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{
"title": "FCC Chair Brendan Carr targets news outlets",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/fcc-chair-brendan-carr-targets-news-outlets/",
"first_published_at": "2026-03-16T19:53:37.411255Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-03-16T19:53:37.411255Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-03-16T19:53:37.313879Z",
"date": "2026-03-14",
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ttem9\">As President Donald Trump’s second term continued in 2026, his Federal Communications Commission chair, Brendan Carr, took steps to punish and intimidate news outlets that have covered Trump and his administration critically. We’re documenting Carr’s efforts in 2026 in this regularly updated report.</p><p data-block-key=\"4vslk\">Also read about <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/brendan-carr-targets-news-outlets-as-chair-of-the-fcc/\">Carr’s efforts in 2025</a>, and how Trump’s appointees and allies in Congress are striving <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/blog/trump-allies-pursue-multipronged-campaign-against-the-press/\">to chill reporting, revoke funding, censor critical coverage</a> and more.</p><p data-block-key=\"2jglf\"><i>This article was first published on March 16, 2026.</i></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=\"ttem9\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"1pbra\"></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=\"#March 14\">March 14, 2026 | FCC chair threatens licenses of broadcasters for Iran war coverage</a></p></div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ttem9\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"19vq8\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"block-raw_html\"><a id=\"March 14\" name=\"March 14\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ttem9\"><b>March 14, 2026 | FCC chair threatens licenses of broadcasters for Iran war coverage</b></p><p data-block-key=\"ckhdh\">Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr on March 14, 2026, threatened broadcasters with the loss of their licenses for what he characterized as “running hoaxes and news distortions” in their accounts of U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.</p><p data-block-key=\"5s57v\">In a social media <a href=\"https://x.com/brendancarrfcc/status/2032855414233047172?s=46&t=cupRzX3UnU15_MPKyWvF6g\">post</a>, Carr quoted a screenshot of a Truth Social post from President Donald Trump, in which the president alleged that The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and “other Lowlife ‘Papers’ and Media” want the U.S. to lose the <a href=\"https://apnews.com/live/iran-war-israel-trump-03-16-2026\">war with Iran</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"eeaa8\">Although Trump did not mention any TV news outlets by name, Carr noted, “The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not.” The FCC chair then added that those broadcasters “have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions - also known as the fake news - have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up. <br><br>The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they… <a href=\"https://t.co/7bBgnsbalw\">https://t.co/7bBgnsbalw</a></p>— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/BrendanCarrFCC/status/2032855414233047172?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 14, 2026</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=\"ttem9\">“The American people have subsidized broadcasters to the tune of billions of dollars by providing free access to the nation’s airwaves,” he continued. “It is very important to bring trust back into media, which has earned itself the label of fake news.”</p><p data-block-key=\"8kn89\">According to the <a href=\"https://www.fcc.gov/broadcast-news-distortion\">FCC</a>, while over-the-air local broadcast television stations are subject to the agency’s jurisdiction with respect to “news distortion,” newspapers are not.</p><p data-block-key=\"ck449\">In a Truth Social <a href=\"https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116235861005528220\">post</a> the next day, Trump said he was “thrilled” to see that Carr was looking into the licenses of “some of these Corrupt and Highly Unpatriotic ‘News’ Organizations.”</p><p data-block-key=\"ces97\">Trump added: “They get Billions of Dollars of FREE American Airwaves, and use it to perpetuate LIES, both in News and almost all of their Shows, including the Late Night Morons, who get gigantic Salaries for horrible Ratings, and never get, as I used to say in The Apprentice, ‘FIRED.’”</p><p data-block-key=\"bobq3\">In a March 16 <a href=\"https://x.com/AGomezFCC/status/2033615599864013019\">statement</a>, Anna Gomez, the FCC’s lone Democratic commissioner, noted that the agency “licenses local broadcast stations, not networks, and no licenses are up for renewal until 2028.” She added that Carr’s threats “are grounded in neither reality nor law and would not survive judicial scrutiny, just as other recent attempts by this Administration to push beyond constitutional limits have repeatedly failed in court.”</p><p data-block-key=\"dedlg\">“The concern over the chilling effect of these actions, however, is very real,” she said.</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": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"obh49\">Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr testifies at a House hearing in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 14, 2026.</p>",
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{
"title": "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth targets news outlets, leakers",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/defense-secretary-pete-hegseth-targets-news-outlets-leakers/",
"first_published_at": "2026-02-17T18:03:13.887855Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-03-18T16:19:50.993617Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-03-18T16:19:50.897035Z",
"date": "2026-03-09",
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"city": "Washington",
"longitude": -77.03637,
"latitude": 38.89511,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"9b0q7\">As the second year of President Donald Trump’s second term began, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth continued taking steps to intimidate leakers and news outlets that have covered Trump and his administration unfavorably. We’re documenting Hegseth’s efforts in 2026 in this regularly updated report.</p><p data-block-key=\"thla\">Read about Hegseth’s efforts in 2025 to chill coverage <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/pete-hegseth-targets-news-outlets-leakers-as-defense-secretary/\">here</a>, and how Trump’s other appointees and allies in Congress are striving to intimidate reporters, 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=\"4outl\"><i>This article was first published on Feb. 17, 2026.</i></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=\"9b0q7\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"8jq7u\"></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=\"#March 9\">March 9, 2026 | Pentagon sets increased oversight, content limits for military newspaper</a>\r\n<p><a href=\"#Jan 15\">Jan. 15, 2026 | Defense Department announces overhaul of military newspaper, calling it ‘woke’</a>\r\n</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"9b0q7\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"bm868\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"block-raw_html\"><a id=\"March 9\" name=\"March 9\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"moywj\"><b>March 9, 2026 | Pentagon sets increased oversight, content limits for military newspaper</b></p><p data-block-key=\"7q35q\">The Department of Defense laid out plans to expand oversight of military newspaper Stars and Stripes in a March 9, 2026, memo, as part of a “modernization” of the outlet that left some press freedom observers alarmed over the potential loss of independence.</p><p data-block-key=\"3bvdp\">The memo, sent by Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg and first <a href=\"https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2026-03-13/pentagon-modernization-plan-stars-and-stripes-21051529.html\">reported</a> by Stars and Stripes, outlines an “interim policy” governing the outlet that takes effect immediately.</p><p data-block-key=\"8s0f0\">The memo states that Stars and Stripes will continue to “operate with editorial independence.” But it prohibits the outlet’s use of wire service stories, comic strips and editorial cartoons due to the “digital availability of such content globally,” unless an exception is granted by the assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs.</p><p data-block-key=\"a88r0\">According to the memo, the “primary justification for Stripes’ continued existence is to deliver content, specifically relevant to Service members and their families, that is not usually covered by commercial media.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1o8nu\">It continued, “Accordingly, there is no operational need to serve as a reprint vehicle for commercial news publications that are otherwise readily accessible.”</p><p data-block-key=\"8o3io\">Jacqueline Smith, Stars and Stripes’ ombudsman who is charged by Congress with defending the outlet’s editorial independence, told the outlet that without access to wire service content, the paper would lose the ability to provide reporting on topics such as national sports and entertainment, which “contribute to the morale of troops.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5ifde\">Among other changes, the memo states that the outlet “should” republish Defense Department public affairs materials — clearly labeled as such — as deemed necessary by the publisher, and requires the outlet’s ombudsman to send information previously sent directly to Congress through the department’s Legislative Affairs Office first.</p><p data-block-key=\"81tc\">It also bans reporters from making Freedom of Information Act requests in an official capacity, though it does allow for them to make submissions “in their individual capacities” when not acting on behalf of the outlet.</p><p data-block-key=\"1a5rr\">The policy changes came in the wake of a <a href=\"https://x.com/seanparnellasw/status/2011802849903009991?s=46\">January social media post</a> by Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell, in which he announced plans to overhaul Stars and Stripes and “refocus its content away from woke distractions.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3grph\">Stars and Stripes reported that its leadership and staff were not informed of the changes directly, but instead learned of them when the memo was found in a search of the Defense Department website.</p><p data-block-key=\"e4g8l\">Erik Slavin, Stars and Stripes’ editor-in-chief, said in a statement published by the outlet, “It is unlikely that the Pentagon was aware of the extensive modernization that Stars and Stripes had already begun.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5atj0\">He added, “Over the past year, the changes to our digitally produced news and information have resulted in significant increases in pageviews, engagement and subscribers.”</p><p data-block-key=\"c98k\">The Pentagon memo also states that all content must be consistent with “good order and discipline,” a phrase used in the Uniform Code of Military Justice.</p><p data-block-key=\"6t5m8\">In an <a href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/03/14/nx-s1-5748020/pentagon-tightens-controls-over-stars-and-stripes-after-calling-it-woke\">interview with NPR</a>, Slavin expressed concern about that aspect of the policy as it applied to staff who are members of the military. “If they were to complete a story that the Defense Department did not like, and did not find ‘consistent with good order and discipline,’ would they be in legal jeopardy?” Slavin said. “We don’t know the answer to that.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1ihho\">Smith, the ombudsman, told <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/03/13/pentagon-memo-stars-stripes/\">The Washington Post</a> in an interview that the memo “threatens Stars and Stripes’ continued editorial independence, and it does so at the detriment of the troops who rely on the newspaper for complete coverage and continued accurate coverage that is not propaganda.”</p><p data-block-key=\"aulgt\">Tim Richardson, journalism and disinformation program director at PEN America, <a href=\"https://pen.org/press-release/alarm-over-pentagon-move-to-impose-restrictions-on-stars-and-stripes-editorial-independence/\">said</a>, “We are alarmed that a Pentagon memo claims to preserve the independence of Stars and Stripes while simultaneously imposing new restrictions that undermine it.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7dc4r\">He called on Congress to “reaffirm First Amendment protections for Stars and Stripes’ editorial independence and ensure the decades-long firewall between the Pentagon and the newsroom remains firmly intact.”</p><p data-block-key=\"d8fi6\">Parnell, in a March 13 statement reported by Stars and Stripes, said that the Defense Department is returning the outlet to “its original mission: an independent news source for service members stationed overseas that is by the warfighter and for the warfighter.”</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\">\r\n<i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div>\r\n<a id=\"Jan 15\" name=\"Jan 15\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"9b0q7\">Jan. 15, 2026 | Defense Department announces overhaul of military newspaper, calling it ‘woke’</h4><p data-block-key=\"5vfqn\">The Department of Defense announced plans on Jan. 15, 2026, to take over editorial decision-making for the military newspaper Stars and Stripes, in a move that jeopardizes its long-held editorial independence.</p><p data-block-key=\"idmh\">In a <a href=\"https://x.com/seanparnellasw/status/2011802849903009991?s=46\">statement</a> posted to social media, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell defended the move as “returning Stars & Stripes to its original mission: reporting for our warfighters.”</p><p data-block-key=\"140gb\">“We will modernize its operations, refocus its content away from woke distractions that syphon morale, and adapt it to serve a new generation of service members,” he continued. “It will focus on warfighting, weapons systems, fitness, lethality, survivability, and ALL THINGS MILITARY. No more repurposed DC gossip columns; no more Associated Press reprints.”</p><p data-block-key=\"2q9uv\">While the newspaper is partially funded by the Pentagon and its staffers are department employees, the outlet <a href=\"https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2026-01-15/pentagon-refocus-stars-and-stripes-content-20415816.html\">reported</a> that it is directed to emulate the best practices of commercial news organizations and provide a free flow of “news and information to its readership without news management or censorship.”</p><p data-block-key=\"b3d3r\">Stars and Stripes Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin wrote in a Jan. 15 note to staff that the military deserves independent news.</p><p data-block-key=\"8ih8b\">“The people who risk their lives in defense of the Constitution have earned the right to the press freedoms of the First Amendment,” Slavin wrote. “We will not compromise on serving them with accurate and balanced coverage, holding military officials to account when called for.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1prks\">The Daily Wire <a href=\"https://www.dailywire.com/news/pentagon-refocuses-stars-stripes-on-reporting-for-our-warfighters\">reported</a> that department officials told the outlet that Stars and Stripes’ content will no longer be written by its civilian staff but by active-duty service members. Half the newspaper’s content will be generated by the Pentagon, including materials written by the department and images captured by combat cameras.</p><p data-block-key=\"a8srp\">Stars and Stripes reported that its ombudsman, Jacqueline Smith, said the changes would amount to “unnecessary control and the perception of propaganda.” The ombudsman is a congressionally mandated position tasked with ensuring the outlet’s editorial independence.</p><p data-block-key=\"9q4s1\">“That is public relations, not independent journalism,” she said. “The other ‘fifty percent’ of the content would hold no credibility.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5gce4\">The news came the day after The Washington Post <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/01/14/stars-and-stripes-trump-loyalty-test/\">reported</a> that applicants for positions at the newspaper were being asked, “How would you advance the President’s Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7ttls\">Leadership at Stars and Stripes wasn’t aware of the questions until asked about them, Smith told the Post, later confirming that they had been added by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management without notifying them.</p><p data-block-key=\"ci8hr\">“Asking prospective employees how they would support the administration’s policies is antithetical to Stripes’ journalistic and federally mandated mission,” Smith told the Post. “Journalistically, it’s against ethics, because reporters or any staff member — editors, photographers — should be impartial.”</p><p data-block-key=\"boqov\">Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee told Stars and Stripes that any efforts to infringe on the newspaper’s editorial independence amounted to an attack on the First Amendment, with several voicing support for the newspaper. None of the Republican lawmakers contacted by Stars and Stripes responded to requests for comment.</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\">\r\n<i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2026-01-07T171026Z_1872362065_RC2.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"mi657\">Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to the media in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 7, 2026.</p>",
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{
"title": "Spanish-language journalist arrested by ICE in Tennessee",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/spanish-language-journalist-arrested-by-ice-in-tennessee/",
"first_published_at": "2026-03-10T20:59:13.419612Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-03-10T20:59:13.419612Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-03-10T20:59:13.240249Z",
"date": "2026-03-04",
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"city": "Nashville",
"longitude": -86.78444,
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"2vrcj\">Spanish-language reporter Estefany Rodríguez was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 4, 2026 — one day after reporting on ICE arrests in the area.</p><p data-block-key=\"q3f1\">Rodríguez has worked for the Hispanic news outlet Nashville Noticias since 2022 and began regularly covering immigration arrests for the outlet in November 2025, <a href=\"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72364939/14/florez-v-ladwig/\">federal court records show</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"4ork5\">On the morning of March 4, immigration agents followed Rodríguez and her husband as they drove to the gym in her work car, which bore the Nashville Noticias logo, <a href=\"https://nashvillenoticias.com/comunicado-oficial-de-nashville-noticias-sobre-la-detencion-de-nuestra-colega-reportera-estefany-rodriguez-por-agentes-de-ice/\">the station reported</a>. When they parked, several men surrounded the car and demanded Rodríguez be taken into custody.</p><p data-block-key=\"flao8\">During the encounter, Rodríguez noted that one ICE agent had a photograph of her work car on his cellphone, her attorney wrote in a court filing.</p><p data-block-key=\"b7j2i\">After her arrest, Rodríguez filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, ICE and other federal officials, arguing that her detention violated her constitutional rights. Her attorney, Joel Coxander, wrote that she was illegally detained, without a warrant or due process, and in retaliation for her reporting on ICE operations.</p><p data-block-key=\"fqs4j\">Coxander filed an emergency petition in federal court seeking a writ of habeas corpus, asking a judge to review whether her detention was lawful and to order her immediate release. According to court documents, Rodriguez was most recently being held in Alabama.</p><p data-block-key=\"dqosf\">The federal government <a href=\"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72364939/9/florez-v-ladwig/\">disputed Rodríguez’s claims in court filings</a>, asserting she was arrested under a valid warrant issued two days earlier and that her visa had expired in September 2021, leaving her in the country without legal status.</p><p data-block-key=\"3t9au\">Rodríguez had entered the United States legally in 2021 on a tourist visa, but later applied for political asylum, fearing persecution for her reporting on armed militia groups if she returned to her native Colombia. While her asylum case was pending, she received a work permit in 2022 and applied for a green card after marrying a U.S. citizen in January 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"7v5fv\">That same month, ICE asked her to appear at its field office, but the appointment was canceled and later rescheduled due to a winter storm. In February, agents said they could not find a record of her appointment and issued a new reporting date for March 17, according to court records.</p><p data-block-key=\"4hnd5\">Rodríguez’s case comes amid broader concerns about journalists covering immigration enforcement. In a <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/spanish-language-reporter-arrested-at-atlanta-area-protest-faces-deportation/\">separate case</a>, Salvadoran journalist Mario Guevara was deported in October after being arrested four months earlier while covering a “No Kings” protest in Atlanta, Georgia.</p><p data-block-key=\"7fd3l\">After Rodríguez was arrested, <a href=\"https://www.freepress.net/news/coalition-41-press-freedom-groups-calls-immediate-release-nashville-based-journalist-arrested\">a coalition of 41 press freedom groups</a> called for her immediate release.</p><p data-block-key=\"dgmus\">“Rodriguez’s detention is part of a broader erosion of democratic norms and human rights in the United States in which immigration authorities are increasingly being used to chill free expression and First Amendment rights,” the coalition wrote in a statement.</p><p data-block-key=\"biruh\">The <a href=\"https://nahj.org/nahj-denounces-ice-detainment-of-nashville-reporter/\">National Association of Hispanic Journalists</a> said it “denounces immigration tactics that detain journalists and any efforts to interfere with news coverage of immigration enforcement.”</p><p data-block-key=\"67e4c\">In a statement, Nashville Noticias wrote it respects the laws of the U.S. and “hopes that this situation will be resolved favorably for our colleague so that she can be released soon, as she needs to reunite with her young daughter and husband.”</p><p data-block-key=\"b3q7t\">District Judge Eli Richardson will decide whether to grant Rodriguez’s emergency request for release. He has ordered the government to file a response justifying her arrest and detention. A hearing is set for March 17.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Screenshot_2026-03-10_at_1.38.19P.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"mxmvx\">Reporter Estefany Rodríguez, who was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 4, 2026, is seen in an earlier reporting assignment.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"case_number": "3:26-cv-00247",
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"actor": null,
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"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
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"state": {
"name": "Tennessee",
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},
"updates": [],
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"ongoing"
],
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"tags": [
"Department of Homeland Security",
"ICE detention",
"immigration"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Other Incident"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Estefany Rodríguez (Nashville Noticias)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Photographers barred from Pentagon briefings after ‘unflattering’ photos",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographers-barred-from-pentagon-briefings-after-unflattering-photos/",
"first_published_at": "2026-03-13T18:28:34.243974Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-03-13T18:28:34.243974Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-03-13T18:23:53.865501Z",
"date": "2026-03-04",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Arlington",
"longitude": -77.10428,
"latitude": 38.88101,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"6iepk\">Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth barred photojournalists from attending Pentagon news briefings at the Pentagon’s Arlington, Virginia headquarters, about the Iran war and the United States’ role in the conflict, beginning on March 4, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"4mgkq\">The decision came after Hegseth’s staff deemed recently published photos of him at a briefing “unflattering,” <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/03/11/hegseth-press-briefings-photos-iran/\">The Washington Post reported.</a> The photos were taken March 2, days after a joint military strike on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.</p><p data-block-key=\"97t7m\">The briefing also marked the first time Hegseth had spoken from the Pentagon briefing room podium since June 26, according to the Post. Several news organizations — including The Associated Press, Reuters and Getty Images — had sent photographers to cover the briefing from Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.</p><p data-block-key=\"7f6lt\">After the news outlets published the photos, which were shared and licensed globally, members of Hegseth’s staff told colleagues they did not like the way he looked in them. His aides then decided to exclude photographers from the next two briefings at the Pentagon, held on March 4 and March 10, the Post reported.</p><p data-block-key=\"e461a\">Since then, only the Defense Department’s staff photographers have been permitted into the briefings.</p><p data-block-key=\"bqgrn\">In a statement to the newspaper, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson wrote: “In order to use space in the Pentagon Briefing Room effectively, we are allowing one representative per news outlet if uncredentialed, excluding pool. Photographs from the briefings are immediately released online for the public and press to use. If that hurts the business model for certain news outlets, then they should consider applying for a Pentagon press credential.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5jcdt\">In a statement, the National Press Photographers Association denounced the Defense Department’s decision, saying it appeared to be retaliatory and raised First Amendment concerns. It called upon the Pentagon to restore the photographers’ access.</p><p data-block-key=\"2eorf\">“Excluding photographers from Pentagon briefings because officials did not like how published images portrayed them shows an astonishingly poor sense of priorities in the midst of a war and is, for a public servant, not a good look,” the association’s President Alex Garcia said. “A free press cannot function if government officials decide that only favorable images of public officials may be created or distributed.”</p><p data-block-key=\"dsr1\">Since being named secretary, Hegseth has frequently clashed with the press, including <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/pete-hegseth-targets-news-outlets-leakers-as-defense-secretary/\">targeting news outlets and media leaks</a>. He also <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/pete-hegseth-restricts-journalists-access-inside-pentagon/\">issued new restrictions</a> that mandated journalists pledge to obtain approval for releasing information gathered at the Pentagon, even if unclassified, and threatened to revoke their credentials.</p><p data-block-key=\"5obbn\">Instead of complying with the pledge by the October deadline, dozens of correspondents left their offices and surrendered their press badges. The New York Times has sued the government over the policy, arguing it violates the constitutional protections of press freedom and due process.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2026-03-02T190915Z_395527699_RC2D.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"1hsri\">Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth holds a news briefing on the Iran conflict at Pentagon headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, on March 2, 2026. After photos of the briefing were published, press photographers were barred from briefings starting March 4.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
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"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
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"assailant": null,
"was_journalist_targeted": null,
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
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"name_of_business": null,
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"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
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"state": {
"name": "Virginia",
"abbreviation": "VA"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [
"Media"
],
"tags": [
"Department of Defense"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [
"Federal government: Agency"
],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Denial of Access"
],
"targeted_journalists": [],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": [
"Change in policy or practice"
]
},
{
"title": "Documentarian pushed by deputy at Minnesota immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/documentarian-pushed-by-deputy-at-minnesota-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-03-06T19:55:41.938842Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-03-06T19:55:41.938842Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-03-06T19:55:41.776945Z",
"date": "2026-03-01",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Fort Snelling",
"longitude": null,
"latitude": null,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"t5glc\">Independent documentarian Adriano Kalin was pushed by a Hennepin County sheriff’s deputy while documenting a protest outside a federal building in the Minneapolis suburb of Fort Snelling, Minnesota, on March 1, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"cpl9p\">The Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, which houses an Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center, has been a focal point of protests. Demonstrations intensified in January after federal immigration agents shot and killed two Minneapolis residents, <a href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/minnesota-ice-shooting-live-updates-rcna252852\">Renee Good</a> and <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/immigration-enforcement-minnesota-protester-alex-pretti-15ade7de6e19cb0291734e85dac763dc\">Alex Pretti</a>, and wounded a man in separate incidents. Both the city of Minneapolis and the state have <a href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/12/us/minneapolis-immigration-officers-mobilizing-protests\">sued the Trump administration</a>, arguing the unprecedented deployment of federal agents violates constitutional rights.</p><p data-block-key=\"1ktp4\">Kalin told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was documenting demonstrators who were gathering the morning of March 1 at the federal building. He was wearing a press badge, and a vest and a helmet identifying himself as a member of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"e9p6s\">In the north parking lot, where he started reporting, law enforcement allowed Kalin and other journalists to do their job. However, the atmosphere changed as the protest grew larger in the south parking lot and officers began declaring the gathering unlawful, Kalin said. The law enforcement present included members of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Department, the Minnesota State Patrol and the state’s Department of Natural Resources.</p><p data-block-key=\"4bfur\">“The line between protester and press started kind of diffusing, if you will, and they didn’t care if you were press,” he said.</p><p data-block-key=\"4kd8i\">Kalin said Hennepin County sheriff’s deputies were indiscriminately aggressive, even against members of the press as they tried to document arrests and other police activity.</p><p data-block-key=\"330dq\">“The sheriff’s department were like, ‘No, you need to move,’ and shoving press,” Kalin said. “And we were saying, ‘We have a job to do, we’re strictly documenting.’”</p><p data-block-key=\"f7ocq\">According to Kalin, a large deputy who had been shouting at media members eventually shoved him toward protesters and told him he couldn’t be there. Although officers were shouting at members of the press, Kalin said he didn’t feel specifically targeted when he was pushed.</p><p data-block-key=\"c5q9l\">The photographer said the situation made it harder to safely capture images of events as they unfolded.</p><p data-block-key=\"5s422\">“It definitely made it more difficult for me to do my job,” he said. “I had to walk very fast and take the photo and pray that I got it because I was kind of getting rushed, and I was worried for myself, if I was going to get arrested.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1gqr1\">The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to a request for comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2026-03-01T203559Z_332832351_RC2R.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"18912\">Hennepin County sheriff’s deputies at an immigration protest outside the Whipple Federal Building on March 1, 2026, in Fort Snelling, Minnesota. Documentarian Adriano Kalin was shoved by a deputy while covering the demonstration.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
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"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": null,
"did_authorities_ask_about_work": null,
"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "no",
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
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"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
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"state": {
"name": "Minnesota",
"abbreviation": "MN"
},
"updates": [],
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"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"immigration",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Adriano Kalin (Independent)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Photographer indicted after Minnesota church protest coverage",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-indicted-after-minnesota-church-protest-coverage/",
"first_published_at": "2026-03-03T20:25:27.065892Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-03-03T20:26:45.113377Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-03-03T20:26:44.988163Z",
"date": "2026-02-27",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"iymyh\">Shane Ryan Bollman, a documentary photographer known professionally as Junn Bollmann, was arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles, California, on Feb. 27, 2026, after a grand jury indicted him the previous day on charges connected to his coverage of a protest that disrupted a Minnesota church service in January.</p><p data-block-key=\"411hu\">Demonstrations in the Twin Cities area had been taking place since the beginning of January, following the <a href=\"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/2000-federal-agents-sent-to-minneapolis-area-to-carry-out-largest-immigration-operation-ever-ice-says\">expansion</a> of an immigration enforcement crackdown, known as Operation Metro Surge, and federal officers’ fatal shooting of two Minneapolis residents — <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000010631041/minneapolis-ice-shooting-video.html\">Renee Good</a> and <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/us/politics/second-ice-shooting-minneapolis.html\">Alex Pretti</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"7aba\">Multiple members of the press followed demonstrators as they entered Cities Church in St. Paul on Jan. 18 to voice their opposition to ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions. <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DTqqE2NjiR6/\">Protest organizers said</a> the church was targeted because one of the pastors was allegedly an interim director for the local ICE field office.</p><p data-block-key=\"9l7s5\">The <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.231102/gov.uscourts.mnd.231102.144.0.pdf\">indictment</a> alleges Bollmann was present at a pre-demonstration meeting at a nearby shopping center, but the photographer is not included among those accused of engaging in “various chants,” “hostile and aggressive gestures” or any other activities while at the church.</p><p data-block-key=\"dh4bt\">He was, however, charged the same as the church protesters — conspiring to deprive rights and interfering with someone’s religious freedom in a house of worship.</p><p data-block-key=\"6rvff\">Independent journalist <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/independent-journalist-arrested-charged-over-minnesota-protest-coverage/\">Georgia Fort</a> and former CNN anchor <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/don-lemon-arrested-charged-over-covering-minnesota-church-protest/\">Don Lemon</a> were also indicted in January for their coverage and were named in the superseding indictment.</p><p data-block-key=\"aqrm4\">Federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations arrested Bollman on Feb. 27 outside his LA apartment, transferring him from the city’s Roybal Federal Building to the U.S. Marshals Service building and back before his arraignment and release, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.</p><p data-block-key=\"ci14j\">CPJ reported that the photographer’s electronic devices — including his cellphone, camera and laptop — were seized during his arrest and had yet to be returned.</p><p data-block-key=\"cagdr\">Freedom of the Press Foundation, of which the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker is a project, condemned the Lemon and Fort arrests at the time as “naked attacks on freedom of the press.”</p><p data-block-key=\"21e3f\">“The unmistakable message is that journalists must tread cautiously because the government is looking for any way to target them,” said Seth Stern, FPF’s chief of advocacy. “The answer to this outrageous attack is not fear or self-censorship. It’s an even stronger commitment to journalism, the truth, and the First Amendment.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/AP26058572690197.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"a9235\">Photographer Junn Bollmann was arrested in Los Angeles on Feb. 27, 2026, after he was indicted on civil rights charges for his coverage of a protest that disrupted services at Cities Church, above, in St. Paul, Minnesota, in January.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "Homeland Security Investigations",
"arrest_status": "arrested and released",
"release_date": "2026-02-27",
"detention_date": "2026-02-27",
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
"case_type": null,
"status_of_seized_equipment": "in custody",
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": null,
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"assailant": null,
"was_journalist_targeted": null,
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
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"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "camera"
},
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "cellphone"
},
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "computer"
}
],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"Department of Homeland Security",
"Department of Justice",
"immigration",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge",
"Equipment Search or Seizure"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Junn Bollmann (Independent)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Filmmaker pushed to the ground during interview attempt in Ohio",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/filmmaker-pushed-to-the-ground-during-interview-attempt-in-ohio/",
"first_published_at": "2026-02-26T19:37:02.463965Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-02-26T19:37:02.463965Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-02-26T19:37:02.231245Z",
"date": "2026-02-09",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Columbus",
"longitude": -82.99879,
"latitude": 39.96118,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"x1zzd\">Independent documentarian Michael Newman was pushed to the ground, his phone slapped from his hand, on Feb. 9, 2026, while filming inside a campus building at Ohio State University in Columbus.</p><p data-block-key=\"1uhc9\">“I was scared, I was shocked, I was confused,” he told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. “I’ve never felt that violated before in my life. It was very surreal.”</p><p data-block-key=\"883d8\">Newman had been filming inside the Smith Laboratory building for a mini-documentary on D.J. Byrnes, who runs the political blog The Rooster, and wanted to question the former president of the university, E. Gordon Gee, after a speech.</p><p data-block-key=\"4b22o\">At one point, Assistant Professor Luke Perez, who was in the public hallway, made it clear he did not want to be filmed.</p><p data-block-key=\"73fbc\">“I specifically tell him I’m not interested in him; I won’t get him on video,” Newman said. “There was no tension, there was no aggression on our part.”</p><p data-block-key=\"et6cm\">Video published later by <a href=\"https://www.rooster.info/p/ohio-state-university-professor-assault-luke-perez-gordon-gee\">The Rooster</a> captured the confrontation, which unfolded after Newman tried to ask Gee a question about student debt. In the footage, staff members can be heard telling Newman that Gee is finished taking questions.</p><p data-block-key=\"5ml0d\">Newman moves forward, and Perez quickly positions himself in front of him. Newman steps back and, within seconds, Perez knocks the equipment from Newman’s hand and drives him to the ground.</p><p data-block-key=\"6318f\">“I told you not to put that in my face,” Perez says in the video. “I’m not going to ask you again. … You put your hands on me, sir. You shoved that camera into my face, sir.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Ohio State professor Luke Perez assaults a journalist while <a href=\"https://twitter.com/crgreen24601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@crgreen24601</a> watches. Both of them are faculty at the “Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society,” which claims to support free speech and “open inquiry.” <a href=\"https://t.co/E20lRLFARX\">https://t.co/E20lRLFARX</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/IJfeaFhXX4\">pic.twitter.com/IJfeaFhXX4</a></p>— Max (@Juicewag) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Juicewag/status/2021418119382843409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 11, 2026</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=\"x1zzd\">Newman said there was no noticeable damage to his camera but that the monopod used to hold his cellphone broke in the attack. His neck and back were also sore, and he has had a hard time sleeping. A doctor told him he had whiplash.</p><p data-block-key=\"1kgir\">“After I say, ‘One more question,’ next thing I know I’m attacked and on the ground,” he said. “I definitely did not shove my camera in his face; he shoved his face in my camera. I didn’t invade his personal space. You can see in the video I tried to step back, but I didn’t have a chance.”</p><p data-block-key=\"16aqr\">Newman said the university police told him and Byrnes they were trespassed from the building and warned they would be arrested if they returned to campus. That order was rescinded a few days later.</p><p data-block-key=\"flda4\">The university has since placed Perez on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation.</p><p data-block-key=\"6qdr\">At a Feb. 23 arraignment, Perez, who pleaded not guilty to an assault charge, was served a temporary protective order by a Franklin County judge, according to court records.</p><p data-block-key=\"22i7b\">A hearing is scheduled for April 6.</p><p data-block-key=\"fmebn\">For Newman, the fallout has prompted him to carry pepper spray while working.</p><p data-block-key=\"1v035\">“I’ll always be on edge now,” he said. “I’m always going to wonder, ‘Is this person going to attack me because I’m asking them questions?’”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Screenshot_2026-02-24_at_3.28.54P.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"ohscc\">Independent documentarian Mike Newman is seen being tackled by a professor while filming at Ohio State University in Columbus on Feb. 9, 2026.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
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"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": "private individual",
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": null,
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"assailant": "private individual",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
"equipment_broken": [
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "camera equipment"
}
],
"state": {
"name": "Ohio",
"abbreviation": "OH"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault",
"Equipment Damage"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Michael Newman (Independent)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Photojournalist struck with police baton at LA immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-struck-with-police-baton-at-la-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-02-06T17:50:55.215553Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-02-06T17:50:55.215553Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-02-06T17:50:55.045113Z",
"date": "2026-02-04",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"1uovq\">Independent photographer Jackson Tammariello was beaten with a baton by police while covering a protest against immigration raids in Los Angeles, California, on Feb. 4, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"ffik\">The demonstration began when <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/lausd-students-protest-downtown-la-ice-immigration-operations/\">hundreds of students walked out of school</a> to oppose the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement practices. It also came after similar demonstrations in Minnesota, where federal officers had killed two U.S. citizens. In LA, aggressive immigration enforcement has been happening <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">since June.</a></p><p data-block-key=\"edf2v\">Tammariello told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that after most of the crowd dispersed, some adults and high school students made their way to the downtown Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrants were being held.</p><p data-block-key=\"5orjp\">The students lined up outside at a nearby intersection, which the LA Police Department had taped off. Tammariello said that without much warning, officers suddenly charged the line of student protesters, pushing them out of the way. One officer, while chasing a protester, turned toward Tammariello and slammed his baton into his arm.</p><p data-block-key=\"etvpb\">“Just because he saw that I was in his path, he decided he could deploy whatever force necessary,” he told the Tracker. “In this instance, it did feel targeted.”</p><p data-block-key=\"bl85u\">Tammariello was wearing a media credential, although he was later told by another officer, “You’re not press.”</p><p data-block-key=\"b27dj\">The journalist said the blow left him feeling sore, rattled and exposed, but not deterred.</p><p data-block-key=\"bbshh\">“There’s a large pepperoni-looking bruise on my arm,” he said. “I hope I can just be out there covering what I’ve been covering as soon as possible.”</p><p data-block-key=\"bsdov\">The LAPD officer’s actions appeared to violate <a href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN&sectionNum=409.7\">California law</a> prohibiting law enforcement from using violent protest policing tactics with members of the press, which courts reinforced with a <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-struck-with-baton-finger-injured-amid-protests-in-downtown-la/\">preliminary injunction</a> last year.</p><p data-block-key=\"2fot5\">LAPD did not respond to a request for comment. In a <a href=\"https://x.com/LAPDCentral/status/2019462871093326246\">social media post on X</a>, the department said it had made arrests on charges of battery on a police officer and felony vandalism. It did not address the use of force against members of the press.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Christian_Duenas_1.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"b3k00\">The Los Angeles Police Department officer who is alleged to have struck photographer Jackson Tammariello during an immigration protest there on Feb. 4, 2026.</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,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"immigration",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Jackson Tammariello (Independent)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "FBI questions Oregon photographer about protesters’ identities",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/fbi-questions-oregon-photographer-about-protesters-identities/",
"first_published_at": "2026-02-18T17:23:33.920311Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-02-18T17:23:33.920311Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-02-18T17:23:33.810929Z",
"date": "2026-02-04",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Eugene",
"longitude": -123.08675,
"latitude": 44.05207,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"h6lm3\">Independent photographer Robert Scherle was questioned at his Eugene, Oregon, home by FBI agents on Feb. 4, 2026, about the identities of people who attended protests he covered.</p><p data-block-key=\"33b3l\">Scherle told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he has been documenting recent demonstrations at Eugene’s Federal Building, where Department of Homeland Security immigration enforcement operations are based.</p><p data-block-key=\"358i\">The building had been the focal point of escalating anti-deportation protests in the city during late January, Eugene Weekly <a href=\"https://eugeneweekly.com/2026/02/05/escalation/\">reported</a>. On Jan. 30, it was vandalized and windows were damaged.</p><p data-block-key=\"1si2j\">Scherle said that two FBI agents, a man and a woman wearing civilian clothing, came to his door, and showed him their badges and identification. The agents were affiliated with the Eugene agency of the FBI’s Portland, Oregon, field office.</p><p data-block-key=\"4ngbl\">“They immediately said, ‘You’re not in any trouble at all. We just want to talk to you, don’t worry.’ And then they started asking me if I had photos to share with them of protesters destroying federal property, and I said no.”</p><p data-block-key=\"apm6q\">Scherle said they then asked if he could help them identify other protesters. He told the agents that he could not identify anyone because the scene was “too chaotic,” and the protesters were wearing masks.</p><p data-block-key=\"a4knp\">While the agents were not threatening or coercive, Scherle added, he was “stressed” by the encounter.</p><p data-block-key=\"ct112\">“It was sort of just an implied threat, just by the fact that they’re there,” he said.</p><p data-block-key=\"c3sst\">He added that the agents did not ask the journalist to follow up with them, but did provide a business card upon request.</p><p data-block-key=\"347un\">The FBI’s Portland office did not respond to the Tracker’s emailed request for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"15fir\">In a statement to <a href=\"https://eugeneweekly.com/2026/02/05/fbi-asking-press-for-info/\">Eugene Weekly</a>, the office said: “During our investigative efforts, we have interviewed members of the public who were taking images and/or video on the ground that evening and asked for footage. Should an interviewee identify themselves as a member of the media and produce identification or credentials, we have processes in place to request information that adheres to the Constitutional right ensuring freedom of the press.”</p><p data-block-key=\"6heph\">While covering a Jan. 27 protest at the Federal Building and the response by DHS officers, Scherle was <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-hit-with-projectiles-and-chemical-irritant-shoved-at-oregon-protest/\">shoved</a> and hit with crowd-control munitions and a chemical irritant, and later that evening was <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/oregon-photographer-hit-with-impact-projectiles-while-covering-immigration-protest/\">again hit</a> with projectiles.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Scherle_FBI.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"dv1t6\">Federal agents approach protesters at the Federal Building in Eugene, Oregon, on Jan. 27, 2026. A week later, on Feb. 4, the FBI questioned photographer Robert Scherle at his Eugene home about the identities of protesters.</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": 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": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
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"state": {
"name": "Oregon",
"abbreviation": "OR"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"Department of Justice",
"immigration"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Other Incident"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Robert Scherle (Independent)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem targets press, leakers",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/homeland-security-secretary-kristi-noem-targets-press-leakers/",
"first_published_at": "2026-02-17T16:57:14.825230Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-02-17T16:57:14.825230Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-02-17T16:57:14.614324Z",
"date": "2026-02-04",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Washington",
"longitude": -77.03637,
"latitude": 38.89511,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"4mrrp\">As the second year of President Donald Trump’s second term began, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem continued taking steps to intimidate leakers and news outlets that have covered Trump and his administration unfavorably. We’re documenting her efforts in 2026 in this regularly updated report.</p><p data-block-key=\"3d6qn\">Read about Noem’s efforts in 2025 to chill coverage <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/kristi-noem-targets-press-leakers-as-homeland-security-secretary/\">here</a>, and how Trump’s other appointees and allies in Congress are striving to intimidate reporters, 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=\"58rgu\"><i>This article was first published on Feb. 17, 2026.</i></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"4586f\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"block-raw_html\"><p><a id=\"top\" name=\"top\"></a></p>\r\n<div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#Feb 4\">Feb. 4, 2026 | DHS secretary name-checks reporter in announcement of leak prosecution</a></p></div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"4mrrp\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"6csno\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"block-raw_html\"><a id=\"Feb 4\" name=\"Feb 4\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"4mrrp\">Feb. 4, 2026 | DHS secretary name-checks reporter in announcement of leak prosecution</h4><p data-block-key=\"dgdp1\">Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced via social media on Feb. 4, 2026, that her office had identified another alleged leaker, claiming the employee had been sharing information with Daily Mail senior reporter Shawn Cohen.</p><p data-block-key=\"5gmk0\">“We just caught another prolific leaker putting our @DHSgov law enforcement at risk as they already face 8,000% increase in death threats against them,” Noem <a href=\"https://x.com/Sec_Noem/status/2019146352564072553\">wrote</a>, adding that she plans to refer the individual to the Justice Department for prosecution. “We are agnostic about your standing, tenure, political appointment, or status as a career civil servant—we will track down leakers and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5heiu\">In 2025, Noem oversaw the <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/kristi-noem-targets-press-leakers-as-homeland-security-secretary/#May%2020\">unprecedented polygraphing</a> of department employees as part of her efforts to clamp down on leaks, questioning them about whether they’ve been sharing unapproved information with the media, even if unclassified.</p><p data-block-key=\"1cd47\">The identity of the alleged leaker has not been made public as of publication.</p><p data-block-key=\"771oc\">Cohen declined to comment when reached by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</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\">\r\n<i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2026-01-24T231259Z_224432240_RC2Y.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"nff1j\">Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem holds a news conference in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 24, 2026.</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,
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"assailant": null,
"was_journalist_targeted": null,
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "District of Columbia",
"abbreviation": "DC"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"Department of Homeland Security",
"Donald Trump"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Chilling Statement"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Shawn Cohen (Daily Mail)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Journalist shoved while reporting on Minneapolis anti-ICE barricade",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-shoved-while-reporting-on-minneapolis-anti-ice-barricade/",
"first_published_at": "2026-02-10T21:04:47.956536Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-02-10T21:04:47.956536Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-02-10T20:16:19.012216Z",
"date": "2026-02-02",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Minneapolis",
"longitude": -93.26384,
"latitude": 44.97997,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"5qi7t\">Daily Caller reporter Jorge Ventura was repeatedly shoved and his phone knocked from his hands by individuals angry with his coverage of an anti-immigration authority barricade in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Feb. 2, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"e7a7e\">Demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in the Twin Cities area have been mounting since the beginning of January, following the <a href=\"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/2000-federal-agents-sent-to-minneapolis-area-to-carry-out-largest-immigration-operation-ever-ice-says\">expansion</a> of an ICE crackdown, known as Operation Metro Surge, and federal officers’ fatal shooting of two Minneapolis residents — <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000010631041/minneapolis-ice-shooting-video.html\">Renee Good</a> and <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/us/politics/second-ice-shooting-minneapolis.html\">Alex Pretti</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"8g6c9\">Ventura told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he had seen photos on social media of what was being referred to as a “filter blockade,” a <a href=\"https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-ice-blockade-barricade-neighborhood-roundabout-federal-agent-tracking-mpd-clearing/601578593\">makeshift barricade</a> in the middle of the road meant to hinder ICE operations in a south Minneapolis neighborhood.</p><p data-block-key=\"fpr0h\">He and independent photojournalist <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-shoved-while-covering-minneapolis-anti-ice-barricade\">Erik Herrera</a> took a car together to where it was reportedly set up. “It was just a bunch of random things in the middle of the intersection, so stuff like wood pallets, dumpsters, mattresses,” Ventura said.</p><p data-block-key=\"8rg86\">He added that the checkpoint was being operated by several individuals, some of whom immediately approached to ask who they were.</p><p data-block-key=\"daftn\">“I said, ‘Hey, we’re reporters, I work for the Daily Caller.’ And then they didn’t actually mind it,” Ventura said.</p><p data-block-key=\"23v9r\">As the journalists began documenting the scene, Ventura said he noticed that one of the individuals had approached their ride-share driver.</p><p data-block-key=\"t390\">“A couple of individuals basically said that our Uber driver was an ICE agent, because, I guess, they ran his license plate in their ‘database,’” he told the Tracker. “I head over there, and I’m just like, ‘Hey, he’s not an ICE agent, he’s Somalian, clearly.’ So that kind of started our interaction.”</p><p data-block-key=\"6spmd\">Ventura said he tried to ask the individual about the database they had referenced and the checkpoint, but after a few questions, the man declined to do an interview and walked away. Then Ventura noticed that individuals manning the barricade were forcing two SUVs to turn around.</p><p data-block-key=\"f7iio\">“It’s unconfirmed if they were federal agents, but they did have the markings: they had the all-black, tinted windows, and they were turning them around. So I started to zoom in and shoot video of that,” he said.</p><p data-block-key=\"5ingu\">That’s when Ventura said two individuals began shoving him, blocking him from moving forward and telling him to leave. One also attempted to grab the phone Ventura was using to record from his hands.</p><p data-block-key=\"a5k12\">The individuals also shoved Herrera and forced him to move back toward their waiting car.</p><p data-block-key=\"ch4as\">“Then they kind of, in a way, forced me back to the Uber and kind of shoved me in,” Ventura said. “I’m still filming a bit, and one of them actually smacks my phone out of my hand, and I kind of spring out of the car seat.”</p><p data-block-key=\"usnk\">Ventura launched himself headfirst through the window, falling onto his phone atop a snowbank. “I panicked,” he said. “I felt like they were going to run off with it.”</p><p data-block-key=\"71mi7\">He told the Tracker he was able to retrieve his phone, and the pair then left the scene after only five minutes. Over the next few hours, they clipped together their footage and posted it online.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Moments ago I was just assaulted by left-wing activists in South Minneapolis for reporting on a roadblock protesters set up and checking cars for ID’s , the activists grew angry when I shot footage of them turning around some vehicles that appear to be ICE agents , they tried to… <a href=\"https://t.co/Lo45ffZlEX\">pic.twitter.com/Lo45ffZlEX</a></p>— Jorge Ventura Media (@VenturaReport) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/VenturaReport/status/2018370751993085973?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 2, 2026</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>",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"66r01\">Daily Caller reporter Jorge Ventura, partly visible at left, being pushed and harassed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Feb. 2, 2026, while reporting on a makeshift checkpoint intended to thwart immigration operations in the area.</p>",
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{
"title": "Photojournalist shoved while covering Minneapolis anti-ICE barricade",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-shoved-while-covering-minneapolis-anti-ice-barricade/",
"first_published_at": "2026-02-10T21:06:48.940038Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-02-10T21:06:48.940038Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-02-10T20:16:55.714810Z",
"date": "2026-02-02",
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"city": "Minneapolis",
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"latitude": 44.97997,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"732i8\">Independent photojournalist Erik Herrera was repeatedly shoved by individuals angry with his coverage of an anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement barricade in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Feb. 2, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"51ouc\">Demonstrations against ICE actions in the Twin Cities area have been mounting since the beginning of January, following the <a href=\"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/2000-federal-agents-sent-to-minneapolis-area-to-carry-out-largest-immigration-operation-ever-ice-says\">expansion</a> of an immigration crackdown, known as Operation Metro Surge, and federal officers’ fatal shooting of two Minneapolis residents — <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000010631041/minneapolis-ice-shooting-video.html\">Renee Good</a> and <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/us/politics/second-ice-shooting-minneapolis.html\">Alex Pretti</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"3etag\">Herrera was working alongside Daily Caller reporter <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-shoved-while-reporting-on-minneapolis-anti-ice-barricade\">Jorge Ventura</a>, documenting what was being referred to as a “filter blockade” — a <a href=\"https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-ice-blockade-barricade-neighborhood-roundabout-federal-agent-tracking-mpd-clearing/601578593\">makeshift barricade</a> in the middle of the road meant to hinder ICE operations — in a south Minneapolis neighborhood.</p><p data-block-key=\"b4sic\">The journalists took a car together to where it was reportedly set up. “It was just a bunch of random things in the middle of the intersection, so stuff like wood pallets, dumpsters, mattresses,” Ventura told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"ekpt9\">He added that the checkpoint was being operated by several individuals, some of whom immediately approached to ask who they were. When they identified themselves as press, the individuals didn’t seem to mind them being there, Ventura said.</p><p data-block-key=\"acs3d\">As the journalists began documenting the scene, Ventura said he noticed that one of the individuals had approached their ride-share driver.</p><p data-block-key=\"b6m9l\">“A couple of individuals basically said that our Uber driver was an ICE agent, because, I guess, they ran his license plate in their ‘database,’” he told the Tracker. “I head over there, and I’m just like, ‘Hey, he’s not an ICE agent, he’s Somalian, clearly.’ So that kind of started our interaction.”</p><p data-block-key=\"2006p\">Ventura said he tried to ask the individual about the database they had referenced and the checkpoint, but after a few questions, the man declined to do an interview and walked away. Then Ventura noticed that individuals manning the barricade were forcing two SUVs to turn around.</p><p data-block-key=\"ebs4v\">“It’s unconfirmed if they were federal agents, but they did have the markings: they had the all-black, tinted windows, and they were turning them around. So I started to zoom in and shoot video of that,” he said.</p><p data-block-key=\"827jm\">That’s when Ventura said two individuals began shoving both him and Ventura, attempting to block them from recording and forcing them to move back toward their waiting car. One also attempted several times to grab Ventura’s phone, at one point knocking it into the snow.</p><p data-block-key=\"f4r14\">He told the Tracker he was able to retrieve his phone, and the pair then left the scene after only five minutes. Over the next few hours, they clipped together their footage and posted it online.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Moments ago I was just assaulted by left-wing activists in South Minneapolis for reporting on a roadblock protesters set up and checking cars for ID’s , the activists grew angry when I shot footage of them turning around some vehicles that appear to be ICE agents , they tried to… <a href=\"https://t.co/Lo45ffZlEX\">pic.twitter.com/Lo45ffZlEX</a></p>— Jorge Ventura Media (@VenturaReport) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/VenturaReport/status/2018370751993085973?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 2, 2026</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=\"732i8\">Herrera did not respond to a request for comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Herrera_-_MN_22_assault.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"1rfug\">Independent photojournalist Erik Herrera, left, was repeatedly pushed and harassed by individuals in south Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Feb. 2, 2026, while reporting on a makeshift checkpoint intended to thwart immigration operations in the area.</p>",
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"state": {
"name": "Minnesota",
"abbreviation": "MN"
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"tags": [
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
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],
"targeted_journalists": [
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{
"title": "Photojournalist struck with projectiles, breaking finger at LA protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-struck-with-projectiles-breaking-finger-at-la-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-02-10T22:13:40.953188Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-02-17T19:10:29.928899Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-02-17T19:10:29.721879Z",
"date": "2026-01-31",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"89u5s\">Photojournalist Mario Guerrero suffered a broken finger after he was hit with crowd-control munitions fired by federal officers while covering a protest against immigration raids on Jan. 31, 2026, in Los Angeles, California.</p><p data-block-key=\"34dj2\">The <a href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-01-31/demonstrations-against-ice-tactics-continue-in-la\">demonstration</a> was held a day after nationwide protests and also followed similar protests in Minnesota, where federal officers had shot and killed two U.S. citizens. In LA, sweeping immigration enforcement has continued <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">since June</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"eak82\">Guerrero, a photographer with OC Hawk, a stringer company that provides television stations with news footage, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was filming outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrants were being held, as protesters and law enforcement faced off.</p><p data-block-key=\"6r3mf\">The journalist, who was wearing a press vest and media badge, said federal officers knew he was press and directed him to stand to the side.</p><p data-block-key=\"42o45\">Then, people started throwing fireworks, glass bottles and other objects at law enforcement. Federal officers responded with disorientation devices like flash-bang grenades, tear gas and pepper balls.</p><p data-block-key=\"574ab\">Without warning, a federal officer began firing projectiles at Guerrero. One hit him in the ring finger, another struck the side of his arm, and a third pummeled his vest.</p><p data-block-key=\"dv03l\">“It felt like a punch,” he said. “Then I felt the blood dripping.”</p><p data-block-key=\"8304n\">The impact broke his finger, leaving it bruised and bleeding. “The pain was so severe that even my finger was getting so puffy, and it was swelling so fast, and it wouldn’t stop bleeding,” he told the Tracker. “I felt it wasn’t safe for me to stay there.”</p><p data-block-key=\"31cg4\">He later underwent surgery to have a pin inserted to stabilize it and will be <a href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-marios-recovery-after-injury\">unable to work for four weeks.</a></p><p data-block-key=\"5kh59\">Guerrero captured on video the moment he was directly targeted by the federal agent. “You see the DHS agent pointing the gun towards me, and he shoots,” he said. “There were multiple people around me, and they didn’t get hit. I was the only one.”</p><p data-block-key=\"f368q\">He said he later realized the projectiles were paintball rounds, which he said law enforcement is using to target and mark people for subsequent identification.</p><p data-block-key=\"7cjou\">“There should be more training on how to deal with crowd control; they think everybody is a protester, even independent journalists,” he told the Tracker. “They think we’re part of the protest, when we’re here to just document what’s going on and report it, and they’re getting more aggressive toward the media.”</p><p data-block-key=\"daqr3\">The actions of DHS officers appeared to violate a <a href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN&sectionNum=409.7\">state law</a> prohibiting officers from using violent protest policing tactics with members of the press, which courts reinforced with <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-struck-with-pepper-balls-while-covering-la-immigration-protest/\">preliminary injunctions</a> issued to <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-struck-with-baton-finger-injured-amid-protests-in-downtown-la/\">both agencies</a> last year.</p><p data-block-key=\"382tc\">DHS did not respond to a request for comment. In a Jan. 31 post on <a href=\"https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115991701359412321\">his social media platform</a>, President Donald Trump wrote that federal agents would participate in policing protests only if requested, but that he had instructed Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol “to be very forceful in this protection of Federal Government Property.”</p><p data-block-key=\"fga7v\"><i>Update: This article was revised to include comments and a new image from Mario Guerrero.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"3psgn\">The image news photographer Mario Guerrero captured of a federal agent, crouching in black at right, pointing and shooting crowd-control munitions at him, breaking his finger, during an immigration protest on Jan. 31, 2026, in Los Angeles, California.</p>",
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"shot / shot at"
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