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{
"title": "Student journalist cornered by LAPD, escorted from protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/student-journalist-cornered-by-lapd-escorted-from-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-04-14T20:52:26.199261Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-04-14T20:52:26.199261Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-04-14T20:52:26.080621Z",
"date": "2026-03-28",
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"city": "Los Angeles",
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"2s404\">Violet Garcia, editor-in-chief of The Bull Magazine at Los Angeles Pierce College, was blocked by police, ordered to show press credentials and led from a protest that she was covering in downtown Los Angeles, California, on March 28, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"65sns\">The protest followed LA’s “No Kings” demonstration, <a href=\"https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/live/no-kings-protests-recap-more-than-8-million-turned-out-across-all-50-states-organizers-say-135920433.html\">one of some 3,300</a> against Trump administration policies that took place that day across the U.S., drawing more than 8 million people nationwide, organizers said.</p><p data-block-key=\"4hsu4\">After the main march, people gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrants are held, and the Roybal Federal Building, locations where many demonstrations have centered since sweeping immigration enforcement began in the city <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">in June 2025</a>. The LA Police Department said 75 people were <a href=\"https://ktla.com/news/local-news/75-arrested-during-downtown-los-angeles-no-kings-protest/\">arrested</a> after officers issued a dispersal order and declared an unlawful assembly.</p><p data-block-key=\"dt0du\">Garcia told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that she arrived to cover the events near the detention center, along with three other student journalists and photographers from the magazine. She was carrying a press pass issued by Pierce College and professional camera equipment.</p><p data-block-key=\"e0k40\">Garcia said they entered an area near the intersection of Temple and Alameda streets at around 7 p.m. after showing credentials to an officer, whom she described as “collaborative.” The officer told them, however, that they entered at their own risk.</p><p data-block-key=\"4p5p9\">The journalist said the area was heavily barricaded and separate from larger crowds, and that she saw protesters assisting others who had been affected by chemical irritants.</p><p data-block-key=\"cdls5\">“While I was filming a woman questioning officers about their conduct toward her, a group of media members was suddenly confronted by different, visibly armed officers,” Garcia said, adding that the officers “shouted orders for press to show credentials yet again.”</p><p data-block-key=\"bbns\">The conflict escalated, Garcia said, when some journalists resisted showing passes, citing their First Amendment rights, and the LAPD “would no longer allow any of us to leave prior to showing our credentials again, whether we wanted to leave that instant or not.”</p><p data-block-key=\"cn8gl\">“They kept us in a circular group, holding guns in their arms in front of their torsos, and were now screaming orders, not at protesters but at the media. Some who tried to walk away were stopped and forced to wait,” the journalist recounted.</p><p data-block-key=\"2mrdq\">Officers then began “escorting” press out two at a time, she said, walking them back to an intersection a block away. The police warned that they were going to begin arresting people and deploying chemical irritants.</p><p data-block-key=\"86l45\">Garcia said that she, her staff and other journalists in the group began to mildly feel the effects of tear gas nearby, but couldn’t see where it was coming from. “Our eyes were stinging, and then it went a little bit past stinging, and they were burning and tearing up, but we were still able to see. Our noses were starting to burn a little bit as well. And then some of my colleagues started to describe a foul taste,” Garcia, who was wearing a KN95 mask, explained.</p><p data-block-key=\"1ogil\">“Some further protested being sent out, citing that, as press, we had a right to stay and document. The LAPD reiterated it didn’t matter who; if we were in the way, they would spray,” she said.</p><p data-block-key=\"2tsvh\">“Although I was not officially detained, I felt I had no other option. I was physically blocked and stuck in the area. My choices were to move myself or let them move me, regardless of my rights.”</p><p data-block-key=\"9fqk2\">She and her fellow student journalists were ultimately escorted out and then denied reentry to that area, without further explanation.</p><p data-block-key=\"8n5g3\">In a written <a href=\"https://www.lapdonline.org/newsroom/chief-of-police-statement-no-kings-3-0-protest-in-downtown-los-angeles-nr26067mb/\">statement shared April 2</a>, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said that police were responding to acts of violence and vandalism and eventually issued a dispersal order. Anyone identifying as a “duly authorized” member of the media was contacted, verified and separated from those facing arrest for failure to disperse, according to the statement.</p><p data-block-key=\"8ua2l\">McDonnell added that any use of force or allegations of mistreatment, including those involving media members, would be investigated and addressed.</p><p data-block-key=\"7e23h\">“The LAPD recognizes the media’s right to cover events and makes reasonable efforts to accommodate, with those efforts consistent with our primary duty to maintain public safety and order,” the statement said.</p><p data-block-key=\"8ijhp\">The Tracker has documented <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2026-03-28&date_upper=2026-03-28&city=Los+Angeles\">numerous other instances</a> of journalists being obstructed, detained and assaulted while covering the March 28 protest in LA.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"nn7yw\">Police arrest a protester outside an immigration detention center in downtown Los Angeles on March 28, 2026. Violet Garcia, editor-in-chief of Los Angeles Pierce College’s The Bull Magazine, was surrounded by police and escorted away from the protest.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "Los Angeles Police Department",
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"tags": [
"chemical irritant",
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"protest",
"student journalism"
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{
"title": "Reporter shoved, lunged at by police at LA protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-shoved-lunged-at-by-police-at-la-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-04-01T17:06:27.347262Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-04-07T20:31:37.384321Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-04-07T20:31:37.280223Z",
"date": "2026-03-28",
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"city": "Los Angeles",
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"6xxmy\">Ryanne Mena, a reporter for the Los Angeles Daily News, was pushed by one police officer and lunged at by another while covering a protest in Los Angeles, California, on March 28, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"ec5c\">The protest followed a “No Kings” demonstration held earlier in the day in LA, <a href=\"https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/live/no-kings-protests-recap-more-than-8-million-turned-out-across-all-50-states-organizers-say-135920433.html\">one of thousands</a> across the U.S. that organizers said drew more than 8 million people against Trump administration policies.</p><p data-block-key=\"b76u3\">After the main march, people gathered outside downtown LA’s Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrants are held, and the Roybal Federal Building, locations where many demonstrations have centered since sweeping immigration enforcement began in the city <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">in June 2025</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"9ci8c\">Mena, who was wearing a press badge, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker she was near the detention center when federal agents began deploying tear gas and chemical irritants. By the time she put on her safety goggles, the irritant had already seeped into her eyes.</p><p data-block-key=\"eh3fc\">“I was totally debilitated; it was really painful,” Mena said.</p><p data-block-key=\"1dsu8\">Later on, the LA Police Department started pushing protesters away. In one video Mena shared with the Tracker, officers are seen telling her to move.</p><p data-block-key=\"e4loe\">“I’m a journalist; I don’t have to go,” Mena said.</p><p data-block-key=\"99r8f\">“No, you’ve got to go,” an officer responded before pushing her.</p><p data-block-key=\"87a5c\">“Don’t push me,” Mena said. “It’s literally the law. I can be here. I’m a journalist.”</p><p data-block-key=\"2gbgl\">Shortly after, as she moved toward the sidewalk to film from a different vantage point, another officer lunged at her with a baton. Video of the encounter was <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWdfzNPgtgo/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\">later posted to Instagram.</a> In a separate video Mena shared with the Tracker, the same officer can be heard warning her not to follow too closely behind him.</p><p data-block-key=\"40med\">Also that day, Mena and about a dozen other journalists were sequestered to a designated area while <a href=\"https://ktla.com/news/local-news/75-arrested-during-downtown-los-angeles-no-kings-protest/\">officers made arrests</a>. News media were not allowed to get close enough to document the process.</p><p data-block-key=\"fhduk\">“I couldn’t report an accurate number of arrests that evening. I couldn’t document how those arrests were taking place,” Mena said. “And that’s a pretty important part of the story.”</p><p data-block-key=\"cvak1\">In a written <a href=\"https://www.lapdonline.org/newsroom/chief-of-police-statement-no-kings-3-0-protest-in-downtown-los-angeles-nr26067mb/\">statement shared April 2</a>, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said that police were responding to acts of violence and vandalism and eventually issued a dispersal order. Anyone identifying as a “duly authorized” member of the media was contacted, verified and separated from those facing arrest for failure to disperse, according to the statement. McDonnell added that any use of force or allegations of mistreatment, including those involving media members, would be investigated and addressed.</p><p data-block-key=\"2148b\">“The LAPD recognizes the media’s right to cover events and makes reasonable efforts to accommodate, with those efforts consistent with our primary duty to maintain public safety and order,” the statement said. </p><p data-block-key=\"b8qpn\"><i>Update: This story was revised to include a comment from the LAPD’s police chief. </i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2026-03-29T021500Z_1360071449_RC2.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"ptu7l\">A police line at a “No Kings” protest against Trump administration policies on March 28, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. Reporter Ryanne Mena was pushed by an officer while covering the demonstration.</p>",
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"name": "California",
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"chemical irritant",
"immigration",
"protest"
],
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"Assault"
],
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"Ryanne Mena ([Los Angeles] Daily News)"
],
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{
"title": "Student documentarian detained, zip-tied while covering LA protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/student-documentarian-detained-zip-tied-while-covering-la-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-04-06T18:21:11.932195Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-04-08T13:31:24.912532Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-04-08T13:31:24.688904Z",
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"jff78\">Film student Giovanni Cruz was detained in a police kettle and placed in zip ties while he was documenting a protest outside an immigration detention center in downtown Los Angeles, California, on March 28, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"eibhf\">LA’s “No Kings” protest was one of some 3,300 <a href=\"https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/live/no-kings-protests-recap-more-than-8-million-turned-out-across-all-50-states-organizers-say-135920433.html\">demonstrations</a> against Trump administration policies that took place that day across the U.S., drawing more than 8 million people nationwide, organizers said.</p><p data-block-key=\"bnnrk\">After the main protest march, people gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrants are held, and the Roybal Federal Building, locations where many demonstrations have centered since sweeping immigration enforcement began in the city <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">in June 2025</a>. The LA Police Department said 75 people were <a href=\"https://ktla.com/news/local-news/75-arrested-during-downtown-los-angeles-no-kings-protest/\">arrested</a> after officers issued a dispersal order and declared an unlawful assembly.</p><p data-block-key=\"8jtev\">Cruz and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/student-journalist-detained-zip-tied-while-documenting-la-protest/\">Jose Ossa</a>, students in film and TV production at California State University, Dominguez Hills, went to the protest to capture B-roll footage for a documentary about photography as social activism they’re working on for a course, Ossa told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"7e33q\">Cruz was carrying a Fujifilm photo camera, and Ossa was carrying a cinema camera, clearly indicating that both were there to document the protest.</p><p data-block-key=\"5lr4i\">Ossa said they went to the area near the detention center to try to meet up with a photographer they had interviewed as part of their film project. But as they approached the adjacent intersection near the detention center, his eyes and later his respiratory system were affected by the residue of a chemical irritant in the air, even though he was wearing a mask and goggles. They had to retreat from the area twice before the air cleared.</p><p data-block-key=\"fofmu\">Cruz told the Tracker that he was briefly affected by the irritant, but was protected by his mask and goggles.</p><p data-block-key=\"19jfp\">They eventually were able to approach the gate of the detention center, where protesters had gathered, and saw that police behind the gate had started to come out and were throwing individuals to the ground and detaining them, Ossa said.</p><p data-block-key=\"5r675\">The LAPD then started setting up blockades that penned in the protesters and press who were in front of the detention center, Ossa said. Police began to push inward from both directions, effectively sandwiching the crowd, and then closed off the group in a semicircle to form a kettle.</p><p data-block-key=\"8iuqm\">Ossa said that police allowed some, but not all, members of the press who were in the kettle to leave.</p><p data-block-key=\"2vsfq\">Ossa, holding his cinema camera and student ID, made his way to the front and informed the same officer twice that he and Cruz were students and were there to film a documentary. He asked if they were allowed to leave, but got little reaction from the officer.</p><p data-block-key=\"cu2cm\">Around 15 minutes later, Ossa went to the side of the kettle and relayed the same information to a row of four officers, again asking to leave. The officers did not respond.</p><p data-block-key=\"a52gg\">“There was no effort made to get me and my classmate, Giovanni, out of there, even though we were members of the press. We were clearly there to document.”</p><p data-block-key=\"bvrki\">Ossa said he and Cruz remained in the kettle as police grabbed and arrested others, further compressing the group.</p><p data-block-key=\"39kp4\">Eventually, the two students were the only people remaining in the kettle, Ossa said. The police put Cruz and Ossa in zip ties.</p><p data-block-key=\"c52jp\">Ossa said a lead officer questioned him about why they were there. Ossa explained again, in detail, that he and Cruz were students making a documentary.</p><p data-block-key=\"embiu\">After around five minutes, that officer said the two students could go, indicating that he was doing them a favor, Ossa said. The officer told the student journalist that he could have confiscated the camera and detained them.</p><p data-block-key=\"1dm88\">In a written <a href=\"https://www.lapdonline.org/newsroom/chief-of-police-statement-no-kings-3-0-protest-in-downtown-los-angeles-nr26067mb/\">statement shared April 2</a>, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said that police were responding to acts of violence and vandalism and eventually issued a dispersal order. Anyone identifying as a “duly authorized” member of the media was contacted, verified and separated from those facing arrest for failure to disperse, according to the statement. </p><p data-block-key=\"bllf9\">McDonnell added that any use of force or allegations of mistreatment, including those involving media members, would be investigated and addressed.</p><p data-block-key=\"dimh\">“The LAPD recognizes the media’s right to cover events and makes reasonable efforts to accommodate, with those efforts consistent with our primary duty to maintain public safety and order,” the statement said. </p><p data-block-key=\"5kitq\">A September preliminary injunction <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-struck-with-baton-finger-injured-amid-protests-in-downtown-la/\">barred</a> LAPD officers from interfering with journalists covering protests, including by arresting, detaining or citing them solely for failing to disperse.</p><p data-block-key=\"4ahbr\">The Tracker has documented <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2026-03-28&date_upper=2026-03-28&city=Los+Angeles\">multiple cases</a> of journalists who faced press violations that day by the LAPD and federal agents.</p><p data-block-key=\"98skt\"><i>Update: This story was revised to include a comment from the LAPD’s police chief. </i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"3u8ih\">Police detain protesters and members of the press in a police kettle in Los Angeles, California, after a “No Kings” rally on March 28, 2026. Giovanni Cruz, a film student documenting the protest, was detained and put in zip ties before being released.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "Los Angeles Police Department",
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{
"title": "Journalist shoved, detained while covering LA protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-shoved-detained-while-covering-la-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-04-23T21:16:53.488619Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-04-23T21:16:53.488619Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-04-23T21:16:53.387255Z",
"date": "2026-03-28",
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"7jhz5\">Independent journalist Luke Harold was shoved by a federal agent while documenting an immigration protest in downtown Los Angeles, California, on March 28, 2026, and was later kettled by police and taken to the police station, before being released without charge.</p><p data-block-key=\"bp8r9\">The protest followed LA’s “No Kings” demonstration, <a href=\"https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/live/no-kings-protests-recap-more-than-8-million-turned-out-across-all-50-states-organizers-say-135920433.html\">one of some 3,300</a> against Trump administration policies that took place that day across the U.S., drawing more than 8 million people nationwide, organizers said.</p><p data-block-key=\"16ep7\">After the main march, people gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrants are held, and the Roybal Federal Building, locations where many demonstrations have centered since sweeping immigration enforcement began in the city <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">in June 2025</a>. The LA Police Department said 75 people were <a href=\"https://ktla.com/news/local-news/75-arrested-during-downtown-los-angeles-no-kings-protest/\">arrested</a> after officers issued a dispersal order and declared an unlawful assembly.</p><p data-block-key=\"1gl3o\">Harold told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he went to take photos and videos of the protest independently, although he is also a reporter for The San Diego Union-Tribune and member of the journalism faculty at the University of Southern California Annenberg.</p><p data-block-key=\"9hcmi\">He said he was standing in front of the federal building when a few people started kicking the fence and throwing objects over it toward Department of Homeland Security officers on the other side. In response, DHS officers started firing tear gas canisters and pepper balls at the crowd, and most people retreated.</p><p data-block-key=\"8kdup\">He said he was mostly protected by a gas mask and goggles, but that his eyes were badly affected by the chemical irritants at one point, when he rushed to put on the goggles and they didn’t seal properly.</p><p data-block-key=\"clmbn\">Shortly after, he was shoved by one of the DHS officers. Harold and other members of the press were documenting officers piled on top of a protester and pinning him to the ground, as other officers formed a perimeter and issued warnings to stay back.</p><p data-block-key=\"3rv68\">“Those of us who were there trying to document it were not in the way at all, and we were responsive to verbal warnings to stay out of the way as they walked the protester into the building. But that one DHS officer still aggressively walked up to us to shove us backward anyway,” Harold said.</p><p data-block-key=\"79rc7\">The journalist captured the incident in a <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DWcublvj0nI/\">video</a> posted on Instagram.</p><p data-block-key=\"1mquj\">Around the same time, LAPD officers blocked off both ends of the block, effectively penning in the group of protesters and press. Harold said he received a dispersal order <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DWdSPdBjmVb/\">on his phone</a> at that point.</p><p data-block-key=\"6m35n\">“Many others inside the kettle agreed that the phone notification was the first we heard of a dispersal order, but we were not free to leave at that point,” he said.</p><p data-block-key=\"2g2g4\">The police instructed members of the press to go to the sidewalk, and one officer said that press could leave. Harold, who was carrying his digital camera, explained to multiple officers that he was press, was working independently that day and was also employed by the Union-Tribune and USC. However, he was told repeatedly to wait — even when he was sent by an officer to speak to a supervisor.</p><p data-block-key=\"bpoe3\">“I know from dealing with LAPD in my previous job and from this last year covering these protests that if you’re not legacy media or on assignment for an outlet they’re familiar with, the officers on the ground will not consider you a journalist, even though that’s not a legally viable position for them to take,” he said.</p><p data-block-key=\"82u7b\">A September preliminary injunction <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-struck-with-baton-finger-injured-amid-protests-in-downtown-la/\">barred</a> LAPD officers from interfering with journalists covering protests, including by arresting, detaining or citing them solely for failing to disperse. The <a href=\"https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/LAPC-v.-City-of-LA-Order-Granting-PI-9-11-2025.pdf\">order</a> also states that journalists are not required to wear credentials or work for a major media outlet to be considered press, and that carrying professional gear, such as photographic equipment, should be seen as an indicator they are there as journalists.</p><p data-block-key=\"eiode\">After about an hour in the kettle, Harold was zip-tied and taken to the booking area of LAPD headquarters. As they were processing his citation for failure to disperse, he asked why he wasn’t allowed to leave the kettle when he identified himself as a member of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"6mj4a\">He was then pulled aside and eventually spoke to an officer later identified as Lt. Bruce Coss, a media liaison. Harold again explained that he was a journalist, there to document the protest independently, and described his professional affiliations.</p><p data-block-key=\"9j8qf\">“He’s telling me that I was out there as a journalist, but I wasn’t on assignment for anyone, so he said something to the effect that that puts me in a gray area, as far as they’re concerned. He asked if I understood that. I told him no, I don’t understand that. My full-time living for the last 11 years has been as a journalist in Southern California, and that includes my freelance and independent work,” Harold said.</p><p data-block-key=\"a702l\">“It kind of defeats the purpose of journalism if LAPD gets to regulate who gets to hold them accountable in those situations,” he added.</p><p data-block-key=\"2heo9\">The officers eventually acknowledged that Harold was a member of the press and let him go without a citation for failure to disperse. He said his belongings, including his digital camera and phone, which were confiscated when he was arrested, were returned to him.</p><p data-block-key=\"4sodd\">However, the journalist said that Coss and another officer separately gave him warnings that if he went back out to the federal building, he could get arrested again, and then they would give him a citation.</p><p data-block-key=\"5kloh\">“So on one hand, they’re acknowledging that I’m a journalist and letting me go without a citation, but on the other, they’re saying I won’t have the protections I’m supposed to be entitled to if I go back out there and continue to act as a journalist, which perfectly sums up the arbitrary standards, if not outright disregard, they have for the terms of the federal injunction,” he said.</p><p data-block-key=\"b4hs3\">In a written <a href=\"https://www.lapdonline.org/newsroom/chief-of-police-statement-no-kings-3-0-protest-in-downtown-los-angeles-nr26067mb/\">statement shared April 2</a>, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said that police were responding to acts of violence and vandalism and eventually issued a dispersal order. Anyone identifying as a “duly authorized” member of the media was contacted, verified and separated from those facing arrest for failure to disperse, according to the statement.</p><p data-block-key=\"ve3l\">McDonnell added that any use of force or allegations of mistreatment, including those involving media members, would be investigated and addressed.</p><p data-block-key=\"8nd45\">DHS did not respond to a request for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"bo911\">Several journalists were <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2026-03-28&date_upper=2026-03-28&city=Los+Angeles&categories=Arrest%2FCriminal+Charge\">detained</a> in the kettle that day; some who showed media credentials were allowed to leave, while others who did not have formal credentials were held for longer.</p><p data-block-key=\"9rav\">“It is frustrating that LAPD lacks any coherent policies or procedures to deal with press at these protests,” Harold said. “You pretty much can’t get an LAPD-issued press card unless you’re legacy media who covers them regularly, which means they have no system in place to deal with the much wider array of journalists who come out to cover something as big as a No Kings Day.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Journalists_document_a_protest_ne.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"h98wn\">Journalists document a protest near a federal building in Los Angeles on March 28, 2026. The photographer, independent journalist Luke Harold, was shoved by a federal agent and detained by LA police that day.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "Los Angeles Police Department",
"arrest_status": "detained and released without being processed",
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"chemical irritant",
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{
"title": "Pentagon responds to court ruling with new press access restrictions",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/pentagon-responds-to-court-ruling-with-new-press-access-restrictions/",
"first_published_at": "2026-05-27T17:09:35.803000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-07-22T13:23:37.608609Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-07-22T13:23:37.378248Z",
"date": "2026-03-23",
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"city": "Arlington",
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"41kov\">Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell announced March 23, 2026, that the Defense Department would move journalists from their designated offices in the building into a separate annex and mandate escorts for journalists at the Arlington, Virginia, complex.</p><p data-block-key=\"4ntke\">Parnell, in a statement, <a href=\"https://www.war.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4441831/statement-by-chief-pentagon-spokesman-sean-parnell-on-implementation-of-revised/\">framed</a> the rules as necessary security measures in response to a March 20 court order that declared portions of the department’s press guidelines, implemented last fall, to be unconstitutional.</p><p data-block-key=\"423hc\">The New York Times, in response, sued the department in federal court on May 18, calling the revised rules unconstitutional.</p><p data-block-key=\"6r16q\">In September 2025, the Pentagon <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/pete-hegseth-restricts-journalists-access-inside-pentagon/\">distributed new restrictions</a> mandating that journalists pledge to obtain approval for releasing information gathered there, even if unclassified, and warning that press credentials could be revoked or denied if a journalist “is reasonably determined to pose a security or safety risk.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5p9fd\">Dozens of Defense Department correspondents refused to sign on to the <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/10/15/business/media/pentagon-press-rules.html\">new guidelines</a> and were then forced to surrender their press badges.</p><p data-block-key=\"2e1vd\">In December, The New York Times sued the Defense Department, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Parnell over the guidelines.</p><p data-block-key=\"f4ppe\">In March 2026, U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman <a href=\"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71992017/34/new-york-times-company-v-department-of-defense/\">ruled</a> that portions of the September guidelines under which press credentials could be revoked violated the First and Fifth amendments and could not be enforced. He also mandated that the Pentagon restore press credentials to seven Times journalists.</p><p data-block-key=\"47aho\">Three days after the ruling, Parnell announced that the Defense Department would move journalists from their designated offices in the building into a separate annex and mandate escorts for journalists at the Pentagon, <a href=\"https://www.war.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4441831/statement-by-chief-pentagon-spokesman-sean-parnell-on-implementation-of-revised/\">framing</a> those changes as necessary security measures.</p><p data-block-key=\"5mkip\">Parnell also issued a <a href=\"https://media.defense.gov/2026/Mar/23/2003902148/-1/-1/1/IMPLEMENTATION-OF-REVISED-MEDIA-IN-BRIEF.PDF\">memo</a> to senior Pentagon leadership announcing changes to the wording of the original policy, including a change from prohibiting “solicitation” of information by reporters to “intentional inducement of unauthorized disclosure” of confidential information.</p><p data-block-key=\"1ebd7\">The next day, the Times filed a <a href=\"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71992017/37/new-york-times-company-v-department-of-defense/\">motion</a> to compel the department to comply with the March 20 order, calling the new policy “an attempted end-run around this Court’s ruling” and the Pentagon’s actions “disrespectful to the Court, the Constitution, and the American public.”</p><p data-block-key=\"a6dob\">Friedman agreed, <a href=\"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71992017/54/new-york-times-company-v-department-of-defense/\">granting</a> the motion and ruling that the prohibitions on “intentional inducement of unauthorized disclosure,” the escort requirements and the access restrictions on journalists violated his March 20 order and could not be enforced.</p><p data-block-key=\"79p5d\">The Pentagon immediately <a href=\"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71992017/56/new-york-times-company-v-department-of-defense/\">appealed</a> the ruling and filed an <a href=\"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73177534/01208840070/new-york-times-company-v-dod/\">emergency request</a> with the appeals court to put the portion of the order reinstating journalists’ unescorted access to the Pentagon’s main building on hold.</p><p data-block-key=\"e503b\">On April 27, two members of a three-judge appellate panel <a href=\"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73177534/01208844811/new-york-times-company-v-dod/\">allowed</a> the request. They wrote that the escort requirement hadn’t been included in the original guidelines at the core of the Times’ lawsuit, and therefore, the district court’s March order didn’t address it. Also, they wrote, “the district court did not hold that the escort requirement independently violates the First or Fifth Amendment.”</p><p data-block-key=\"6njq6\">In a dissent, Circuit Judge J. Michelle Childs argued that the revised policy had clearly violated the March order and had “imposed a new access regime.”</p><p data-block-key=\"nmvn\">Rather than reinstate the Times reporters’ credentials as the March order intended, Childs wrote, the revisions had substantially reduced access for all credential holders. “Reporters can hardly verify sources, gather information, or speak candidly with Department personnel with an escort looming over their shoulders,” she wrote.</p><p data-block-key=\"8gv41\">Parnell applauded the majority’s ruling, writing on social media, “Despite what many in the media have told you, the Department’s policy has never been about limiting journalism — it is about safeguarding classified information that protects American lives.”</p><p data-block-key=\"921tj\">The Times then filed <a href=\"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73355736/1/new-york-times-company-v-department-of-defense/\">a new suit</a> in federal court against the Department of Defense, Hegseth, Parnell and department advisor Timothy Parlatore. The outlet’s complaint argued that the revised policy violated both the First and Fifth amendments and asked the court to vacate it.</p><p data-block-key=\"5d19p\">The filing called the revised policy “retaliatory, utterly unreasonable, and manifestly arbitrary and capricious,” and alleged the Pentagon issued it “as a means to thwart a district court order and to punish The Times both for its editorial viewpoint and its successful suit vindicating its constitutional rights.”</p><p data-block-key=\"88ju7\">The Times also requested a <a href=\"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73355736/6/1/new-york-times-company-v-department-of-defense/\">preliminary injunction</a> preventing the Pentagon from enforcing the escort requirement, pointing out that to ask one question of a Pentagon official, credentialed journalists “must obtain an appointment, get an escort, ask their question, and return to the library located in a separate building—only to repeat the process for the next official.”</p><p data-block-key=\"8sn8k\">The Department has thus made sure, the filing argues, “that certain newsworthy information—obtained through unplanned interactions between credentialed journalists and Department officials on Pentagon grounds, or through conversations with multiple press officials in different press offices—will be simply unavailable to The Times and, accordingly, the public.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Defense_Secretary_Pete_Hegseth_at.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"eo01i\">Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at an April 8, 2026, press briefing at the Pentagon, in Arlington, Virginia. The Defense Department instituted new policy guidelines on March 23, 2026, severely curtailing journalists’ access to the building.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"state": {
"name": "Virginia",
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"updates": [
"(2026-06-30 10:31:00+00:00) Judge pauses Pentagon rule requiring media escorts",
"(2026-07-16 09:12:00+00:00) Appeals panel reinstates Pentagon rule requiring media escorts"
],
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"Department of Defense"
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"Federal government: Agency"
],
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],
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"Change in policy or practice"
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},
{
"title": "DOJ withdraws subpoena seeking Washington Post reporter’s testimony",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/doj-withdraws-subpoena-seeking-washington-post-reporters-testimony/",
"first_published_at": "2026-07-02T20:28:22.171148Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-07-02T20:28:22.171148Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-07-02T20:28:22.058250Z",
"date": "2026-03-04",
"exact_date_unknown": true,
"city": "Washington",
"longitude": -77.03637,
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"98vrh\">Ellen Nakashima, a national security reporter for The Washington Post, was subpoenaed by the Department of Justice in spring 2026, ordering her to appear to testify before a grand jury, the newspaper reported.</p><p data-block-key=\"e8tje\">The agency dropped the legal order in June, along with <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2026-03-04&date_upper=2026-03-04&targeted_institutions=The+Wall+Street+Journal\">three others</a> sent to reporters for The Wall Street Journal, after the newspapers objected to them in court.</p><p data-block-key=\"ckbre\">The Journal first <a href=\"https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/trumps-complaints-about-iran-war-leaks-prompt-aggressive-doj-investigations-b5d31c13?st=bxrbXR&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink\">reported</a> in May that it had received subpoenas, noting that they concerned a <a href=\"https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/pentagon-flags-risks-of-a-major-operation-against-iran-1c7e9939?mod=article_inline\">Feb. 23 article</a> about warnings given to President Donald Trump about the risks of a prolonged military campaign against Iran.</p><p data-block-key=\"9g3qg\">The newspaper reported that other subpoenas had been issued to media organizations, as well as email and phone providers, as part of internal leak investigations, but did not provide details.</p><p data-block-key=\"dscl0\">On June 23, the Post <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/06/23/doj-issued-then-withdrew-subpoenas-force-post-wsj-reporters-testify/\">confirmed</a> that not only had one of its journalists — Nakashima — been subpoenaed, but that all four subpoenas had sought testimony before a grand jury and been challenged by the newspapers in sealed proceedings before a federal court for the Eastern District of Virginia.</p><p data-block-key=\"flhre\">Before a judge could issue a ruling, however, the DOJ withdrew the subpoenas.</p><p data-block-key=\"10mi6\">In a <a href=\"https://x.com/WashPostComms/status/2069401888479469947\">statement</a> posted to social media, a Post spokesperson said the government’s request could have jeopardized journalistic independence.</p><p data-block-key=\"ep7q3\">“The unwarranted subpoena of our reporter Ellen Nakashima — a clear violation of constitutionally guaranteed press freedom — was another sign of the government seeking to compel journalists to become instruments of its investigations,” Post spokesperson Olivia Petersen wrote. “We will continue to stand fully behind the journalism of The Washington Post and fight all efforts by any administration that violate our First Amendment rights.”</p><p data-block-key=\"6gefs\">Neither the Journal nor the DOJ responded to requests for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"80k5b\">Shortly after President Donald Trump returned to office, his DOJ <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/pam-bondi-targets-journalists-leakers-as-us-attorney-general/#April%2025\">rescinded</a> Biden-era policies protecting journalists from becoming embroiled in federal leak investigations. In May, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche made clear the department would not hesitate to subpoena members of the press who receive classified information.</p><p data-block-key=\"fbhj8\">“Prosecuting leakers who share our nation’s secrets with reporters, in turn risking our national security and the lives of our soldiers, is a priority for this administration,” Blanche wrote in a May 12 <a href=\"https://x.com/DAGToddBlanche/status/2054197699486908639\">statement on social media</a>. “Any witness, whether a reporter or otherwise, who has information about these criminals should not be surprised if they receive a subpoena about the illegal leaking of classified material.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2026-05-19T144740Z_1278935040_RC2.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"ggsu6\">Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche testifies before a Senate subcommittee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on May 19, 2026.</p>",
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"state": {
"name": "District of Columbia",
"abbreviation": "DC"
},
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],
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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": "2026-03-10T20:59:13.419000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-09-17T19:49:11.108664Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-09-17T19:49:10.811000Z",
"date": "2026-03-04",
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"city": "Nashville",
"longitude": -86.78444,
"latitude": 36.16589,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text 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 complaint against the Department of Homeland Security, ICE and other federal officials, arguing that her detention violated her constitutional rights. Her attorneys 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\">Rodríguez’s attorneys 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 Rodríguez’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": "",
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"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>",
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"name": "Tennessee",
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},
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"(2026-03-19 14:02:00+00:00) Spanish-language reporter freed from ICE facility after Tennessee arrest",
"(2026-09-09 15:38:00+00:00) Spanish-language journalist’s petition over ICE detention dismissed"
],
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"dismissed"
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"Department of Homeland Security",
"ICE detention",
"immigration"
],
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"Other Incident"
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"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",
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"city": "Arlington",
"longitude": -77.10428,
"latitude": 38.88101,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text 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": "",
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"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>",
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"state": {
"name": "Virginia",
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},
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"Media"
],
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"Department of Defense"
],
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"Federal government: Agency"
],
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"Denial of Access"
],
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"Change in policy or practice"
]
},
{
"title": "DOJ subpoenas Wall Street Journal amid internal leak investigation",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/doj-subpoenas-wall-street-journal-amid-internal-leak-investigation/",
"first_published_at": "2026-05-13T20:42:04.759000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-07-29T13:36:55.429818Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-07-29T13:36:55.285002Z",
"date": "2026-03-04",
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"city": "Washington",
"longitude": -77.03637,
"latitude": 38.89511,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"68fe3\">The Department of Justice obtained multiple subpoenas targeting The Wall Street Journal on March 4, 2026, as part of an internal leak investigation following reporting on the Iran war, the newspaper <a href=\"https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/trumps-complaints-about-iran-war-leaks-prompt-aggressive-doj-investigations-b5d31c13?st=bxrbXR&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink\">reported</a> May 11.</p><p data-block-key=\"dhdvp\">According to the Journal, the grand jury subpoenas issued to the news outlet concerned a <a href=\"https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/pentagon-flags-risks-of-a-major-operation-against-iran-1c7e9939?mod=article_inline\">Feb. 23 article</a> about warnings given to President Donald Trump about the risks of a prolonged military campaign against Iran.</p><p data-block-key=\"1uu67\">The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker was unable to verify the number of subpoenas obtained, to whom they were issued and what information each sought.</p><p data-block-key=\"vrgc\">A spokesperson for Dow Jones, which publishes the Journal, said in a statement: “The government’s subpoenas to The Wall Street Journal and our reporters represent an attack on constitutionally protected newsgathering. We will vigorously oppose this effort to stifle and intimidate essential reporting.”</p><p data-block-key=\"ck9cp\">Then-U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/pam-bondi-targets-journalists-leakers-as-us-attorney-general/#April%2025\">rescinded</a> Biden-era policies protecting journalists from becoming embroiled in federal leak investigations in April 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"352tp\">After her removal from that position a year later, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche made clear that the department would not hesitate to subpoena members of the press who receive classified information.</p><p data-block-key=\"8h9h5\">“Prosecuting leakers who share our nation’s secrets with reporters, in turn risking our national security and the lives of our soldiers, is a priority for this administration,” Blanche wrote in a May 12 <a href=\"https://x.com/DAGToddBlanche/status/2054197699486908639\">statement on social media</a>. “Any witness, whether a reporter or otherwise, who has information about these criminals should not be surprised if they receive a subpoena about the illegal leaking of classified material.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"e7ly9\">Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, at left, with FBI Director Kash Patel during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., on April 21, 2026.</p>",
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"state": {
"name": "District of Columbia",
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"updates": [
"(2026-06-23 18:44:00+00:00) DOJ drops subpoena for grand jury testimony by Wall Street Journal reporter"
],
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"tags": [
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],
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"categories": [
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],
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"Unidentified reporter 9 (The Wall Street Journal)"
],
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},
{
"title": "DOJ withdraws subpoena for testimony by Wall Street Journal reporter",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/doj-withdraws-subpoena-for-testimony-by-wall-street-journal-reporter/",
"first_published_at": "2026-07-02T20:57:05.045838Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-07-02T20:57:05.045838Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-07-02T20:57:04.913755Z",
"date": "2026-03-04",
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"city": "Washington",
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"qrkb2\">Three national security reporters at The Wall Street Journal were subpoenaed by the Department of Justice on March 4, 2026, as part of an internal leak investigation following reporting on the Iran war.</p><p data-block-key=\"dkgha\">The agency dropped the <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2026-03-04&date_upper=2026-03-04&targeted_institutions=The+Wall+Street+Journal\">legal orders</a> in June, along with a fourth sent to a <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/doj-withdraws-subpoena-seeking-washington-post-reporters-testimony\">Washington Post reporter</a>, after the newspapers objected to them in court.</p><p data-block-key=\"a2vr4\">The Journal <a href=\"https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/trumps-complaints-about-iran-war-leaks-prompt-aggressive-doj-investigations-b5d31c13?st=bxrbXR&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink\">reported</a> that the grand jury subpoenas issued to the news outlet concerned a <a href=\"https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/pentagon-flags-risks-of-a-major-operation-against-iran-1c7e9939?mod=article_inline\">Feb. 23 article</a> — authored by reporters Shelby Holliday, Lara Seligman and Alexander Ward — about warnings given to President Donald Trump about the risks of a prolonged military campaign against Iran.</p><p data-block-key=\"e011r\">A spokesperson for Dow Jones, which publishes the Journal, said in a May statement: “The government’s subpoenas to The Wall Street Journal and our reporters represent an attack on constitutionally protected newsgathering. We will vigorously oppose this effort to stifle and intimidate essential reporting.”</p><p data-block-key=\"ahlbe\">Shortly after President Donald Trump returned to office, his DOJ <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/pam-bondi-targets-journalists-leakers-as-us-attorney-general/#April%2025\">rescinded</a> Biden-era policies protecting journalists from becoming embroiled in federal leak investigations. In May, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche made clear the department would not hesitate to subpoena members of the press who receive classified information.</p><p data-block-key=\"4mqj7\">“Prosecuting leakers who share our nation’s secrets with reporters, in turn risking our national security and the lives of our soldiers, is a priority for this administration,” Blanche wrote in a May 12 <a href=\"https://x.com/DAGToddBlanche/status/2054197699486908639\">statement on social media</a>. “Any witness, whether a reporter or otherwise, who has information about these criminals should not be surprised if they receive a subpoena about the illegal leaking of classified material.”</p><p data-block-key=\"cbequ\">The Post <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/06/23/doj-issued-then-withdrew-subpoenas-force-post-wsj-reporters-testify/\">reported</a> that all four subpoenas sought testimony before a grand jury. Both newspapers challenged the legal orders in sealed proceedings before a federal court for the Eastern District of Virginia.</p><p data-block-key=\"dt3qf\">Before a judge could issue a ruling, however, the DOJ withdrew the subpoenas.</p><p data-block-key=\"34egr\">Neither the Journal nor the DOJ responded to requests for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"tju4\">In a <a href=\"https://x.com/WashPostComms/status/2069401888479469947\">statement</a> posted to social media, a Post spokesperson said: “The unwarranted subpoena of our reporter Ellen Nakashima — a clear violation of constitutionally guaranteed press freedom — was another sign of the government seeking to compel journalists to become instruments of its investigations.”</p><p data-block-key=\"eprcp\">It added that the newspaper would continue to stand behind its staff and fight any efforts that violate its First Amendment rights.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"3qcdz\">Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche testifies before a Senate subcommittee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on May 19, 2026.</p>",
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],
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],
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],
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},
{
"title": "DOJ withdraws subpoena seeking Wall Street Journal reporter’s testimony",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/doj-withdraws-subpoena-seeking-wall-street-journal-reporters-testimony/",
"first_published_at": "2026-07-02T21:13:41.480740Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-07-02T21:13:41.480740Z",
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"date": "2026-03-04",
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"city": "Washington",
"longitude": -77.03637,
"latitude": 38.89511,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"3r09l\">Three national security reporters at The Wall Street Journal were subpoenaed by the Department of Justice on March 4, 2026, as part of an internal leak investigation following reporting on the Iran war.</p><p data-block-key=\"8ql3g\">The agency dropped the <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2026-03-04&date_upper=2026-03-04&targeted_institutions=The+Wall+Street+Journal\">legal orders</a> in June, along with a fourth sent to a <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/doj-withdraws-subpoena-seeking-washington-post-reporters-testimony\">Washington Post reporter</a>, after the newspapers objected to them in court.</p><p data-block-key=\"2h8c\">The Journal <a href=\"https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/trumps-complaints-about-iran-war-leaks-prompt-aggressive-doj-investigations-b5d31c13?st=bxrbXR&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink\">reported</a> that the grand jury subpoenas issued to the news outlet concerned a <a href=\"https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/pentagon-flags-risks-of-a-major-operation-against-iran-1c7e9939?mod=article_inline\">Feb. 23 article</a> — authored by reporters Shelby Holliday, Lara Seligman and Alexander Ward — about warnings given to President Donald Trump about the risks of a prolonged military campaign against Iran.</p><p data-block-key=\"407dq\">A spokesperson for Dow Jones, which publishes the Journal, said in a May statement: “The government’s subpoenas to The Wall Street Journal and our reporters represent an attack on constitutionally protected newsgathering. We will vigorously oppose this effort to stifle and intimidate essential reporting.”</p><p data-block-key=\"8rs0c\">Shortly after President Donald Trump returned to office, his DOJ <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/pam-bondi-targets-journalists-leakers-as-us-attorney-general/#April%2025\">rescinded</a> Biden-era policies protecting journalists from becoming embroiled in federal leak investigations. In May, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche made clear the department would not hesitate to subpoena members of the press who receive classified information.</p><p data-block-key=\"f71nd\">“Prosecuting leakers who share our nation’s secrets with reporters, in turn risking our national security and the lives of our soldiers, is a priority for this administration,” Blanche wrote in a May 12 <a href=\"https://x.com/DAGToddBlanche/status/2054197699486908639\">statement on social media</a>. “Any witness, whether a reporter or otherwise, who has information about these criminals should not be surprised if they receive a subpoena about the illegal leaking of classified material.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4gv66\">The Post <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/06/23/doj-issued-then-withdrew-subpoenas-force-post-wsj-reporters-testify/\">reported</a> that all four subpoenas sought testimony before a grand jury. Both newspapers challenged the legal orders in sealed proceedings before a federal court for the Eastern District of Virginia.</p><p data-block-key=\"76dpa\">Before a judge could issue a ruling, however, the DOJ withdrew the subpoenas.</p><p data-block-key=\"1ur0u\">Neither the Journal nor the DOJ responded to requests for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"cbl1a\">In a <a href=\"https://x.com/WashPostComms/status/2069401888479469947\">statement</a> posted to social media, a Post spokesperson said: “The unwarranted subpoena of our reporter Ellen Nakashima — a clear violation of constitutionally guaranteed press freedom — was another sign of the government seeking to compel journalists to become instruments of its investigations.”</p><p data-block-key=\"bqbb3\">It added that the newspaper would continue to stand behind its staff and fight any efforts that violate its First Amendment rights.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"ul24c\">Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche testifies before a Senate subcommittee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on May 19, 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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"denial_of_entry": false,
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"was_journalist_targeted": null,
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": "Federal",
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
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"state": {
"name": "District of Columbia",
"abbreviation": "DC"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"Department of Justice"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Subpoena/Legal Order"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Unidentified reporter 10 (The Wall Street Journal)"
],
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},
{
"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=\"w-block-rich_text 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",
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"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,
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"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
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"denial_of_entry": false,
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"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "no",
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"links": [],
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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)"
],
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},
{
"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=\"w-block-rich_text 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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"was_journalist_targeted": null,
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
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"name_of_business": 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"
}
],
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"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": "TV photographer nearly hit by car after Pennsylvania court hearing",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/tv-photographer-nearly-hit-by-car-after-pennsylvania-court-hearing/",
"first_published_at": "2026-03-26T20:32:54.741625Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-03-26T20:45:39.510048Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-03-26T20:45:39.377689Z",
"date": "2026-02-18",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Cheswick",
"longitude": -79.79922,
"latitude": 40.54173,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"5xecl\">David Clark, a photographer for TV station WPXI, was nearly run over by a car outside a court building in Cheswick, Pennsylvania, on Feb. 18, 2026. The station identified the driver as the father of the defendant whose case he was covering.</p><p data-block-key=\"fb6qh\">After the hearing in the Pittsburgh suburb, Clark and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/tv-reporter-nearly-hit-by-car-after-pennsylvania-court-hearing/\">reporter Gabriella DeLuca</a> were questioning Sean Dicer, a former teacher accused of sexually assaulting students, <a href=\"https://triblive.com/local/valley-news-dispatch/father-of-sean-dicer-charged-with-trying-to-assault-tv-news-crew/\">according to the Tribune-Review</a>, which identified Clark. </p><p data-block-key=\"6er7f\">Video <a href=\"https://www.wpxi.com/video/victim-testifies-during-court-hearing-former-teacher-accused-sexually-abusing-students/7a30afd9-a319-4886-8037-669ca17e8f43/\">published by the station</a> shows Dicer and his father, Harold Dicer, getting into a white car and backing out of a parking space before accelerating toward the news crew.</p><p data-block-key=\"6gil\">“Are you going to run me over?” Clark can be heard saying.</p><p data-block-key=\"6287g\">In DeLuca’s news report, she said Sean Dicer avoided the camera and questions, but his father did not.</p><p data-block-key=\"e4td2\">“He shouted explicit language toward our crew, and at one point accelerated his car, coming inches away from hitting us,” she said.</p><p data-block-key=\"b56mc\">Harold Dicer is charged with simple assault, harassment and disorderly conduct, <a href=\"https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/Report/MdjDocketSheet?docketNumber=MJ-05304-CR-0000035-2026&dnh=oNCkjJtVOvgp8be8x%2FZfOQ%3D%3D\">court records show</a>. A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for April 22.</p><p data-block-key=\"9nhhb\">Clark did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Screenshot_2026-03-25_at_2.20.16P.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"qredj\">The car that advanced toward WPXI TV photographer David Clark and reporter Gabriella DeLuca while they were covering a court hearing in Cheswick, Pennsylvania, on Feb. 18, 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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"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
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"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": null,
"did_authorities_ask_about_work": null,
"assailant": "private individual",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
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"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
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"state": {
"name": "Pennsylvania",
"abbreviation": "PA"
},
"updates": [],
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"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"David Clark (WPXI)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "TV reporter nearly hit by car after Pennsylvania court hearing",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/tv-reporter-nearly-hit-by-car-after-pennsylvania-court-hearing/",
"first_published_at": "2026-03-26T20:32:42.580088Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-03-26T20:45:56.277670Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-03-26T20:45:56.175987Z",
"date": "2026-02-18",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Cheswick",
"longitude": -79.79922,
"latitude": 40.54173,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"46yxd\">Gabriella DeLuca, a reporter for TV station WPXI, was nearly run over by a car outside a court building in Cheswick, Pennsylvania, on Feb. 18, 2026. The station identified the driver as the father of the defendant whose case she was covering.</p><p data-block-key=\"8pb39\">After the hearing in the Pittsburgh suburb, DeLuca and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/tv-photographer-nearly-hit-by-car-after-pennsylvania-court-hearing/\">photographer David Clark</a> questioned Sean Dicer, a former teacher accused of sexually assaulting students, <a href=\"https://triblive.com/local/valley-news-dispatch/father-of-sean-dicer-charged-with-trying-to-assault-tv-news-crew/\">according to the Tribune-Review</a>, which identified Clark. </p><p data-block-key=\"emphh\">Video <a href=\"https://www.wpxi.com/video/victim-testifies-during-court-hearing-former-teacher-accused-sexually-abusing-students/7a30afd9-a319-4886-8037-669ca17e8f43/\">published by the station</a> shows Dicer and his father, Harold Dicer, getting into a white car and backing out of a parking space before accelerating toward the news crew.</p><p data-block-key=\"bfno\">“Are you going to run me over?” Clark can be heard saying.</p><p data-block-key=\"chvqa\">In DeLuca’s news report, she said Sean Dicer avoided the camera and questions, but his father did not.</p><p data-block-key=\"64fdi\">“He shouted explicit language toward our crew, and at one point accelerated his car, coming inches away from hitting us,” she said.</p><p data-block-key=\"8pm4v\">Harold Dicer is charged with simple assault, harassment and disorderly conduct, <a href=\"https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/Report/MdjDocketSheet?docketNumber=MJ-05304-CR-0000035-2026&dnh=oNCkjJtVOvgp8be8x%2FZfOQ%3D%3D\">court records show</a>. A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for April 22.</p><p data-block-key=\"1pr03\">DeLuca did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"scu76\">WPXI journalist Gabriella DeLuca, reporting after a man allegedly tried to run her and a photographer over while covering a court hearing in Cheswick, Pennsylvania, on Feb. 18, 2026.</p>",
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"border_point": null,
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"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
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"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,
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"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
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"state": {
"name": "Pennsylvania",
"abbreviation": "PA"
},
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"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [],
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"categories": [
"Assault"
],
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"Gabriella DeLuca (WPXI)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Texas high school reporters have protest pictures deleted by principal",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/texas-high-school-reporters-have-protest-pictures-deleted-by-principal/",
"first_published_at": "2026-08-27T20:32:28.539246Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-09-16T19:21:20.836107Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-09-16T19:21:20.700792Z",
"date": "2026-02-12",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Mansfield",
"longitude": -97.14168,
"latitude": 32.56319,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"4cs1q\">Protest photos taken by two high school yearbook reporters in Mansfield, Texas, were deleted by school administrators on Feb. 12, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"bf0pt\">That day, about 60 students from Mansfield High School, located in a Dallas-Fort Worth suburb, walked out to protest the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the <a href=\"https://fortworthreport.org/2026/02/13/students-in-arlington-mansfield-walk-out-to-protest-ice/\">Arlington Report</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"3475b\">The walkout was part of a wave of such demonstrations across schools in the United States following the <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/key-legislators-seek-doj-records-on-alex-pretti-and-renee-good-killings-by-next-week/\">killing</a> of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, according to media <a href=\"https://abcnews.com/US/anti-ice-protests-place-nationwide-fatal-shootings-minneapolis/story?id=129670048\">reports</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"32ten\">Students Soriyah Jennane and Lacey Hughlett were there to take pictures for the yearbook when Principal Kourtney Gates approached them and asked them to hand over their cameras, according to the <a href=\"https://splc.org/2026/06/deleted-photos-silenced-voices-ice-walkouts-most-censored-story-of-the-year/\">Student Press Law Center</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"enocu\">The students told the SPLC that they weren’t expecting the confrontation.</p><p data-block-key=\"eessb\">“I kind of laughed a little bit when she was starting, because I was like, ‘Is she joking? I don’t understand,’” Jennane said.</p><p data-block-key=\"7fbg7\">When they realized Gates was serious, the students attempted to remove the memory cards from the cameras. The students confirmed to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker through SPLC Staff Attorney Jonathan Gaston-Falk that while the cameras were school property, the memory cards belonged to them.</p><p data-block-key=\"evopp\">However, the principal ordered them to hand those over as well.</p><p data-block-key=\"ctq2c\">“We wanted to keep the pictures, and she’s like, ‘Nah, not any of that crap, don’t do any of that, give me the film right now,’” Hughlett told the SPLC.</p><p data-block-key=\"cdhkn\">When Hughlett and Jennane’s equipment was returned to them, they realized their pictures had been deleted.</p><p data-block-key=\"4ij8l\">After contacting the SPLC for legal help, a Texas-based pro bono attorney sent a June 2 letter to the school requesting an apology, but the students never heard back.</p><p data-block-key=\"beuaj\">The students told the Tracker through Gaston-Falk, “Mrs. Gates did respond to our email, but not with the apology we requested or any acknowledgment that her actions were wrong. She never responded to the letter that was sent by the lawyer, at least not to our knowledge.”</p><p data-block-key=\"2anb4\">Gates did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"i9l2g\">A student-led anti-deportation protest in Austin, Texas, on Feb. 16, 2026. Two high school students were photographing a similar protest for their yearbook in Mansfield, Texas, four days earlier when the school’s principal confiscated their equipment.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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{
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],
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"abbreviation": "TX"
},
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"tags": [
"immigration",
"protest",
"student journalism"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Equipment Damage"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Lacey Hughlett (Mansfield [Texas] High School Yearbook)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Texas high school photographers have protest pictures deleted by principal",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/texas-high-school-photographers-have-protest-pictures-deleted-by-principal/",
"first_published_at": "2026-08-27T20:37:07.036212Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-09-16T19:21:31.723249Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-09-16T19:21:31.574716Z",
"date": "2026-02-12",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Mansfield",
"longitude": -97.14168,
"latitude": 32.56319,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"al8ha\">Protest photos taken by two high school yearbook reporters in Mansfield, Texas, were deleted by school administrators on Feb. 12, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"7qfov\">That day, about 60 students from Mansfield High School, located in a Dallas-Fort Worth suburb, walked out to protest the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the <a href=\"https://fortworthreport.org/2026/02/13/students-in-arlington-mansfield-walk-out-to-protest-ice/\">Arlington Report</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"1kefk\">The walkout was part of a wave of such demonstrations across schools in the United States following the <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/key-legislators-seek-doj-records-on-alex-pretti-and-renee-good-killings-by-next-week/\">killing</a> of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, according to media <a href=\"https://abcnews.com/US/anti-ice-protests-place-nationwide-fatal-shootings-minneapolis/story?id=129670048\">reports</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"4acfd\">Students Soriyah Jennane and Lacey Hughlett were there to take pictures for the yearbook when Principal Kourtney Gates approached them and asked them to hand over their cameras, according to the <a href=\"https://splc.org/2026/06/deleted-photos-silenced-voices-ice-walkouts-most-censored-story-of-the-year/\">Student Press Law Center</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"5e0m7\">The students told the SPLC that they weren’t expecting the confrontation.</p><p data-block-key=\"cunqc\">“I kind of laughed a little bit when she was starting, because I was like, ‘Is she joking? I don’t understand,’” Jennane said.</p><p data-block-key=\"7f0ji\">When they realized Gates was serious, the students attempted to remove the memory cards from the cameras. The students confirmed to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker through SPLC Staff Attorney Jonathan Gaston-Falk that while the cameras were school property, the memory cards belonged to them.</p><p data-block-key=\"328v0\">However, the principal ordered them to hand those over as well.</p><p data-block-key=\"aeu1r\">“We wanted to keep the pictures, and she’s like, ‘Nah, not any of that crap, don’t do any of that, give me the film right now,’” Hughlett told the SPLC.</p><p data-block-key=\"emj0e\">When Hughlett and Jennane’s equipment was returned to them, they realized their pictures had been deleted.</p><p data-block-key=\"9sfrb\">After contacting the SPLC for legal help, a Texas-based pro bono attorney sent a June 2 letter to the school requesting an apology, but the students never heard back.</p><p data-block-key=\"akhvr\">The students told the Tracker through Gaston-Falk, “Mrs. Gates did respond to our email, but not with the apology we requested or any acknowledgment that her actions were wrong. She never responded to the letter that was sent by the lawyer, at least not to our knowledge.”</p><p data-block-key=\"abomm\">Gates did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"0l7sr\">A student-led anti-deportation protest in Austin, Texas, on Feb. 16, 2026. Two high school students were photographing a similar protest for their yearbook in Mansfield, Texas, four days earlier when the school’s principal confiscated their equipment.</p>",
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{
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},
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"immigration",
"protest",
"student journalism"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Equipment Damage"
],
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"Soriyah Jennane (Mansfield [Texas] High School Yearbook)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Interior Department orders park service to cut off SFGate after critical coverage",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/interior-department-orders-park-service-to-cut-off-sfgate-after-critical-coverage/",
"first_published_at": "2026-03-24T20:54:48.976275Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-03-24T20:54:48.976275Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-03-24T20:54:48.882497Z",
"date": "2026-02-10",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "San Francisco",
"longitude": -122.41942,
"latitude": 37.77493,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"y3d4x\">National Park Service public affairs employees were instructed not to respond to inquiries from SFGate after the San Francisco, California, outlet published a Feb. 10, 2026, article critical of new park service media rules, it reported.</p><p data-block-key=\"7cbb7\">In a March 18 <a href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/national-parks/article/interior-blacklist-sfgate-national-parks-22082140.php\">article</a>, SFGate detailed how the online news site’s national parks bureau had sent “dozens of inquiries” to the National Park Service for stories over the previous month, but did not receive any responses.</p><p data-block-key=\"b2ukq\">Citing internal department communications that the outlet reviewed, as well as interviews with “multiple insiders” who were granted anonymity for fear of losing their jobs, SFGate reported that it was “blacklisted” by the public affairs office at the Department of the Interior, which oversees the park service, after publication of the Feb. 10 <a href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/national-parks/article/national-parks-sweeping-changes-21345348.php\">article</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"aovst\">The piece detailed a new approval process for park exhibits and other public-facing content, as well as limits on how the park service may interact with the media and the public. The process is designed to help the service align with a Trump administration <a href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/restoring-truth-and-sanity-to-american-history/\">executive order</a> that critics in the report characterized as “part of a broad attempt to control the nation’s narratives.”</p><p data-block-key=\"a4ha9\">The Feb. 10 article, quoting park service insiders and nonprofit leaders, described how “confusion over the new policies is rampant, a culture of fear is pervasive, and ignored or denied media requests have become commonplace.”</p><p data-block-key=\"c2fsu\">SFGate <a href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/national-parks/article/interior-blacklist-sfgate-national-parks-22082140.php\">reported</a> that in the wake of that article, a park service employee told the outlet that they had been instructed not to respond to any of its inquiries — while continuing to respond to other outlets about the same topics.</p><p data-block-key=\"5i6h\">SFGate quoted a park service communications employee as saying, “On a national level, you guys are the only ones I’ve ever heard of getting blacklisted.”</p><p data-block-key=\"dgckc\">In an emailed statement for the March 18 article, Interior Department Communications Director Katie Martin told SFGate that the outlet “has distorted the facts and has caused confusion with their reporting with the mainstream media. This has caused the Department to spend countless hours correcting their false narrative with other media outlets.”</p><p data-block-key=\"321t2\">Martin also challenged the assertion that the outlet had been shut out in the wake of the Feb. 10 story, noting that a contributor received an email from the department Feb. 12 in response to a question about how to attribute a statement about an executive order by President Donald Trump. “Once again, SFGate is choosing their own narrative regardless of the facts,” Martin wrote.</p><p data-block-key=\"cvau6\">However, SFGate noted, “Apart from that email, another reiterating a similar statement about Trump’s order and the ones sent in response to inquiries for this story, the Department of the Interior hasn’t responded to any media request.” It added that the National Park Service had not responded to a single inquiry in that time period.</p><p data-block-key=\"ce001\">SFGate reported that in the week the Feb. 10 article was published, spokespeople for the park service said they started receiving verbal instructions from Elizabeth Peace, an Interior Department senior public affairs specialist, to ignore the outlet. And then in early March, department officials gave instructions, through internal communications that the outlet reviewed, to ignore SFGate journalists.</p><p data-block-key=\"d6u43\">SFGate noted that it had several Freedom of Information Act requests pending with the Interior Department, and that it expected a response to those, as required by law.</p><p data-block-key=\"7pm95\">“In the meantime, we’ll file more requests and continue connecting with our large network of sources inside and outside the Park Service. We’ll keep producing hard-hitting journalism that holds the Trump administration accountable for its handling of the public’s most beloved federal agency — and do more stories like the one that apparently triggered this ban,” SFGate Editor-in-Chief Grant Marek told the outlet.</p><p data-block-key=\"f9ghc\">The Interior Department, National Park Service and SFGate did not respond to requests for comment from the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/AP23221782875627.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"rdei4\">Interior Department headquarters in Washington, D.C. The agency directed National Park Service employees to stop responding to inquiries from SFGate after the San Francisco-based outlet published a Feb. 10, 2026, story critical of Interior policies.</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,
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"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
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"assailant": null,
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"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
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"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
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"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [
"SFGate"
],
"tags": [],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [
"Federal government: Agency"
],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Denial of Access"
],
"targeted_journalists": [],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
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},
{
"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": "2026-02-26T19:37:02.463000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-08-05T15:02:18.763214Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-08-05T15:02:15.490128Z",
"date": "2026-02-09",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Columbus",
"longitude": -82.99879,
"latitude": 39.96118,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text 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=\"w-block-tweet 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=\"w-block-rich_text 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": "2:26-cv-00908",
"case_type": "CIVIL",
"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,
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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": [
"(2026-07-20 11:38:00+00:00) Ohio man sentenced to 2 years of probation in attack on filmmaker",
"(2026-07-29 10:13:00+00:00) Filmmaker seeks damages from Ohio professors in federal suit"
],
"case_statuses": [
"ongoing"
],
"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": "Journalist jostled, pushed down at Minnesota immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-jostled-pushed-down-at-minnesota-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-08-03T21:20:01.606704Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-08-03T21:20:01.606704Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-08-03T21:19:57.709569Z",
"date": "2026-02-07",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Fort Snelling",
"longitude": null,
"latitude": null,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ovhti\">Independent journalist Aaron Johnson was thrown to the ground by sheriff’s deputies while he documented an immigration protest outside a federal building in Fort Snelling, Minnesota, on Feb. 7, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"7s0mf\">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 <a href=\"https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/05/29/ice-agent-charged-shooting-wounding-man-minneapolis-arrested-texas\">wounded</a> a man in separate incidents.</p><p data-block-key=\"6o04i\">Johnson, who publishes his reporting on social media and contributes video with nonprofit newsroom Unicorn Riot, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was wearing a bulletproof vest identifying him as press. He said he repeatedly yelled, “I’m press, I’m press,” after Hennepin County sheriff’s deputies forced protesters into a police kettle.</p><p data-block-key=\"bgkbc\">Deputies initially backed away after hearing Johnson identify himself, but the situation escalated moments later. The journalist told the Tracker he heard an officer yell for someone to get off the fence when deputies started advancing on the crowd.</p><p data-block-key=\"et5mb\">“It felt like I was in a mosh pit,” he said. “I got thrashed around by the sheriffs.”</p><p data-block-key=\"svvu\">As the crowd compressed onto a sidewalk, deputies began grabbing people indiscriminately, Johnson said. He was jostled, thrown to the ground and separated from his camera before others pulled him to safety. Although the camera was undamaged, the fall aggravated his neck.</p><p data-block-key=\"402dd\">The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office has not responded to requests for comment about its use of force against the press.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/AP26038810170625.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"tuklk\">A Hennepin County sheriff’s deputy at a protest outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Fort Snelling, Minnesota, on Feb. 7, 2026. Independent journalist Aaron Johnson was thrown to the ground while documenting the demonstration.</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": "unknown",
"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": [],
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"state": {
"name": "Minnesota",
"abbreviation": "MN"
},
"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": [
"Aaron Johnson (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=\"w-block-rich_text 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": [],
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"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=\"w-block-rich_text 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": [],
"equipment_broken": [],
"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": "2026-05-08T20:58:27.321744Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-05-08T20:58:27.245384Z",
"date": "2026-02-04",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Washington",
"longitude": -77.03637,
"latitude": 38.89511,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"4mrrp\">As the second year of President Donald Trump’s second term began, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem continued taking steps to intimidate leakers and news outlets that covered Trump and his administration unfavorably. We documented her efforts in 2026 in this 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=\"w-block-raw_html 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=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"4mrrp\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"6csno\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><a id=\"Feb 4\" name=\"Feb 4\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text 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=\"w-block-raw_html 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,
"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": [],
"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=\"w-block-rich_text 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=\"w-block-tweet 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>",
"introduction": "",
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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": "Congressman Lloyd Smucker targets press",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/congressman-lloyd-smucker-targets-press/",
"first_published_at": "2026-05-13T15:18:34.480709Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-05-13T15:18:34.480709Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-05-13T15:18:34.310201Z",
"date": "2026-02-02",
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"hk6vh\">As President Donald Trump’s second term continued in 2026, his allies in Congress, including Rep. Lloyd Smucker from Pennsylvania, took steps to punish and intimidate news outlets that have covered them critically. We’re documenting Smucker’s efforts in 2026 in this regularly updated report.</p><p data-block-key=\"5fe4j\">Read 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=\"5hvsa\"><i>This article was first published on May 12, 2026.</i></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><p><a id=\"top\" name=\"top\"></a></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"hk6vh\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"2cqog\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#Feb 2\">Feb. 2, 2026 | Smucker sues outlet in his district for defamation</a></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"hk6vh\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"7mbh9\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><a id=\"Feb 2\" name=\"Feb 2\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"hk6vh\"><b>Feb. 2, 2026 | Smucker sues outlet in his district for defamation</b></p><p data-block-key=\"5usuj\">Rep. Lloyd Smucker sued LNP | LancasterOnline, a Pennsylvania-based news outlet in his district, on Feb. 2, 2026, claiming it defamed him in an editorial by writing that he had lied to his constituents about a policy debate over healthcare spending.</p><p data-block-key=\"3jgab\">In October 2025, Smucker sent out a newsletter about <a href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/19/politics/government-funding-bill-shutdown-house-senate\">ongoing budget negotiations</a> in advance of a possible government shutdown, writing, “Liberals demanded taxpayer-funded free healthcare for illegal immigrants.”</p><p data-block-key=\"6p3vs\">The next day, reporters at LNP | LancasterOnline published an <a href=\"https://lancasteronline.com/news/poli4cs/a-closer-look-at-gop-s-health-care-argument-over-%20federal-government-shutdown/ar4cle_36ee6612-740f-4756-9fef-e1a44ac5b7ea.html\">article</a> examining Smucker’s claim, concluding that it was an exaggeration, but that “the complex nature of the Medicaid program and the multiple ways the federal government provides funding to health care providers make it almost certain that some money would indirectly cover the costs of caring for non-citizens who are here illegally.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1c1rj\">The outlet then published an <a href=\"https://lancasteronline.com/opinion/editorials/us-rep-smucker-and-other-republicans-are-lying-about-shutdown-and-democrats-health-care-aims/article_bb0a7829-5746-4ffa-8444-da588733ef1e.html\">editorial</a> critical of Smucker for making the claim about liberals’ argument and fact-checking it further, saying, “Congressman Smucker is lying to his constituents about the health care battle being fought by Democrats.”</p><p data-block-key=\"fdvij\">Two days later, Smucker <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/RepSmucker/posts/pfbid0oMeNJBUioESzt3eGsy3YPZWyrDfuboGG9K3TLmniXwkAATiXa75vVawPJBj3Jwc6l\">called</a> that statement “defamatory” and posted a letter from his attorney to the outlet’s publisher, LNP Media Group, demanding an apology and a retraction within the week. The outlet did not comply.</p><p data-block-key=\"fsp0v\">In February, Smucker sued LNP in a Lancaster County trial court, demanding more than $250,000 in damages. His attorneys argued that because LNP’s reporters had conceded that some federal money would indirectly pay for noncitizens’ healthcare, the editorial’s authors knew that Smucker had not lied, and that their accusation was false.</p><p data-block-key=\"1j8hk\">In response, Tom Murse, LNP | LancasterOnline executive editor, <a href=\"https://www.abc27.com/local-news/smucker-files-defamation-lawsuit-against-lnp-lancaster-online/\">told</a> Harrisburg broadcaster WHTM-TV: “The Oct. 8, 2025 editorial expressed an opinion on a matter of public concern, which is the purpose of editorials. Under the First Amendment, expressing opinions—including characterizing one side’s positions as false—is protected speech and does not constitute defamation.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html 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/Rep._Lloyd_Smucker_Republican_of_.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"8itjj\">Rep. Lloyd Smucker, Republican of Pennsylvania, on Capitol Hill in May 2025.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
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"state": {
"name": "District of Columbia",
"abbreviation": "DC"
},
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"targeted_institutions": [
"LNP | LancasterOnline"
],
"tags": [],
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"categories": [
"Chilling Statement"
],
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}
]
