">Major news organizations have set <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2023/10/20/israel-gaza-strike-hospital-blast/\">varying</a> policies and standards with respect to terminology for covering the Israel-Gaza war, with some — such as <a href=\"https://www.apstylebook.com/topical_most_recent\">The Associated Press</a> and the <a href=\"https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-67076341\">BBC</a> — only using the word “terrorist” with attribution. AP’s guidelines explained, “The terms terrorism and terrorist have become politicized, and often are applied inconsistently.” BBC guidelines note that “our responsibility is to remain objective and report in ways that enable our audiences to make their own assessments about who is doing what to whom."</p><p data-block-key=\"9iiob\">But the senators argued that VOA uses the term “terrorist” to refer to other groups, and alleged that “VOA has created an editorial double standard in which it appears to accept the description of the Islamic State, Al-Qaida, and other officially designated terrorists groups as terrorists, but not Iran-backed Hamas, which explicitly seeks to destroy Israel and kill Jews.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4u2l\">The senators called on Bennett to review the directive and “hold accountable VOA leadership who issued this guidance for editorial double standards … including the immediate termination of Carol Guensburg and Patsy Widakuswara.”</p><p data-block-key=\"brnat\">In a Nov. 27 response to the senators, which the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker reviewed, Bennett clarified that VOA and other USAGM organizations do not prohibit the use of the words “terror,” “terrorism,” or “terrorist.” She added that each of the entities’ best practices policy guidelines “counsels care and attention in the use of the words but do not place any restrictions on the appropriate use” of those words.</p><p data-block-key=\"6sct1\">Bennett also said that all USAGM news entities “are reviewing their policies as well as training and implementation of these policies. USAGM has retained an outside expert to review all practices and to make recommendations regarding future training or possible policy changes.”</p><p data-block-key=\"28a2s\">Sen. James Risch of Idaho, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Nov. 9 sent a separate letter to Bennett. In the letter, which was reviewed by the Tracker, Risch expressed “concern” about VOA’s editorial guidelines and sought “clarification” on the outlet’s policy. He asserted that Hamas’ attack “fit perfectly within the VOA style guide’s definition of both terrorist and terrorism,” adding that he looked forward to the outlet “accurately describing Hamas and its members as terrorists” in the future.</p><p data-block-key=\"efl8s\">In a related incident, Rep. Darrell Issa of California, a Republican member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, sent a <a href=\"https://www.nationalreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/11.3.23-Issa-VOA-Terrorist-Editorialization-Letter.pdf\">letter</a> to VOA acting Director John Lippman on Nov. 3 criticizing VOA editorial guidelines and asking for a copy of Guensberg’s email, as well as “a copy of any attached guidance, along with all replies to the email and attachments” by Nov. 9.</p><p data-block-key=\"1s6h4\">In response to an emailed request for comment about the policy, a VOA spokesperson told the Tracker that “VOA has never banned the use of the word ‘terror’ or ‘terrorism.’ It has been used many times without quotes. Nothing has changed.” Hagerty’s press assistant did not respond to an emailed request about any next steps to follow up on the senators’ letter.</p></div>",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"zk2mk\">A view of Voice of America headquarters in Washington, D.C. Seven GOP senators on Nov. 7 called for the firing of VOA staffers over the outlet’s Israel-Gaza war editorial guidelines.</p>",
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},
{
"title": "Subpoena quashed for reporter’s communications as part of Title IX lawsuit",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/subpoena-quashed-for-reporters-communications-as-part-of-title-ix-lawsuit/",
"first_published_at": "2024-01-05T17:54:29.647594Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-01-05T17:54:29.647594Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-01-04T19:58:11.577125Z",
"date": "2023-10-31",
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"longitude": -121.4944,
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"r75fk\">California-based USA Today reporter Kenneth “Kenny” Jacoby was subpoenaed for source communications and other documents on Oct. 31, 2023, as part of a separate, ongoing lawsuit against multiple Louisiana universities. The subpoena was ultimately quashed on Dec. 21.</p><p data-block-key=\"7g4u4\">In a May 2021 <a href=\"https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/investigations/2021/05/26/louisiana-officials-skirted-law-meant-curb-campus-sex-crimes/7048845002/\">article,</a> Jacoby reported that various Louisiana schools and police forces failed to share relevant information with each other after multiple women reported the same college student for sexual misconduct.</p><p data-block-key=\"4uhj7\">One of the women cited in Jacoby’s reporting filed a lawsuit against two university systems and a local government in May 2022, alleging negligence and violations of her rights under Title IX. According to the <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.lamd.60517/gov.uscourts.lamd.60517.1.0.pdf\">complaint</a>, the woman — identified only as Jane Doe to protect her identity — learned from Jacoby’s article that the universities had been aware of her assailant’s history of sexual misconduct before the attack against her.</p><p data-block-key=\"1qpk6\">The board of supervisors of the University of Louisiana System initially issued Jacoby a <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.caed.437229/gov.uscourts.caed.437229.4.0.pdf\">sweeping subpoena</a>, which listed 28 requests for his communications, reporting materials and unpublished work product around the article.</p><p data-block-key=\"19v1\">After Jacoby filed a <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.caed.437229/gov.uscourts.caed.437229.1.0.pdf\">motion to quash</a> the subpoena on Nov. 13, the university system agreed to limit the request to just his texts with Doe and notes from their conversations, as well as an affidavit authenticating and contextualizing them. The university system argued that the communications would prove that Doe had learned the material facts underlying her allegations earlier than she claimed and had missed the statute of limitations to file the lawsuit.</p><p data-block-key=\"6g8r5\">Jacoby <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.caed.437229/gov.uscourts.caed.437229.11.1.pdf\">provided an affidavit</a> confirming that, as records already turned over by Doe had shown, his first contact with her was in December 2020. According to <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.caed.437229/gov.uscourts.caed.437229.11.0.pdf\">court records</a> reviewed by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, the universities felt the affidavit was insufficient, while Jacoby maintained his objections to even the narrowed subpoena.</p><p data-block-key=\"aaf4e\">“As a journalist, I have ethical obligations to my sources. It is an essential aspect of my job to build trust with sources, even more so for highly sensitive subject matter like sexual assault,” Jacoby wrote in his affidavit. “I would not be able to do my job as an investigative reporter if sources did not believe that I would honor my confidentiality agreements. To me, this is both a legal matter and a matter of principle.”</p><p data-block-key=\"ds5rb\">A U.S. District Court judge <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.caed.437229/gov.uscourts.caed.437229.17.0_1.pdf\">granted</a> Jacoby’s motion to quash the subpoena on Dec. 21, finding that the university system had failed to meet the necessary standards to justify impinging on journalistic protections.</p><p data-block-key=\"48iv5\">“It is not enough that [the University of Louisiana System] hopes or even has a hunch that Jacoby’s documents will contradict Doe’s testimony and the other available evidence,” Magistrate Judge Allison Claire wrote in her decision.</p><p data-block-key=\"2jfi6\">When contacted by the Tracker, Jacoby declined to comment further because a second subpoena against him in the case is still pending.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"otvc0\">A portion of the subpoena issued to USA Today reporter Kenneth “Kenny” Jacoby on Oct. 31, 2023, ordering him to produce source communications, documents and unpublished work product in connection with a lawsuit against the University of Louisiana System.</p>",
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"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
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},
{
"title": "Apparent cyberattack hits AP news website, causes brief outage",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/apparent-cyberattack-hits-ap-news-website-causes-brief-outage/",
"first_published_at": "2023-11-16T16:15:15.250913Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-11-16T16:22:01.279646Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-11-16T16:22:01.149547Z",
"date": "2023-10-31",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "New York",
"longitude": -74.00597,
"latitude": 40.71427,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"tjprj\">The news website of The Associated Press was hit by an apparent denial-of-service attack on Oct. 31, 2023, causing a partial outage on the site.</p><p data-block-key=\"6lm07\">According to <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/ap-news-site-disrupted-1da6a411ce5022555929e204bf5dc3c0\">the AP</a>, visitors to its apnews.com site on the afternoon of Oct. 31 were able to load the home page, but specific stories were either blank pages or error messages. The AP said the outage “appeared to be consistent with a denial-of-service attack.”</p><p data-block-key=\"ccqsj\">The AP said the issue was resolved by the morning of Nov. 1, and that the outage did not affect delivery systems to customers and its mobile apps.</p><p data-block-key=\"3f5h3\">A denial-of-service attack involves using a single connection to overwhelm a network server with data in order to disrupt its normal functioning and knock it offline. (A related type of attack, known as distributed denial of service, utilizes multiple sources to overwhelm the target server.) Both attacks are <a href=\"https://www.justice.gov/criminal/file/442156/download\">federal crimes</a> under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.</p><p data-block-key=\"7316t\">The news agency’s report quoted Nicole Meir, an AP media relations manager, as saying, “We’ve experienced periodic surges in traffic but we’re still looking into the cause.” Meir added that the engineers would take care of one source of traffic, only to have it surge from another location.</p><p data-block-key=\"5i9th\">An account holder identifying themselves as the spokesperson for the hacking group Anonymous Sudan <a href=\"https://t.me/Crush_sd/9\">said</a> on Telegram Oct. 28 that the group would target Western news outlets in connection with their reporting on the Israel-Hamas war.</p><p data-block-key=\"3oc1e\">Anonymous Sudan posted <a href=\"https://t.me/xAnonymousSudan/204\">multiple</a> <a href=\"https://t.me/xAnonymousSudan/189\">screenshots</a> on its Telegram channel showing error messages from the AP news site on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Beginning Oct. 27, the group also posted screenshots of error messages from news outlets including <a href=\"https://t.me/xAnonymousSudan/180\">CNN</a>, <a href=\"https://t.me/xAnonymousSudan/186\">The Washington Post</a>, the <a href=\"https://t.me/xAnonymousSudan/185\">New York Post</a> and Britain’s <a href=\"https://t.me/xAnonymousSudan/188\">Daily Mail</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"4po8h\">The AP said that it had not been able to verify whether Anonymous Sudan was responsible for the attack. The news service did not immediately reply to an emailed request for updates on the incident.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/RTXZLAF.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"akbjw\">A man stands outside the New York headquarters of The Associated Press. The news agency was hit with an apparent denial-of-service attack on Oct. 31, 2023.</p>",
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"state": {
"name": "New York",
"abbreviation": "NY"
},
"updates": [],
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"targeted_institutions": [
"The Associated Press"
],
"tags": [
"cyberattack"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Other Incident"
],
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},
{
"title": "Chicago-area reporter cited for seeking comment from local officials",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/chicago-area-reporter-cited-for-seeking-comment-from-local-officials/",
"first_published_at": "2023-11-06T16:57:39.126922Z",
"last_published_at": "2023-11-06T22:01:25.078802Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2023-11-06T22:02:38.595967Z",
"date": "2023-10-30",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Calumet City",
"longitude": -87.52949,
"latitude": 41.61559,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"n5d7i\">Officials in Calumet City, Illinois, allege that a local reporter violated municipal ordinances by asking them questions about the city’s upkeep of stormwater infrastructure prior to massive flooding from heavy rains in the Chicago suburb in September 2023.</p><p data-block-key=\"6m7na\">Daily Southtown reporter Hank Sanders, <a href=\"https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/ct-sta-calumet-city-water-pumps-before-flooding-st-1020-20231019-5zpcem4ea5a65bbij5nafmql6i-story.html\">who reported on Oct. 19</a> that Calumet City officials were informed last year by a consultant that the municipality’s stormwater facilities are in poor condition, is accused of “interference/hampering of city employees” by contacting them for follow-up coverage, <a href=\"https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-calumet-city-tribune-reporter-citations-20231102-ts6ugr2t6vdahap72yw2s7gkoi-story.html\">according to the Chicago Tribune</a>, whose parent company publishes both papers.</p><p data-block-key=\"v5rv\">Three citations issued to Sanders <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/06/us/chicago-reporter-officals-calumet-citation.html\">on Oct. 30</a> listed as complainants Calumet City Mayor Thaddeus Jones, who is also an Illinois state representative; Jerico Thomas, the city’s public works commissioner; and city employee Megan Wilson, the Tribune added.</p><p data-block-key=\"925kh\">According to the paper, the notice referencing Wilson states that between Oct. 4-12, Sanders sent 14 emails and a Freedom of Information Act request to the Calumet City government regarding flooding. The notice referencing Jones noted that Sanders had called the city’s Department of Public Works “several times” since Sept. 17.</p><p data-block-key=\"5m387\">City attorneys asked Sanders to cease contacting city employees about the matter while the records request is pending, but said despite the requests, “Hank Sanders continues to do so.”</p><p data-block-key=\"v8bc\">A U.S. Press Freedom Tracker request for comment from Calumet City officials did not immediately receive a response.</p><p data-block-key=\"a3fbh\">On his TikTok account, Sanders posted about the citations, calling them “<a href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@chicagotrib/video/7297544753120349483\">ridiculous</a>.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1jr2m\">Daily Southtown’s Executive Editor Mitch Pugh, in a statement published in the Tribune, called the citations “outrageous” and likened them to the Oct. 27 <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/alabama-publisher-charged-over-report-on-grand-jury-investigation/\">arrest of an Alabama reporter</a> and publisher for reporting on a local grand jury investigation <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/newsroom-personal-equipment-seized-in-kansas-raid/\">and the August police raid</a> on the Marion County Recorder and homes of the Kansas newspaper’s co-owners, executed while the Recorder was investigating Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody’s background.</p><p data-block-key=\"13h1o\">“They represent a continued assault on journalists who, like Hank, are guilty of nothing more than engaging in the practice of journalism. From places like Alabama to Kansas to Illinois, it appears public officials have become emboldened to take actions that our society once viewed as un-American,” Pugh said. “Unfortunately, in our current political climate, uneducated buffoonery has become a virtue, not a liability, but the Tribune will vigorously stand up for Hank’s right to do his job.”</p><p data-block-key=\"6tveo\">Don Craven, president, chief executive and general counsel of the Illinois Press Association, <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/06/us/chicago-reporter-officals-calumet-citation.html\">told The New York Times</a> that he was optimistic that Calumet City would withdraw the citations. “We’re hopeful that our lawyer and their lawyer can have an adult conversation and understand that these are out of bounds and they’ll be withdrawn.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Screenshot_2023-11-06_165222.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"k6y8u\">A portion of one citation issued to Daily Southtown reporter Hank Sanders on Oct. 30, 2023, charging him with “interference/hampering of city employees” for allegedly harassing Calumet City, Illinois, officials when seeking comment for his reporting.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "Calumet City Police Department",
"arrest_status": "charged without arrest",
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
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"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
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"state": {
"name": "Illinois",
"abbreviation": "IL"
},
"updates": [
"(2023-11-06 16:56:00+00:00) Citations against Chicago-area reporter dropped"
],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
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"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Hank Sanders (Daily Southtown)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Alabama publisher charged over report on grand jury investigation",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/alabama-publisher-charged-over-report-on-grand-jury-investigation/",
"first_published_at": "2023-11-01T18:17:04.716394Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-11-22T21:06:47.333106Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-11-22T21:06:47.133063Z",
"date": "2023-10-27",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Atmore",
"longitude": -87.49387,
"latitude": 31.02379,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"3h8hh\">Atmore News co-owner and publisher Sherry Digmon was arrested in Atmore, Alabama, on Oct. 27, 2023, and charged with a felony for publishing an article on an ongoing grand jury investigation, the newspaper reported.</p><p data-block-key=\"437pe\">A reporter for the paper, <a href=\"/all-incidents/alabama-reporter-faces-felony-charge-for-article-on-grand-jury-investigation/\">Don Fletcher</a>, authored an <a href=\"https://atmorenews.com/2023/10/25/boe-investigations/\">article</a> on Oct. 25 concerning an Escambia County investigation into allegations of mismanagement of federal COVID relief funds by the county Board of Education. The article referenced statements made by District Attorney Steve Billy at an Oct. 12 school board meeting confirming that the superintendent would not be brought before a grand jury.</p><p data-block-key=\"cm6h4\">The article also reported that the outlet had obtained documents stating that Billy had issued a subpoena seeking copies of checks labeled as “COVID” payments or bonuses.</p><p data-block-key=\"7ktbt\">Atmore News <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/newsatmore/posts/pfbid02bk4ZCd6zP2vjx4fCVEhXW8RtNU2Cy1qaBAgVaEbWFVJctER8FbkfGhUJNybyUjkHl\">reported on Facebook</a> that both Digmon and Fletcher were arrested on Oct. 27, charged with <a href=\"https://law.justia.com/codes/alabama/2009/Title12/Chapter16/Chapter16.html#:~:text=Section%2012%2D16%2D215%20Grand,juror's%20questions%2C%20considerations%2C%20etc.\">revealing, disclosing or divulging grand jury information</a>, a felony, and released about six hours later after paying $10,000 bonds.</p><p data-block-key=\"3mv5f\">Fletcher, who took a call to the newsroom from the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, confirmed that he and Digmon had an initial hearing on Oct. 30 but directed all further inquiries to their attorney, Earnest White. White declined to comment when reached on Oct. 31.</p><p data-block-key=\"19nmn\">Veronica “Ashley” Fore, a bookkeeper for the county school system, was also arrested and is charged with providing grand jury information to the media, <a href=\"https://www.fox10tv.com/2023/10/28/school-board-member-journalist-arrested-atmore/\">according to WALA-TV</a>. It was not immediately clear how Fore obtained the information.</p><p data-block-key=\"9u2ti\">Neither District Attorney Billy nor the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to requests for comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/AtmoreNews-Arrests-Fletcher-Digmo.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"5mx84\">Atmore News reporter Don Fletcher and publisher Sherry Digmon were arrested on Oct. 27, 2023, and charged with felonies for reporting on an ongoing grand jury investigation in Escambia County, Alabama.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "Escambia County Sheriff’s Office",
"arrest_status": "arrested and released",
"release_date": "2023-10-27",
"detention_date": "2023-10-27",
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": "1:24-cv-00425",
"case_type": "CIVIL",
"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
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"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": "dropped",
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
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"state": {
"name": "Alabama",
"abbreviation": "AL"
},
"updates": [
"(2024-11-20 00:00:00+00:00) Alabama publisher files federal suit against DA and sheriff over arrest",
"(2024-04-19 00:00:00+00:00) Criminal charges dropped against Alabama publisher",
"(2023-10-30 13:04:00+00:00) Alabama publisher placed under prior restraint as condition of bail"
],
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"ongoing"
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"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge",
"Prior Restraint"
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"targeted_journalists": [
"Sherry Digmon (Atmore News)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Alabama reporter faces felony charge for article on grand jury investigation",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/alabama-reporter-faces-felony-charge-for-article-on-grand-jury-investigation/",
"first_published_at": "2023-11-01T18:09:18.890354Z",
"last_published_at": "2024-11-22T21:06:59.823563Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2024-11-22T21:06:59.637247Z",
"date": "2023-10-27",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Atmore",
"longitude": -87.49387,
"latitude": 31.02379,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"mm2px\">Atmore News reporter Don Fletcher was arrested in Atmore, Alabama, on Oct. 27, 2023, and charged with a felony for his reporting on an ongoing grand jury investigation, the newspaper reported.</p><p data-block-key=\"fmt6m\">Fletcher authored an <a href=\"https://atmorenews.com/2023/10/25/boe-investigations/\">article</a> on Oct. 25 concerning an Escambia County investigation into allegations of mismanagement of federal COVID relief funds by the county Board of Education. The article referenced statements made by District Attorney Steve Billy at an Oct. 12 school board meeting confirming that the superintendent would not be brought before a grand jury.</p><p data-block-key=\"4kr8c\">The article also reported that the outlet had obtained documents stating that Billy had issued a subpoena seeking copies of checks labeled as “COVID” payments or bonuses.</p><p data-block-key=\"bli4e\">Atmore News <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/newsatmore/posts/pfbid02bk4ZCd6zP2vjx4fCVEhXW8RtNU2Cy1qaBAgVaEbWFVJctER8FbkfGhUJNybyUjkHl\">reported on Facebook</a> that both Fletcher and the newspaper’s publisher and co-owner <a href=\"/all-incidents/alabama-publisher-charged-over-report-on-grand-jury-investigation/\">Sherry Digmon</a> were arrested on Oct. 27, charged with <a href=\"https://law.justia.com/codes/alabama/2009/Title12/Chapter16/Chapter16.html#:~:text=Section%2012%2D16%2D215%20Grand,juror's%20questions%2C%20considerations%2C%20etc.\">revealing, disclosing or divulging grand jury information</a>, a felony, and released about six hours later after paying $10,000 bonds.</p><p data-block-key=\"fbanb\">When reached by phone, Fletcher confirmed to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that the two had an initial hearing on Oct. 30 but directed all further inquiries to their attorney, Earnest White. White declined to comment when reached on Oct. 31.</p><p data-block-key=\"2f4vo\">Veronica “Ashley” Fore, a bookkeeper for the county school system, was also arrested and is charged with providing grand jury information to the media, <a href=\"https://www.fox10tv.com/2023/10/28/school-board-member-journalist-arrested-atmore/\">according to WALA-TV</a>. It was not immediately clear how Fore obtained the information.</p><p data-block-key=\"19fo3\">Neither District Attorney Billy nor the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to requests for comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/AtmoreNews-Arrests-Fletcher-Digmo.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"djnz2\">Atmore News reporter Don Fletcher and publisher Sherry Digmon were arrested on Oct. 27, 2023, and charged with felonies for reporting on an ongoing grand jury investigation in Escambia County, Alabama.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "Escambia County Sheriff’s Office",
"arrest_status": "arrested and released",
"release_date": "2023-10-27",
"detention_date": "2023-10-27",
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": "1:24-cv-00425",
"case_type": "CIVIL",
"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": 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": "dropped",
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "Alabama",
"abbreviation": "AL"
},
"updates": [
"(2023-10-30 13:02:00+00:00) Alabama reporter placed under prior restraint as condition of bail",
"(2024-04-19 00:00:00+00:00) Criminal charges dropped against Alabama reporter",
"(2024-11-20 00:00:00+00:00) Alabama reporter files federal suit against DA and sheriff over arrest"
],
"case_statuses": [
"ongoing"
],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge",
"Prior Restraint"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Don Fletcher (Atmore News)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
}
]
