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{
"title": "Photojournalist struck by projectile while covering World Series revelry in LA",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-struck-by-projectile-while-covering-world-series-revelry-in-la/",
"first_published_at": "2025-11-04T22:06:11.842104Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-11-04T22:06:11.842104Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-11-04T22:06:11.638287Z",
"date": "2025-11-01",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"tkt6d\">Freelance photojournalist Myraneli Fabian was shot with a crowd-control projectile fired by police while she documented celebrations in Los Angeles, California, after the Dodgers won the World Series on Nov. 1, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"60nno\">Seven people were arrested after thousands of fans thronged city streets and police issued dispersal orders and fired riot-control munitions, <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/dodgers-world-series-celebration-arrests/\">according to CBS News.</a></p><p data-block-key=\"46d15\">Fabian told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that she did not see the Los Angeles Police Department officer who fired the shot and did not believe she was targeted. At the time, she was photographing people vandalizing a city bus, and officers were coming from behind her to stop them.</p><p data-block-key=\"b8281\">The projectile struck her upper thigh, leaving a dark bruise. Fabian said she was wearing a press badge and protective gear clearly marked “press.”</p><p data-block-key=\"31usj\">“I had my back toward them,” she said. “It just happened so quickly. I did see the bullet jump off from me on the floor.”</p></div>",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"onmqr\">Police line up on a road in Los Angeles, California, on Nov. 1, 2025, after the LA Dodgers win the World Series. Photojournalist Myraneli Fabian was struck by a police projectile while covering fan celebrations.</p>",
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"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
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"shot / shot at"
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"Myraneli Fabian (Freelance)"
],
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{
"title": "White House restricts reporter access to press secretary, staff’s offices",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/white-house-restricts-reporter-access-to-press-secretary-staffs-offices/",
"first_published_at": "2025-11-05T15:05:16.625101Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-11-05T15:05:16.625101Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-11-05T14:58:32.347808Z",
"date": "2025-10-31",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Washington",
"longitude": -77.03637,
"latitude": 38.89511,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"cyzi8\">Journalists will no longer be able to access the offices of senior press officials at the White House in Washington, D.C., in a sharp break with tradition announced by Trump administration officials on Oct. 31, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"d1mbq\">The New York Times <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/31/us/politics/trump-white-house-press.html\">reported</a> that for decades, White House correspondents have been permitted to roam through an area of the West Wing known as “Upper Press,” which houses the offices of the press secretary and other senior press aides. This access enabled reporters to ask impromptu questions outside of press briefings and keep up with breaking news events.</p><p data-block-key=\"7nb1v\">A White House memorandum released Oct. 31 announced the end of this practice, prohibiting journalists from accessing Upper Press without a prior appointment, citing security concerns with staffers now handling National Security Council materials.</p><p data-block-key=\"av6rp\">“This policy will ensure adherence to best practices pertaining to access to sensitive material,” the memo stated. Reporters will still have access to a separate office area adjacent to the briefing room, known as “Lower Press,” where lower-level communications staff are located.</p><p data-block-key=\"d12bl\">Communications Director Steven Cheung justified the restrictions in a <a href=\"https://x.com/StevenCheung47/status/1984400264661504307\">social media post</a>, claiming that reporters have surreptitiously recorded video and audio of the West Wing offices, entered restricted areas and eavesdropped on private meetings.</p><p data-block-key=\"akpmb\">The White House Correspondents’ Association <a href=\"https://x.com/whca/status/1984406570906607695\">condemned</a> the heightened constraints.</p><p data-block-key=\"5if9\">“The new restrictions hinder the press corps’ ability to question officials, ensure transparency, and hold the government accountable, to the detriment of the American public,” Weijia Jiang, the association’s president, wrote.</p><p data-block-key=\"8rvfs\">The move is the latest in the administration’s ongoing effort to curtail newsgathering activities at the White House and to punish news outlets for coverage that it deems unfavorable.</p><p data-block-key=\"cbk5o\">The <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/ap-reporters-barred-from-white-house-events-over-editorial-style-policy/\">Associated Press</a> and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/wsj-reporter-pulled-from-press-pool-in-retaliation-for-epstein-article/\">The Wall Street Journal</a> have faced direct exclusion in retaliation for their reporting, and wire services were <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/white-house-wrests-control-of-presidential-press-pool-from-correspondents/#update-944\">collectively left out</a> of the press pool for President Donald Trump’s trip to the Middle East in May, a first since the White House press corps started traveling with American presidents abroad, <a href=\"https://x.com/whca/status/1922037075152457802?s=46&t=lMm46RtKimj2YtTSpzSANQ\">according to the correspondents’ association</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"cd72t\">The White House also <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/white-house-wrests-control-of-presidential-press-pool-from-correspondents/\">wrested control of the presidential press pool</a> from the organization, and used that authority to censor two pool reports and remove the permanent wire service seat from the pool.</p><p data-block-key=\"7a7hs\">In recent weeks, Trump has <a href=\"https://x.com/Acyn/status/1978171676732100647\">floated</a> further restrictions on media access to the White House, suggesting that the press could be moved “very easily across the street.” He had also <a href=\"https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2017-01-18/trump-wont-remove-press-from-white-house-but-says-he-will-pick-who-gets-in\">briefly entertained that possibility</a> ahead of his inauguration in 2017, and under his first administration all but <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/trump-stops-regular-press-briefings-citing-unfair-media-treatment/\">halted press briefings</a> and suspended <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/white-house-suspends-correspondents-press-pass-reporter-alleges-retaliation/\">multiple</a> <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/white-house-suspends-cnn-reporter-jim-acostas-press-credentials-and-falsely-accuses-him-manhandling-intern/\">correspondents’</a> press credentials.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"jkii2\">White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt takes questions during a news briefing in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 23, 2025. A week later, the White House issued new rules barring journalists from accessing Leavitt’s office or those of senior press aides.</p>",
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"state": {
"name": "District of Columbia",
"abbreviation": "DC"
},
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"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [
"Media"
],
"tags": [
"Donald Trump"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [
"Federal government: White House"
],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Denial of Access"
],
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"Change in policy or practice"
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},
{
"title": "Student journalists ousted from immigration court in Maryland",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/student-journalists-ousted-from-immigration-court-in-maryland/",
"first_published_at": "2025-11-07T22:05:18.359151Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-11-07T22:05:18.359151Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-11-07T22:00:49.061553Z",
"date": "2025-10-28",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Hyattsville",
"longitude": -76.94553,
"latitude": 38.95594,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"51m31\">Student journalists Lillian Glaros and Ruby Siefken were ordered out of an immigration court in Hyattsville, Maryland, on Oct. 28, 2025, and told they couldn’t return until they obtained the correct permissions.</p><p data-block-key=\"fa64p\">Glaros and Siefken, reporters for the Capital News Service, a student-run publication out of the University of Maryland in College Park, were ultimately allowed to come back a week later.</p><p data-block-key=\"285mb\">Siefken told the Tracker that they arrived at the courthouse at approximately 8:30 a.m. As in previous visits, they passed through the standard security measures at the front door and went directly to the part of the building where the Hyattsville Immigration Court is housed.</p><p data-block-key=\"ckga3\">“We checked out the docket for the day, and we were really just looking to see if there were any available master cases for us to sit in on and observe,” Siefken said, referring to the first hearing in the removal process when multiple individuals are informed of the charges against them and their rights.</p><p data-block-key=\"88scp\">The pair ultimately entered Judge Dinesh Verma’s courtroom during a transition between two asylum-related cases.</p><p data-block-key=\"ccfie\">“We were seated for about 15 or 20 seconds before Judge Verma addressed us directly and said, ‘Are you all here to participate in a hearing or just to observe?’ To which I responded, ‘We are just here to observe,’” Siefken said. “He then questioned further and said, ‘Are you all law students? Are you lawyers? Are you members of the media? What exactly is bringing you here today?’”</p><p data-block-key=\"2ld89\">When Siefken said they were journalists there to report for an article, Verma asked if they had checked in with a public affairs officer at the front desk, to which they replied no, as they weren’t aware that was expected or required.</p><p data-block-key=\"r4ng\">Verma then referred them to his legal assistant Tiffany Baker, and said she would escort them to the public affairs officer “to make sure that you have all of the proper press permissions to be media members in the courtroom,” Siefken told the Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"bmmr\">There, they were informed that they needed permission from an official with the Department of Justice. Each time they attempted to call the number provided, they connected with an automated response. And when they pressed the button to identify as members of the media, the line would go dead.</p><p data-block-key=\"e9eoc\">The two then tried emailing two addresses they were provided, but both came back with automated responses, Siefken said.</p><p data-block-key=\"50ks8\">One was from Kathryn Mattingly, the DOJ representative tied to the Hyattsville courthouse. “That exact message read: ‘The appropriation that funds my salary lapsed, and as a result I have been furloughed and I’m currently out of the office,’” Siefken recounted.</p><p data-block-key=\"cb166\">“Lillian and I start to realize that there was no way for us to actually get in touch with this person that would be able to give us the correct press permission to enter back into the courthouse that day, let alone any time in the future,” she added.</p><p data-block-key=\"b540a\">The journalists pursued other avenues — calling the courthouse and a court administrator, and reaching back out to Baker. Each told them that there was no other person who could authorize their entry.</p><p data-block-key=\"5pqpr\">“That is when we decided to go ahead and write this story and move to publication,” Siefken said, referencing their <a href=\"https://cnsmaryland.org/2025/10/28/local-immigration-court-ousts-reporters-from-hearings/\">co-authored article</a>, “so that the general public was aware of the fact that media was not being accurately represented in immigration courthouses, at least this specific immigration courthouse.”</p><p data-block-key=\"6fakr\">Glaros told the Tracker that she and Siefken, as well as a third CNS reporter, had observed proceedings in the immigration court in September and October without issue. She added that she had even sat in Verma’s courtroom, and had always complied with judges’ requests and identified herself as a journalist when asked.</p><p data-block-key=\"dtjje\">The ejection drew national attention and condemnation from alumni and press freedom advocates — including Freedom of the Press Foundation, of which the Tracker is a project.</p><p data-block-key=\"bp34o\">Then, on Oct. 31, the DOJ’s Executive Office for Immigration Review emailed the journalists informing them that “immigration court hearings are generally open to the public.”</p><p data-block-key=\"2918n\">Siefken said they printed out a copy of the letter and brought it with them to the immigration court Nov. 4, in case they received any pushback.</p><p data-block-key=\"26qc3\">“We actually went back to Judge Verma’s courtroom and were able to observe without issue,” she told the Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"6lc6m\">She added that as a student journalist, this was her first experience facing restrictions on her journalistic work and that she hadn’t seen any other reporters attempting to cover these hearings.</p><p data-block-key=\"10bla\">“This is something that is so relevant and pertinent to the public right now,” Siefken said. “This just drove home how important our reporting is, and CNS will continue to provide this coverage.”</p><p data-block-key=\"6a71t\">In November, the DOJ issued a <a href=\"https://www.justice.gov/eoir/media/1416861/dl?inline\">new fact sheet</a> on observing immigration court hearings, updating the language to say that members of the media are “encouraged” to coordinate visits with the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s Office of Policy and identify themselves to front desk staff upon arrival.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Screenshot_2025-11-07_at_11.04.14.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"2dg8i\">The Capital News Service, a student-run outlet at the University of Maryland, reported that two of its journalists were removed from the Hyattsville Immigration Court on Oct. 28, 2025, and told they couldn’t return without the proper permissions.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"state": {
"name": "Maryland",
"abbreviation": "MD"
},
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"tags": [
"Department of Justice",
"immigration",
"student journalism"
],
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"Federal government: Agency"
],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Denial of Access"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Lillian Glaros ([University of Maryland] Capital News Service)",
"Ruby Siefken ([University of Maryland] Capital News Service)"
],
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"Change in policy or practice"
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},
{
"title": "Reporter denied access at DHS news conference in Minnesota",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-denied-access-at-dhs-news-conference-in-minnesota/",
"first_published_at": "2025-10-31T20:58:15.913054Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-10-31T20:58:15.913054Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-10-31T20:58:15.709284Z",
"date": "2025-10-24",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Fort Snelling",
"longitude": null,
"latitude": null,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"nx89y\">Clint Combs, a reporter for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, said he was removed from the approved media list and denied access to a Department of Homeland Security news conference in the Minneapolis, Minnesota, area on Oct. 24, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"9lup9\">Combs told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he had RSVP’d for the event at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Fort Snelling, bordering Minneapolis, and received an email confirming his registration, including the address and arrival instructions for the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"7e89d\">When he checked in, a security guard asked for the name of his publication. On the guard’s clipboard, Combs saw a spreadsheet listing several news outlets — some highlighted in yellow and others crossed out in pen.</p><p data-block-key=\"ebuac\">The guard looked at the list and said, “You’re off the list.”</p><p data-block-key=\"d0324\">Combs said he was not given a reason for his removal but was denied entry to the event.</p><p data-block-key=\"7o32u\">The news conference, which was met with <a href=\"https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/10/24/kristi-noem-visits-minneapolis-for-ice-briefing-protests-planned\">protests</a>, featured Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and focused on U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.</p><p data-block-key=\"ojt5\">Combs told the Tracker he was “shocked and a little bit upset” by the exclusion and concerned about how selective access limits accountability. He said he has previously written stories on DHS activities and interviewed people who have been critical of its operations, but he can’t say if that is the reason for the denial.</p><p data-block-key=\"2vlde\">“Preventing people from asking public questions has a chilling effect,” Combs said. “I just wish there were clear explanations from the top down why certain outlets were denied. If it’s a logistical issue or a timing issue, let me know that.”</p><p data-block-key=\"fs2p5\">DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"nozkj\">Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem speaks during a news conference in the Minneapolis area on Oct. 24, 2025. Reporter Clint Combs was denied access to cover the event.</p>",
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"state": {
"name": "Minnesota",
"abbreviation": "MN"
},
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"tags": [
"Department of Homeland Security"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [
"Federal government: Agency"
],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Denial of Access"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Clint Combs (Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
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"Government event"
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},
{
"title": "Andrew Ferguson targets news media as FTC chair",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/andrew-ferguson-targets-news-media-as-ftc-chair/",
"first_published_at": "2025-05-23T16:48:42.006809Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-10-27T21:05:41.870951Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-10-27T20:57:28.341842Z",
"date": "2025-10-23",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Washington",
"longitude": -77.03637,
"latitude": 38.89511,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"hxo03\">Shortly after President Donald Trump’s second term began, Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson joined Trump in taking steps to intimidate news media that have covered him and his administration unfavorably. We’re documenting Ferguson’s efforts in this regularly updated report.</p><p data-block-key=\"cucrp\">Read about how Trump’s appointees and allies in Congress are striving to chill reporting, revoke funding, censor critical coverage and more <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/blog/trump-allies-pursue-multipronged-campaign-against-the-press/\">here</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"be50\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"block-raw_html\"><p><a id=\"top\" name=\"top\"></a></p></div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"c5ogg\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"crs10\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#Oct 23\">Oct. 23, 2025 | Federal appeals court preserves block on FTC investigation of Media Matters</a></p>\r\n<p><a href=\"#Aug 15\">Aug. 15, 2025 | Media Matters granted preliminary injunction against FTC</a></p>\r\n<p><a href=\"#May 21\">May 21, 2025 | FTC chair announces investigation into Media Matters for America</a></p></div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"hxo03\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"64jt0\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"block-raw_html\"><a id=\"Oct 23\" name=\"Oct 23\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"c5ogg\">Oct. 23, 2025 | Federal appeals court preserves block on FTC investigation of Media Matters</h4><p data-block-key=\"du3rb\">A U.S. appeals court upheld a preliminary injunction on Oct. 23, 2025, protecting the nonprofit Media Matters from being forced to hand over a trove of newsgathering and editorial materials to the Federal Trade Commission.</p><p data-block-key=\"92qj6\">The FTC, under Chair Andrew Ferguson, <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/andrew-ferguson-targets-news-media-as-ftc-chair/#May%2021\">opened</a> an investigation in May into Media Matters over its alleged collusion with companies that paused their advertising on the social platform X after the media watchdog <a href=\"https://www.mediamatters.org/twitter/musk-endorses-antisemitic-conspiracy-theory-x-has-been-placing-ads-apple-bravo-ibm-oracle\">reported</a> that ads for major brands were appearing next to pro-Nazi posts.</p><p data-block-key=\"6lc00\">The agency ordered the nonprofit to turn over scores of internal records, including communications, budget documents and any evidence of coordination with other advocacy groups.</p><p data-block-key=\"10ntt\">In August, a district judge granted the nonprofit a preliminary injunction protecting it from the investigation demand. The FTC appealed the ruling, but on Oct. 23, a divided three-judge appeals panel <a href=\"https://media.cadc.uscourts.gov/orders/docs/2025/10/25-5302LDSN2.pdf\">upheld</a> the lower court’s decision.</p><p data-block-key=\"d64t8\">The deciding majority — U.S. Circuit Judges Patricia Millett and Robert Wilkins — jointly wrote that the FTC had failed to show that it could successfully argue that the investigation was not retaliatory. Further, they wrote that “nothing in the Demand the Commission issued said what, if any, law Media Matters was being investigated for possibly violating, or what conduct of Media Matters is under investigation.”</p><p data-block-key=\"97lug\">The judges noted, however, that the commission could still demonstrate that it would have issued the demand on nonretaliatory grounds.</p><p data-block-key=\"90pmn\">Media Matters Chairman and President Angelo Carusone said in a <a href=\"https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-appeals-court-blocks-ftc-subpoena-targeting-media-matters-now-2025-10-23/\">statement to Reuters</a> that the order was a victory for free speech rights.</p><p data-block-key=\"bmd7k\">“This case is about more than the Trump administration’s effort to punish Media Matters,” Carusone said. “It’s a critical test for whether any administration — from any political party — can bully and silence media and non-profit organizations through illegal abuses of power.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div>\r\n<a id=\"Aug 15\" name=\"Aug 15\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"hfa7u\">Aug. 15, 2025 | Media Matters granted preliminary injunction against FTC</h4><p data-block-key=\"3f5g2\">Media Matters for America was granted a preliminary injunction on Aug. 15, 2025, protecting the nonprofit from being forced to hand over a trove of newsgathering and editorial materials to the Federal Trade Commission.</p><p data-block-key=\"9t520\">The FTC, under Chair Andrew Ferguson, <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/andrew-ferguson-targets-news-media-as-ftc-chair/#May%2021\">opened</a> an investigation in May into Media Matters over its alleged collusion with companies that paused their advertising on the social platform X after the media watchdog <a href=\"https://www.mediamatters.org/twitter/musk-endorses-antisemitic-conspiracy-theory-x-has-been-placing-ads-apple-bravo-ibm-oracle\">reported</a> that ads for major brands were appearing next to pro-Nazi posts.</p><p data-block-key=\"fc3ot\">The agency ordered the nonprofit to turn over scores of internal records, including communications, budget documents and any evidence of coordination with other advocacy groups, Status reported.</p><p data-block-key=\"ijf1\">In a <a href=\"https://www.status.news/p/ftc-investigates-media-matters-elon-musk\">statement to Status</a>, a spokesperson for Media Matters described the FTC probe as a political hit job, and the nonprofit <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.281859/gov.uscourts.dcd.281859.1.0.pdf\">filed a lawsuit</a> June 23 to halt the order.</p><p data-block-key=\"dcajg\">“Media Matters faces an ongoing campaign of retribution for exercising its First Amendment rights,” attorneys for the nonprofit wrote. “Now the Federal Trade Commission seeks to punish Media Matters for its journalism and speech in exposing matters of substantial public concern—including how X.com has enabled and profited from extremist content that proliferated after Elon Musk took over the platform formerly known as Twitter.”</p><p data-block-key=\"eompq\">In late 2023 and early 2024, Republican attorneys general in <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/texas-attorney-general-subpoenas-media-matters-after-report-on-x/\">Texas</a> and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/missouri-attorney-general-subpoenas-media-matters-after-report-on-x/\">Missouri</a> issued civil investigative demands — a form of subpoena — to the nonprofit for documents related to its reporting. Media Matters ultimately won preliminary injunctions blocking the requests.</p><p data-block-key=\"b8nnj\">District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.281859/gov.uscourts.dcd.281859.34.0_1.pdf\">ruled</a> in favor of Media Matters on Aug. 15, writing that the case “presents a straightforward First Amendment violation.”</p><p data-block-key=\"e5f6a\">“It should alarm all Americans when the Government retaliates against individuals or organizations for engaging in constitutionally protected public debate,” she continued. “And that alarm should ring even louder when the Government retaliates against those engaged in newsgathering and reporting.”</p><p data-block-key=\"6ct2n\">Sooknanan issued an order barring the FTC from implementing or enforcing the request for the nonprofit’s files and communications.</p><p data-block-key=\"47u4v\">Angelo Carusone, chairman and president of Media Matters, praised the decision in a <a href=\"https://www.mediamatters.org/justice-civil-liberties/media-matters-wins-preliminary-injunction-against-retaliatory-ftc\">statement</a>, citing the importance of standing up to what he described as “intimidation from the Trump administration.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4n238\">“This case is not just about the campaign to punish and silence Media Matters,” Carusone wrote. “It is a critical test for whether the courts will allow any administration - from any political party - to bully media and non-profit organizations through illegal abuses of power. We will continue to stand up and fight for the First Amendment rights that protect every American.”</p><p data-block-key=\"9938q\">Attorneys for the agency appealed the ruling Aug. 18 and it will be heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div>\r\n<a id=\"May 21\" name=\"May 21\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"hxo03\">May 21, 2025 | FTC chair announces investigation into Media Matters for America</h4><p data-block-key=\"e184p\">Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson opened an investigation on May 21, 2025, into Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Media Matters for America concerning its alleged illegal collusion with advertisers, The New York Times <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/technology/ftc-investigates-media-matters.html\">reported</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"arjhq\">In November 2023, the media watchdog published a <a href=\"https://www.mediamatters.org/twitter/musk-endorses-antisemitic-conspiracy-theory-x-has-been-placing-ads-apple-bravo-ibm-oracle\">report</a> written by its investigative reporter Eric Hananoki that found advertisements for major brands appeared next to pro-Nazi posts on the social platform X. <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/17/technology/elon-musk-twitter-x-advertisers.html\">Several</a> major companies subsequently <a href=\"https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/17/23965928/apple-x-ads-elon-musk-antisemitic-posts\">paused</a> their advertising on the platform.</p><p data-block-key=\"7icj1\">Elon Musk, the owner of X, promptly <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.txnd.383454/gov.uscourts.txnd.383454.1.0_1.pdf\">sued</a> Media Matters and Hananoki in federal court, alleging they had manipulated the platform’s algorithms to harm X’s relationship with advertisers. The suit is ongoing, and in 2025, Musk became a senior adviser to Trump and the de facto head of the newly minted Department of Government Efficiency.</p><p data-block-key=\"53g6j\">In late 2023 and early 2024, Republican attorneys general in <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/texas-attorney-general-subpoenas-media-matters-after-report-on-x/\">Texas</a> and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/missouri-attorney-general-subpoenas-media-matters-after-report-on-x/\">Missouri</a> issued civil investigative demands — a form of subpoena — to the nonprofit for documents related to its reporting. Media Matters ultimately won preliminary injunctions blocking the requests.</p><p data-block-key=\"7hk06\"><a href=\"https://www.status.news/p/ftc-investigates-media-matters-elon-musk\">According to Status</a>, Musk’s targeting of the outlet has contributed to budgetary strain that forced Media Matters to lay off employees and scale back its work in 2024.</p><p data-block-key=\"5l3pc\">The FTC investigation marks an escalation in the targeting of the nonprofit, and the agency has ordered Media Matters to turn over scores of internal records, including communications, budget documents and any evidence of coordination with other advocacy groups, Status reported.</p><p data-block-key=\"ehi5f\">Ferguson has previously detailed his concern over “colluding” in advertising, the Times reported, in which coordinated advertising boycotts could threaten the “free exchange of ideas.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7osul\">In a statement to Status, a spokesperson for Media Matters described the FTC probe as a political hit job.</p><p data-block-key=\"ad2nu\">“The Trump administration has been defined by naming right-wing media figures to key posts and abusing the power of the federal government to bully political opponents and silence critics,” the representative said. “It’s clear that’s exactly what’s happening here, given Media Matters’ history of holding those same media figures to account. These threats won’t work; we remain steadfast to our mission.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2025-02-08T195338Z_960488062_RC2I.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"1cd2d\">Andrew Ferguson, commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission, speaks at a conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Feb. 8, 2025.</p>",
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{
"title": "Reporter shoved, struck by police while documenting LA protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-shoved-struck-by-police-while-documenting-la-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-10-23T21:19:04.936101Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-10-23T21:19:04.936101Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-10-23T21:19:04.777210Z",
"date": "2025-10-18",
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"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"u7by9\">Los Angeles Daily News reporter Ryanne Mena was pushed by police and struck with a baton by an officer on horseback while documenting the “No Kings” protest in downtown Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 18, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"429ot\">Mena told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that she was not on assignment that evening but had gone to document the event, informing her editors.</p><p data-block-key=\"1qeu3\">She said the protest, one of thousands nationwide that day voicing opposition to the Trump administration, was peaceful up until 7:30 p.m., when the Los Angeles Police Department declared an unlawful assembly.</p><p data-block-key=\"7v1ci\">By that point, Mena was near the Metropolitan Detention Center, where officers had already blocked off part of the area with police tape.</p><p data-block-key=\"bqkm3\">“They wouldn’t let members of the press through,” she said.</p><p data-block-key=\"af3a6\">When the police line began advancing down the street, Mena said mounted officers pushed through both protesters and members of the press. When one officer on foot pushed her, Mena reminded her she was a journalist.</p><p data-block-key=\"elu5p\">“She looked down and saw my credentials and kind of backed off,” Mena said.</p><p data-block-key=\"83o13\">As the crowd was pushed farther down the street, Mena remained on the sidewalk filming when she said she and other journalists were violently shoved. She said she felt a pole-like object, which she believes was a police baton, swing against her left arm, leaving a bruise.</p><p data-block-key=\"e28gl\">“It all happened so fast,” said Mena, who added that police officers also deployed crowd-control munitions into the gathering.</p><p data-block-key=\"a0v3h\">Mena, who was wearing a tactical vest marked “press” and two visible press credentials around her neck, said she couldn’t definitively say if she was targeted as a member of the media in either incident.</p><p data-block-key=\"dpqa3\">“It was pretty clear that we were there just documenting events, and that didn’t protect us,” she added.</p><p data-block-key=\"eedr5\">The police actions at the rally appeared to violate a state law prohibiting officers from using force against members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"ah9c\">They also seemed to flout <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-struck-with-baton-finger-injured-amid-protests-in-downtown-la/\">a preliminary injunction</a> issued earlier this fall that bars the LAPD during protests from restricting press access to areas that are not crime scenes.</p><p data-block-key=\"fkrgs\">The LAPD said in a statement that it is investigating all use-of-force incidents from Oct. 18 and could not comment on active investigations.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"5p8st\">Demonstrators and police officers face off during a “No Kings” protest against the Trump administration in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 18, 2025. Reporter Ryanne Mena was struck with a police baton while covering the rally.</p>",
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"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
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"tags": [
"protest"
],
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"categories": [
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],
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"Ryanne Mena ([Los Angeles] Daily News)"
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{
"title": "Photojournalist knocked to the ground by mounted officer at LA protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-knocked-to-the-ground-by-mounted-officer-at-la-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-10-23T16:59:25.119961Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-10-23T16:59:25.119961Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-10-23T16:59:24.999918Z",
"date": "2025-10-18",
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"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"gd5c2\">Independent photojournalist Nick Stern was felled by a policeman on horseback and threatened with arrest while covering a “No Kings” protest in downtown Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 18, 2025. </p><p data-block-key=\"2ivsi\">The police actions at the rally, one of thousands nationwide that day voicing opposition to the Trump administration, appeared to violate a state law prohibiting officers from firing munitions at members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"d6cpq\">They also seemed to flout <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-struck-with-baton-finger-injured-amid-protests-in-downtown-la/\">a preliminary injunction</a> issued earlier this fall that bars the Los Angeles Police Department during protests from restricting press access to areas that are not crime scenes.</p><p data-block-key=\"6u075\">Stern told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he arrived at the protest late in the day and found a peaceful march underway. Around 7 p.m., the LAPD issued a dispersal warning.</p><p data-block-key=\"ertt6\">Shortly after, about 10 officers on horseback descended on the group near the Metropolitan Detention Center and started pushing the crowd back. Stern said one mounted officer instructed him to move onto the sidewalk. But moments later, another officer charged onto the sidewalk, toppling him and ordering him to disperse. </p><p data-block-key=\"6brej\">In a video Stern posted to <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQDIpr1ku5I/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==\">Instagram</a>, he is seen falling, which he said caused a scrape on his right knee. An officer can be heard shouting, “You’re obstructing, leave the area!” </p><p data-block-key=\"1ehf3\">When Stern identified himself as press, the officer said he needed to identify himself, despite Stern clearly wearing a press badge around his neck.</p><p data-block-key=\"1khcu\">“I was threatened with arrest at least a couple of times for not dispersing,” he told the Tracker. “On one occasion, I was told that because I was protesting their order to disperse, and protesting the fact that I was media, that then means I am a protester and not a journalist.”</p><p data-block-key=\"fc02n\">The LAPD said in a statement that it is investigating all use-of-force incidents from Oct. 18 and could not comment on active investigations. </p><p data-block-key=\"egni0\">Stern has been documenting protests in LA since June, following federal raids of workplaces and areas in and around the city where immigrant day laborers gather. During his coverage, he was <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-struck-with-baton-press-credential-damaged-at-la-protest/\">struck in the face with a baton</a> and suffered a <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/munition-strikes-photojournalist-at-la-protest-shrapnel-surgically-removed/\">severe leg injury</a> from shrapnel caused by a crowd-control munition. </p><p data-block-key=\"divlp\">With the federal injunction still in place — under which the LAPD is barred from using force against clearly identified journalists engaged in news gathering — Stern asked: “What more can we do? What will it take to get LAPD to respect the constitutional rights of journalists?”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"lptvb\">Mounted police officers push through a group of protesters and media during a “No Kings” protest in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 18, 2025. Photojournalist Nick Stern was knocked to the ground by an officer while covering the protest. </p>",
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"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
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"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
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"protest"
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"targeted_journalists": [
"Nick Stern (Independent)"
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},
{
"title": "Reporter struck by foam rounds at LA protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-struck-by-foam-rounds-at-la-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-10-24T17:12:13.135738Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-10-27T13:31:40.627097Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-10-27T13:31:40.511084Z",
"date": "2025-10-18",
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"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"7hb54\">MintPress News reporter Jalyssa Dugrot was hit twice in the legs by police impact projectiles while covering the “No Kings” protest in downtown Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 18, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"cjqi0\">Dugrot told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that she was documenting interactions between Los Angeles Police Department officers, demonstrators and members of the press when officers declared the protest an unlawful assembly.</p><p data-block-key=\"4jvv5\">Police instructed Dugrot and others to get behind them as they pushed through the crowd, which made documenting what was going on unfeasible.</p><p data-block-key=\"5qmm9\">“That made it very difficult for press and media to even report,” she said.</p><p data-block-key=\"2gp6a\">After receiving permission from one officer to move closer, Dugrot, who wore a large “PRESS” label on her vest, said she began filming at the front of the police line as mounted officers advanced on the crowd, waiving their batons, and firing flash bangs and other munitions.</p><p data-block-key=\"a2ihl\">One officer deliberately aimed a projectile launcher at her, <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DQFYZ4JElwE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==\">video of which Dugrot posted on Instagram.</a></p><p data-block-key=\"fkni6\">“They were very familiar with who I was,” she said. “So for him to take his nonlethal and deliberately shoot me, it was pretty intentional.”</p><p data-block-key=\"m0tf\">Dugrot said she was struck twice in the legs, leaving deep bruises.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-image\">\n\n\n<img src=\"https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Attachment-1_bJkEeiC.width-828.jpg\" width=\"828\" height=\"1104\" alt=\"COURTESY JALYSSA DUGROT\">\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"7hb54\">“It definitely makes you a lot more wary of having to cover these kinds of things,” Dugrot said. “It’s a bit worrisome when even if you’re complying, you’re still at risk of being shot and targeted.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1f1ur\">The police actions at the rally, one of thousands nationwide that day voicing opposition to the Trump administration, appeared to violate a state law prohibiting officers from firing munitions at members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"e7rcp\">It also seemed to flout <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-struck-with-baton-finger-injured-amid-protests-in-downtown-la/\">a preliminary injunction</a> issued earlier this fall that bars the LAPD from restricting press access to areas that are not crime scenes during protests.</p><p data-block-key=\"4436d\">The LAPD said in a statement that it is investigating all use-of-force incidents from Oct. 18 and could not comment on active investigations.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2025-10-19T021958Z_1412104190_RC2.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"h3lsw\">Police officers hold batons and green munition launchers during a “No Kings” protest in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 18, 2025. Reporter Jalyssa Dugrot was shot twice with foam rounds while she covered the demonstration.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"name": "California",
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"protest",
"shot / shot at"
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},
{
"title": "Freelance photojournalist grabbed by officer at LA protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/freelance-photojournalist-grabbed-by-officer-at-la-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-10-29T20:07:42.227237Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-10-29T20:07:42.227237Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-10-29T20:04:56.145771Z",
"date": "2025-10-18",
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"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ge4t6\">A freelance photojournalist was physically restrained by a police officer while covering a “No Kings” protest in downtown Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 18, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"3h8tr\">The photographer — who has previously asked not to be named due to fear of legal trouble when traveling abroad — did not respond to a U.S. Press Freedom Tracker request for comment. Another journalist who filmed the incident confirmed that he was the individual involved.</p><p data-block-key=\"1clj0\">According to the reporter who witnessed the assault, the photographer was clearly identifiable as press, wearing visible credentials and carrying his camera, when a Los Angeles Police Department officer grabbed him.</p><p data-block-key=\"644f6\">In a video the journalist shared with the Tracker, an officer can be seen seizing the photographer and appearing to try to tackle him.</p><p data-block-key=\"1hta2\">The journalist said she and the photojournalist later tried to alert an LAPD public information officer about what had happened, but were told to go to another area to find one.</p><p data-block-key=\"6ref8\">The LAPD said in a statement that it is investigating all use-of-force incidents from Oct. 18 and could not comment on active investigations.</p><p data-block-key=\"4dnrg\">The LAPD’s actions at the rally, one of thousands nationwide that day voicing opposition to the Trump administration, appeared to violate a state law and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-struck-with-baton-finger-injured-amid-protests-in-downtown-la/\">preliminary injunction</a> prohibiting officers from using force against members of the press.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"700iq\">A demonstrator holds his hands up in front of police officers at a “No Kings” protest in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 18, 2025. A photojournalist covering the demonstration was grabbed by an officer.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"targeted_journalists": [
"Anonymous photojournalist 8 (Freelance)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Reporter injured while dodging police munition at LA protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-injured-while-dodging-police-munition-at-la-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-10-22T19:50:56.752710Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-10-22T19:50:56.752710Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-10-22T19:44:10.039853Z",
"date": "2025-10-18",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"aqch0\">Lexis-Olivier Ray, an investigative reporter with L.A. Taco, was targeted by a police officer who fired a crowd-control round during a “No Kings” protest in downtown Los Angeles on Oct. 18, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"4cba0\">Though the projectile missed him, Ray stumbled over a curb while dodging it and fell, sustaining bruises and scrapes to his side, hand, thumb and knee.</p><p data-block-key=\"7mboc\">The police actions at the rally, one of thousands nationwide that day voicing opposition to the Trump administration, appeared to violate a state law prohibiting officers from firing munitions at members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"5k9pm\">It also seemed to flout <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-struck-with-baton-finger-injured-amid-protests-in-downtown-la/\">a preliminary injunction</a> issued earlier this fall that bars the Los Angeles Police Department during protests from restricting press access to areas that are not crime scenes.</p><p data-block-key=\"5re6\">After sunset that day, the LAPD issued dispersal orders, and mounted officers began pushing back the crowds, Ray told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"d6t4n\">He was wearing a shirt labeling him as press, along with a press badge, and standing with a small group of protesters and fellow journalists when an officer on foot fired a crowd-control projectile directly at him.</p><p data-block-key=\"88e5l\"><a href=\"https://x.com/FilmThePoliceLA/status/1979765853840409023\">Video from the scene</a> captured the shooting and another officer dismissively calling Ray “fake press” after the incident. LAPD said in a statement Oct. 21 that it was investigating all use-of-force incidents from Oct. 18 and could not comment on active investigations.</p><p data-block-key=\"c1fgf\">“It was probably some of the most significant injuries I’ve suffered while covering protests,” commented Ray, who said his thumb is still swollen from bearing the brunt of his fall and is difficult to move.</p><p data-block-key=\"3cqec\">In<a href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/lataco.bsky.social/post/3m3jfrmja4c2e\"> another video posted that night</a>, a mounted journalist charged at Ray, who identified himself as a member of the media. The officer responded, “It doesn’t matter.”</p><p data-block-key=\"8vke0\">Ray was also denied access to large portions of the street near the Metropolitan Detention Center, after officers had designated the area an incident command post. In one video, Ray asked an officer why the street was blocked off and reminded him that he is a member of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"eag3u\">“Nobody can walk through here,” the officer replied.</p><p data-block-key=\"bvis\">When Ray asked why the road was closed, the officer replied, “We say so, that’s why.”</p><p data-block-key=\"c8p3e\">Ray asked to speak to a police supervisor, as outlined in state law and the federal judge’s <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-struck-with-baton-finger-injured-amid-protests-in-downtown-la/\">preliminary injunction</a>, but was ignored.</p><p data-block-key=\"b3rhe\">“It’s extremely discouraging to see that even after these court orders and state laws, the LAPD continues to violate our rights as members of the press,” he told the Tracker. “I’ve had to remind myself that state law or a judge’s order isn’t necessarily going to keep you safe. The police are going to do what they want and face consequences later.”</p><p data-block-key=\"castf\">During anti-deportation protests over the summer, Ray was <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-shoved-by-officer-during-la-immigration-protest/\">shoved by a police officer</a> and blocked from filming, <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-struck-with-pepper-balls-while-covering-la-immigration-protest/\">struck with pepper balls by federal law enforcement</a> (over which he later sued), and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/sheriffs-deputy-searches-journalists-bag-during-la-immigration-protest/\">searched by a sheriff’s deputy</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"7nago\">The Tracker has documented other incidents in which Ray, covering protests and gatherings in LA, was <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-repeatedly-shoved-while-covering-la-reproductive-rights-protests/\">shoved,</a> <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/la-taco-reporter-detained-while-covering-echo-park-protest/\">detained,</a> <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-tackled-equipment-damaged-while-covering-dodgers-celebrations/\">tackled</a> and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/multiple-journalists-covering-protests-los-angeles-assaulted/\">struck with a baton</a>.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2025-10-19T025711Z_1863254611_RC2.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"41tbz\">Mounted police clash with protesters at a “No Kings” rally against the Trump administration in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 18, 2025. One officer fired a crowd-control munition at reporter Lexis-Olivier Ray, who was injured while trying to dodge it.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
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"name": "California",
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"tags": [
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"shot / shot at"
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],
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"Lexis-Olivier Ray (L.A. Taco)"
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},
{
"title": "Photojournalist hit by police projectile at LA protest, damaging armor",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-hit-by-police-projectile-at-la-protest-damaging-armor/",
"first_published_at": "2025-10-24T18:49:28.634608Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-10-24T18:49:28.634608Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-10-24T18:49:28.525401Z",
"date": "2025-10-18",
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"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"5otj1\">Freelance photojournalist Ted Soqui was struck in the back with a crowd-control munition fired by police officers while he was covering a “No Kings” protest in downtown Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 18, 2025. </p><p data-block-key=\"51ckv\">In a <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DP_6jtjkTWw/\">post on Instagram</a>, Soqui said that mounted police officers were dispersing the crowd when they began firing crowd-control munitions. </p><p data-block-key=\"ai8ce\">Soqui was clearly marked as a member of the press when a round struck him, penetrating the outer fabric of his protective gear and chipping an armored plate beneath.</p><p data-block-key=\"5akab\">His metal helmet also sustained impact from stick strikes by police on horseback, according to Soqui’s post. </p><p data-block-key=\"8srvo\">Soqui did not return U.S. Press Freedom Tracker requests for comment. The LAPD said in a statement that it is investigating all use-of-force incidents from Oct. 18 and could not comment on active investigations.</p><p data-block-key=\"e29o4\">The police actions at the rally, one of thousands nationwide that day voicing opposition to the Trump administration, appeared to violate a state law and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-struck-with-baton-finger-injured-amid-protests-in-downtown-la/\">a preliminary injunction</a> prohibiting officers from firing munitions at members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"dud3h\">Soqui was also struck by <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?targeted_journalists=Ted%20Soqui\">crowd-control munitions</a> while covering LA protests in June, which occurred after federal raids of workplaces and areas in and around the city where immigrant day laborers gather. </p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"1qou1\">Mounted police clash with protesters at a “No Kings” rally against the Trump administration in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 18, 2025. Photojournalist Ted Soqui was struck with a police-fired munition while covering the protest.</p>",
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{
"title": "Indiana University orders student paper to stop printing after firing adviser",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/indiana-university-orders-student-paper-to-stop-printing-after-firing-adviser/",
"first_published_at": "2025-10-29T14:08:35.890110Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-11-04T17:14:32.348716Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-11-04T17:14:32.140857Z",
"date": "2025-10-14",
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"city": "Bloomington",
"longitude": -86.52639,
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"mlpjl\">Administrators at Indiana University Bloomington fired the adviser to the Indiana Daily Student on Oct. 14, 2025, and then hours later ordered the newspaper to cease all print publication. The outlet has continued publishing online.</p><p data-block-key=\"98p5t\">Founded in 1867, the independently-run newspaper reduced its print production in January to seven times per semester due to financial challenges and a new business plan launched by the university’s media school.</p><p data-block-key=\"411js\">After the paper’s spring run, the university began pushing for its “special editions” to include no news but just themed coverage about topics like fall sports, Homecoming and Thanksgiving.</p><p data-block-key=\"62nt0\">Student media director Jim Rodenbush and newspaper editors opposed the demand. Then, when Rodenbush pushed back against an order to remove news content from the newspaper’s print editions Oct. 14, he was fired.</p><p data-block-key=\"acgqt\">“I was terminated because I was unwilling to censor student media,” Rodenbush <a href=\"https://www.indystar.com/story/news/education/2025/10/15/indiana-university-orders-student-newspaper-ids-to-stop-printing/86709732007/\">told</a> The Indianapolis Star.</p><p data-block-key=\"34p1m\">The next day, administrators ordered the newspaper to halt all printing entirely.</p><p data-block-key=\"dbhc8\">“Telling us what we can and cannot print is unlawful censorship,” Co-Editors-in-Chief Mia Hilkowitz and Andrew Miller <a href=\"https://www.idsnews.com/article/2025/10/ids-print-indiana-university-daily-student-fired-newspaper\">wrote</a> on the online site Oct. 15. “We will continue to resist as long as the university disregards the law.”</p><p data-block-key=\"dg7db\">University Chancellor David Reingold <a href=\"https://www.indystar.com/story/news/education/2025/10/15/indiana-university-orders-student-newspaper-ids-to-stop-printing/86709732007/\">maintained</a> the school “is firmly committed to the free expression and editorial independence of student media” and that the decision “concerns the medium of distribution, not editorial content.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1ed4o\">Spokesperson Mark Bode likewise said that the university is prioritizing digital media over print due to the newspaper’s financial status.</p><p data-block-key=\"bm5sv\">But for Hilkowitz, the decision is still a violation. “The Media School thinks they can violate the First Amendment if it’s under a business decision,” she told the Indy Star. “That’s a really, really dangerous thought process for administrators to have. The fact that they’re trying to frame clear censorship as business is so disrespectful to every party involved.”</p><p data-block-key=\"du1rb\">Attorney Kris Cundiff of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is representing Hilkowitz and Miller.</p><p data-block-key=\"776t9\">In a letter to Reingold, President Pamela Whitten, Media School Dean David Tolchinsky and other school leadership, Cundiff <a href=\"https://www.idsnews.com/article/2025/10/ids-editors-attorney-censorship-iu-print\">wrote</a> the termination of Rodenbush and cuts to the print paper were “ill-advised, unconstitutional, and appear to be aimed at suppressing core press and speech rights.”</p><p data-block-key=\"cdfa7\">“Telling student journalists what they can and cannot include in a newspaper is censorship of ‘editorial content’ by any definition,” Cundiff added.</p><p data-block-key=\"9kmdu\">The news outlet had <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/indiana-student-paper-says-state-politicians-posts-about-outlet-threatening/\">previously been targeted</a> by Indiana Lt. Gov Micah Beckwith, who, after his election last November, called the paper’s political coverage “elitist leftist propaganda,” and said university officials should evaluate the publication and investigate any financial support for it.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Statue_of_Ernie_Pyle_at_his_desk_.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"4gea6\">The Indiana Daily Student was ordered by officials at Indiana University Bloomington to cease publishing its print version on Oct. 15, 2025. Above, a statue of journalist and alum Ernie Pyle in front of the building housing the student-run news outlet.</p>",
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"state": {
"name": "Indiana",
"abbreviation": "IN"
},
"updates": [
"(2025-10-30 15:01:00+00:00) Indiana University reverses order that student paper stop printing"
],
"case_statuses": [],
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"targeted_institutions": [
"Indiana [University Bloomington] Daily Student"
],
"tags": [
"student journalism"
],
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"categories": [
"Other Incident"
],
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},
{
"title": "Photojournalist repeatedly struck with baton, tackled at Illinois immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-repeatedly-struck-with-baton-tackled-at-illinois-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-11-06T18:13:27.329856Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-11-06T18:13:27.329856Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-11-06T16:58:09.619525Z",
"date": "2025-10-11",
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"city": "Broadview",
"longitude": -87.85339,
"latitude": 41.86392,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"e08l6\">Freelance photojournalist Dave Decker was struck at least three times with a baton and then tackled to the ground by Illinois State Police while reporting on protests outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in the Chicago suburb of Broadview on Oct. 11, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"8hol7\">The facility, where detainees are being held and processed ahead of deportation, has drawn escalating protests and federal response since early September, following the Department of Homeland Security’s <a href=\"https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/09/08/ice-launches-operation-midway-blitz-honor-katie-abraham-target-criminal-illegal\">launch</a> of Operation Midway Blitz.</p><p data-block-key=\"23k7j\">Following pressure from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a unified command composed of local law enforcement agencies and headed by the Illinois State Police <a href=\"https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/02/unified-command-outside-broadview-ice-building/\">took over the protest response</a> Oct. 2, establishing designated protest zones around the building.</p><p data-block-key=\"8cu40\">Decker told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was on assignment for the PBS News show “Frontline” as part of a larger reporting project, and had been routinely covering protests at the facility. On Oct. 11, as with previous demonstrations, officers with the unified command were ensuring that protesters remained in the designated zones.</p><p data-block-key=\"b947k\">“If you literally just crossed the street, they’d come out, they’d give you some warnings,” Decker said. “But, you know, protesters are emotional and cops have emotions, and when they’re getting yelled at all day, tempers start to rise.”</p><p data-block-key=\"669fv\">He said that he was standing on the edge of the protest, filming a large group of Illinois State Police officers when they advanced to push back the crowd with large wooden batons that he described as akin to baseball bats.</p><p data-block-key=\"5jg0f\">“After they get tired of dealing with protesters, they’ll form these big lines and you can hear them talking and they’ll pick who the ‘agitators’ are. They’ll pick the loudest five, and they pretty much know that they’re going to detain those people,” he told the Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"1d3re\">Then, Decker said, he suddenly became a target. “I don’t know. I had a black hoodie on, so maybe they thought I was a protester,” he said.</p><p data-block-key=\"5c1tk\">“I think their tactic is to take the back of those billy clubs and just go right into the muscle of your leg,” Decker told the Tracker. “They hit me three times really hard. And then they just took me down.”</p><p data-block-key=\"ats3u\">Decker said he repeatedly shouted that he was press, and when one of the officers realized, he pulled the photojournalist out of the dogpile. Afterward, he told one of the officers, “Bro, you hit me.” Decker said the officer just gave him a dead-eyed stare.</p><p data-block-key=\"aj779\">“My leg the next day was hyperswollen. Our director and correspondent were really worried about me. I was bruised pretty bad,” he told the Tracker. “I just kept working.”</p><p data-block-key=\"21qu8\">When reached by email, Illinois State Police Public Information Officer Melaney Arnold said, “ISP and the Unified Command’s highest priority is to protect the community and the rights of individuals to express their First Amendment rights — whether they are protestors or members of the media.</p><p data-block-key=\"91s3h\">“ISP adheres to use-of-force training, policies, and operations that are predicated upon using no force, or the lowest level of force, only when absolutely necessary to protect public safety,” she continued.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/AP25284704712073.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"8mksb\">Freelance photojournalist Dave Decker, center, is taken to the ground by Illinois State Police as officers responded to protests outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Illinois, on Oct. 11, 2025.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
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"actor": null,
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"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
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"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "unknown",
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"state": {
"name": "Illinois",
"abbreviation": "IL"
},
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"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
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"tags": [
"immigration",
"protest"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Dave Decker (PBS News)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Photojournalist hit with projectile while covering Oregon ICE protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-hit-with-projectile-while-covering-oregon-ice-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-10-17T18:10:20.754455Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-10-29T18:28:37.782335Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-10-29T18:28:37.675240Z",
"date": "2025-10-11",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Portland",
"longitude": -122.67621,
"latitude": 45.52345,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"vi0va\">Independent photojournalist John Rudoff was struck by a stinger grenade while documenting a protest outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Oregon, on Oct. 11, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"727c6\">It was one of a series of demonstrations that have taken place outside the facility since June, when President Donald Trump ramped up immigration enforcement and later raised the possibility of deploying the National Guard to the city.</p><p data-block-key=\"1q084\">Rudoff told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was standing on city property when a federal officer hit him in the upper right arm with what he identified as a sting-ball projectile. The device can have a disorienting explosion, and eject rubber pellets and a chemical irritant.</p><p data-block-key=\"8ms9r\">Rudoff said federal agents frequently used such crowd-control munitions — including pepper spray, flash bangs and projectiles — when entering or exiting the facility’s gated driveway, often emerging fully armored and prepared to fire if the perimeter is encroached upon.</p><p data-block-key=\"c9pr8\">“They come charging out,” he said. “I’m extremely cautious around them, and that makes it a little more difficult for me to get the kind of photographic documentation that I need.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3i19e\">On the night of the incident, Rudoff, a veteran photojournalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Reuters and The Nation, wore a white shirt to distinguish himself from protesters, a large press credential around his neck and a helmet labeling him as media. He was also carrying professional photo equipment.</p><p data-block-key=\"aj35m\">With agents firing from both the ground and the roof, Rudoff said he could not determine who hit him.</p><p data-block-key=\"b00go\">“It was pretty obvious what I was doing, and they shot me anyway. That pisses me off,” he said.</p><p data-block-key=\"fah77\">Rudoff described feeling a strong impact on his upper right arm, followed by white powder trickling down his sleeve. He backed up roughly 10 feet, dusted himself off and continued documenting the protest.</p><p data-block-key=\"b98cd\">Later, he found a red bruise on his arm that developed into a black-and-blue mark. Though the injury was minor, Rudoff said he was clearly identifiable as a journalist and posed no threat to officers.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-aligned_image\"><figure class=\"inline-media full-width\">\n \n\n\n<img src=\"https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/IMG_9273.width-828.jpg\" width=\"828\" height=\"1104\" alt=\"COURTESY JOHN RUDOFF\">\n\n \n <figcaption class=\"inline-media__caption\">\n\t\t\t<p data-block-key=\"s6ste\">A photo of a bruise on John Rudoff’s arm, taken Oct. 14, three days after he was struck with a crowd-control munition by a federal officer.</p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<span\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"media-attribution\"\n\t\t\t\t> — COURTESY JOHN RUDOFF\n\t\t\t\t</span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t</figcaption>\n \n</figure>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"vi0va\">“It is objectively reasonable to say I was obviously a member of the press, and I was obviously not committing a misdemeanor or felony,” he said. “That should give them pause to say to themselves, ‘No, we shouldn’t shoot this guy.’”</p><p data-block-key=\"82j7q\">The Tracker has documented <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?targeted_journalists=John%20Rudoff\">seven other incidents</a> since 2017 in which Rudoff’s press rights have been violated.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2025-10-13T004307Z_1265634194_RC2.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"10tw3\">A federal officer grapples with a protester at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement demonstration in Portland, Oregon, on Oct. 12, 2025. The day before, photographer John Rudoff was hit with a projectile fired by a federal agent.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
"case_type": null,
"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": null,
"did_authorities_ask_about_work": null,
"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
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"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
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"state": {
"name": "Oregon",
"abbreviation": "OR"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"Department of Homeland Security",
"immigration",
"protest",
"shot / shot at"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"John Rudoff (Independent)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Baltimore broadcast photographer punched in the face ahead of live report",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/baltimore-broadcast-photographer-punched-in-the-face-ahead-of-live-report/",
"first_published_at": "2025-10-16T16:32:10.606785Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-10-16T16:32:10.606785Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-10-16T16:30:10.872025Z",
"date": "2025-10-10",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Baltimore",
"longitude": -76.61219,
"latitude": 39.29038,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ao2o8\">A photographer with Baltimore, Maryland, station WJZ-TV was punched by an individual attempting to intervene in a live broadcast late on Oct. 10, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"1tco2\">According to FTVLive, the news crew for the CBS-owned station was setting up for a live shot when an individual attempted to intervene in their broadcast. When the photographer stepped in, the individual punched him in the face, causing a laceration.</p><p data-block-key=\"8mr1o\">The reporter was not injured.</p><p data-block-key=\"fhvog\">Tanya Black, vice president and news director for WJZ-TV, addressed the incident in an email to the station’s staff on Oct. 12.</p><p data-block-key=\"29d65\">“We experienced a frightening and concerning incident Friday night during a live shot for the 11 p.m. newscast. Thankfully, everyone is okay,” Black wrote. “Please remember, you do not need permission to leave a location if you feel unsafe.</p><p data-block-key=\"1n5km\">“Your safety and well-being come first—always. If you feel uncomfortable or threatened, leave immediately, get to a safe place, and call the station once you’re in a safe location. No interview, shot, or live segment is worth risking your safety,” she continued.</p><p data-block-key=\"abl7a\">WJZ-TV did not respond to a request for additional information.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Wjztv07.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"xlbuo\">A news crew with broadcast station WJZ-TV was setting up for a live shot in Baltimore, Maryland, on Oct. 10, 2025, when an individual attempted to interfere. The individual punched the photojournalist when he interceded. Licensed under public domain, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/\">CC0</a>.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
"case_type": null,
"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": null,
"did_authorities_ask_about_work": null,
"assailant": "private individual",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
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"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
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"state": {
"name": "Maryland",
"abbreviation": "MD"
},
"updates": [],
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"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
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"tags": [],
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"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Unidentified photojournalist 44 (WJZ-TV)"
],
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}
]
