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{
"title": "State police pull photographer from news car during New Jersey protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/state-police-pull-photographer-from-news-car-during-new-jersey-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-03T13:13:37.531000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-03T13:23:39.625255Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-03T13:23:39.502730Z",
"date": "2026-05-29",
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"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"r3qi2\">A photojournalist for WNBC TV was pulled out of a news vehicle by New Jersey State Police while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 29, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"2g4up\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"3tpd6\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/delaney-hall-ice-protests-dhs-restores-family-visitation/\">state</a> <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/newark-sets-curfew-around-ice-jail-after-more-clashes-between-cops-and-protesters\">police</a> in the days that followed. The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"9jrba\">In a video <a href=\"https://www.nbcnewyork.com/new-jersey/delaney-hall-protest-news-crew-tear-gas/6507083/\">report</a> from the scene, WNBC reporter Checkey Beckford said that at around 10 p.m., state police in riot gear started moving in to push the crowd back, eventually deploying a chemical irritant.</p><p data-block-key=\"7i9ba\">Beckford and two photojournalists — both of whom were wearing press credentials — were sitting in their news vehicle, with the WNBC placard in the window.</p><p data-block-key=\"4dan5\">“We thought we were in a safe area. We moved away from the main protest area and thought we would be fine. And then when state police started moving in, in riot gear, we thought we would stay in the vehicle because we didn’t want to deal with tear gas,” Beckford reported.</p><p data-block-key=\"9nqed\">Beckford said that troopers “pulled one of the photojournalists in my car out and ordered myself and another photojournalist to get out of the car. We did that, started running, we were in the middle of tear gas.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5a2d4\">She added, “We had masks on, but they didn’t really do much to help us, and so we ran through tear gas and continued running until we were able to get out of it.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-video block-video\">\n\n<figure class=\"inline-media full-width\">\n <div style=\"padding-bottom: 56.49999999999999%;\" class=\"responsive-object\">\n <iframe width=\"200\" height=\"113\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/NEBtWpnLxt4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen title=\"WNBC crew removed from news car as law enforcement tear gases Delaney Hall protesters | NBC New York\"></iframe>\n</div>\n\n \n <figcaption class=\"inline-media__caption\">\n \n \n <p>NBC New York/YouTube</p>\n \n </figcaption>\n \n</figure>\n</div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"r3qi2\">The New Jersey State Police Office of Public Information did not respond to an emailed request for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"3pm15\">In a <a href=\"https://x.com/NewJerseyOAG/status/2060579670639149195?s=20\">statement posted to X early May 30</a>, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport wrote that state police were clearing the area outside Delaney Hall because a small number of people were blocking the pathway for law enforcement vehicles. It did not address the use of force against members of the press.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"txcgc\">WNBC’s Checkey Beckford reports from an immigration protest in Newark, New Jersey, on May 29, 2026. That night, state police pulled a photojournalist from her team out of a news car and forced the three-person crew to run through tear gas.</p>",
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"state": {
"name": "New Jersey",
"abbreviation": "NJ"
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"tags": [
"chemical irritant",
"immigration",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Unidentified photojournalist 47 (WNBC)"
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},
{
"title": "Photojournalist injured by crowd-control munition at New Jersey protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-injured-by-crowd-control-munition-at-new-jersey-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-02T18:01:44.694034Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-02T18:01:44.694034Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-02T18:01:44.557618Z",
"date": "2026-05-29",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"dusx8\">Photojournalist David “Dee” Delgado was shoved by state police and targeted with crowd-control munitions, one of which burned his hand, while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 29, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"4a7c2\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"20u3h\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/delaney-hall-ice-protests-dhs-restores-family-visitation/\">state</a> <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/newark-sets-curfew-around-ice-jail-after-more-clashes-between-cops-and-protesters\">police</a> in the days that followed. The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"efr7i\">Delgado told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that after dark on May 29, it became clear that New Jersey State Police had taken the lead in responding to the protest. Officers began pushing back demonstrators, as well as Delgado and other media, deploying tear gas and patrolling on horseback.</p><p data-block-key=\"1hk9u\">“Things escalated pretty fast,” he said. “I could tell they were not happy we were there, and they were just trying to make it difficult for the press.”</p><p data-block-key=\"2mkg0\">At one point, Delgado and a colleague were standing on the sidelines when an officer threw a flash-bang device at them. It exploded between them, he said. As they were pulling back, another officer made eye contact with Delgado and then shot a smoke grenade at his left hand.</p><p data-block-key=\"85pe\">“That was, without a doubt, intentional,” Delgado said.</p><p data-block-key=\"52cb7\">Delgado drove himself to the emergency room, where he was treated for minor burns on three fingers and more serious second-degree burns on two others. Delgado said he’s still working, but the blisters from the burns on his pointer and middle finger make it harder.</p><p data-block-key=\"9lhmf\">In the <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2026-05-26&date_upper=2026-05-28&targeted_journalists=David+%22Dee%22+Delgado\">days leading up to the May 29 protest</a>, Delgado was also pepper-sprayed and shoved by ICE officers.</p><p data-block-key=\"4hrvn\">The state police did not return a request for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"bdbc7\">In a <a href=\"https://x.com/NewJerseyOAG/status/2060579670639149195?s=20\">statement posted to X that night</a>, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport wrote that state police were clearing the area outside Delaney Hall because a small number of people were blocking the pathway for law enforcement vehicles. It did not address the use of force against members of the press.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"344gj\">A state police officer fires a pepper ball during an immigration protest in Newark, New Jersey, on May 29, 2026. Photojournalist David “Dee” Delgado was struck with a crowd-control munition while documenting the protest, injuring his hand.</p>",
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"name": "New Jersey",
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"protest",
"shot / shot at"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"David \"Dee\" Delgado (Reuters)"
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{
"title": "Photographer requires stitches after baton strike at New Jersey protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-requires-stitches-after-baton-strike-at-new-jersey-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-03T16:19:41.425803Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-03T16:19:41.425803Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-03T16:19:41.317758Z",
"date": "2026-05-28",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"eovj1\">Photojournalist Ryan Murphy required stitches after a federal officer hit his hand with a baton, slicing open his finger, while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"br3t7\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility. </p><p data-block-key=\"ilhh\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests. The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"d8csb\">Murphy told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker he was photographing clashes between ICE officers and protesters when he turned away to capture an image of a demonstrator being pepper-sprayed in the face.</p><p data-block-key=\"6oc9a\">“Out of nowhere, I was just hit with a baton in my left hand,” Murphy said. “I can say I was clearly identified as press, and I’m pretty sure that he saw that and knew that.” </p><p data-block-key=\"636et\">Murphy, who was on assignment for Reuters, said the baton struck him on the hand holding his camera flash, sending the equipment roughly 20 feet across the street. Although the flash sustained only cosmetic damage, Murphy realized his hand had taken the brunt of the blow. Blood rushed down his arm, and his middle finger suffered a deep cut. Colleagues provided Murphy with first aid before he drove himself to the hospital, where he received several stitches. </p><p data-block-key=\"ennpf\">Earlier in the day, Murphy said an ICE agent kicked his flash while it was on the ground. He also recalled being struck on the back of his elbow, though he was unsure what caused the impact, and said an officer pointed a stun gun at him. </p><p data-block-key=\"e8m\">The injury has made it difficult for Murphy to continue working. </p><p data-block-key=\"a8234\">“My hand is not very useful at the moment,” he said. The <a href=\"/all-incidents/photojournalist-hit-with-baton-doused-with-irritant-at-new-jersey-protest/\">day before</a>, he was also hit with a baton and pepper-sprayed. </p><p data-block-key=\"a0quf\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press. </p><p data-block-key=\"2l3k9\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"olcek\">Federal officers push back protesters at a protest outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026. Photojournalist Ryan Murphy’s hand was struck with a baton while covering the demonstration. </p>",
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{
"title": "Photojournalist struck with baton, lens destroyed at New Jersey protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-struck-with-baton-lens-destroyed-at-new-jersey-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-04T12:58:09.103544Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-04T12:58:09.103544Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-04T12:58:08.970890Z",
"date": "2026-05-28",
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"mclsd\">Mostafa Bassim, a photojournalist for Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, was struck with a baton by a federal officer, damaging his camera lens, while covering protests outside a private immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"egp7p\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"8qp6a\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/delaney-hall-ice-protests-dhs-restores-family-visitation/\">state</a> <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/newark-sets-curfew-around-ice-jail-after-more-clashes-between-cops-and-protesters\">police</a> in the days that followed.</p><p data-block-key=\"ash0p\">The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"e9jtd\">Bassim told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he arrived at the detention facility shortly before nightfall. He said that even before he was able to start documenting the scene, federal officers noticed his camera and began shining high-powered lights directly at him.</p><p data-block-key=\"fq071\">“The second they see you with a camera they just start doing that to you,” Bassim said.</p><p data-block-key=\"2drp7\">The protests, he said, had a consistent pattern: a period of calm until vehicles tried to exit the facility. Protesters would attempt to block the cars from leaving and to see whether any detainees were being moved; Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers would advance to push back the demonstrators and make arrests.</p><p data-block-key=\"bqrsk\">“Then it’s calm again for an hour or so and then clashes again,” he told the Tracker. But that night, he added, officers were particularly aggressive.</p><p data-block-key=\"4v4ss\">“From the first time they started clashing with people — and they pepper-sprayed a lot of people — they would specifically pepper-spray the camera or the vent, if you’re wearing a gas mask,” Bassim said.</p><p data-block-key=\"a0cl5\">During the second clash, officers continued to spray chemical irritants at the crowd and strike people with batons. As things calmed, Bassim said, the ICE officers near him began to move back.</p><p data-block-key=\"6d7e6\">“I was looking at the other side to see if there’s still something going on on the other side of the line,” Bassim told the Tracker. “And then one of the agents just took a step toward me. He took one swing and it was at the camera. It hit the lens and it was cut in half.”</p><p data-block-key=\"99h3g\">The photojournalist said he stood in shock for several seconds, having automatically held up his press credentials.</p><p data-block-key=\"2n4la\">“I have this automatic response when I see them trying to attack us or talk to us: I just hold my press badge to make it clear that I’m press,” Bassim said. “So I did that for a second and then I was like, ‘He can see it, you know? Like, he clearly just took one swing at the camera, he meant to do that.’”</p><p data-block-key=\"2gdh1\">Bassim told the Tracker he asked the officer what he was doing, to which the officer simply responded with an order to move back and a gesture threatening to hit him again.</p><p data-block-key=\"birf\">The damaged lens was a 24mm prime lens, which Bassim estimates will cost $1,500 to replace.</p><p data-block-key=\"7v2os\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"aqkq0\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"gkb0t\">Mostafa Bassim, a photojournalist for Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, photographed his destroyed lens after a federal officer struck him with a baton while he was covering protests outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026.</p>",
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"tags": [
"chemical irritant",
"Department of Homeland Security",
"immigration",
"protest"
],
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"categories": [
"Assault",
"Equipment Damage"
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"Mostafa Bassim (Anadolu Agency [Turkey])"
],
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},
{
"title": "Photographer jostled by officer at New Jersey immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-jostled-by-officer-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-04T17:47:13.369495Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-04T17:47:13.369495Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-04T17:47:13.235770Z",
"date": "2026-05-28",
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"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"hhi8z\">Photojournalist Ben Ackman was pushed by a federal officer while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026. </p><p data-block-key=\"fe02n\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility. </p><p data-block-key=\"1r7a5\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests. The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"e4ba7\">Ackman told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that as ICE tried to clear the path for law enforcement vehicles to leave the facility, he was pushed out of the way. He was also pinned up against a car as he photographed protesters. </p><p data-block-key=\"9qpuf\">“It seemed to me that it was just because I was in the way,” said Ackman, who was wearing press credentials at the time. “It didn’t seem like anyone was targeting me because I had a camera.” </p><p data-block-key=\"70dld\">A couple of <a href=\"/all-incidents/photojournalist-shoved-by-federal-officer-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/\">days earlier</a>, Ackman was shoved by an ICE officer chasing a protester and hit with pepper spray in his eyes. </p><p data-block-key=\"dmkb7\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press. </p><p data-block-key=\"d1ehk\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"04qd3\">Federal agents at an immigration protest outside a detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026. Photojournalist Ben Ackman was shoved by an officer while covering the demonstration. </p>",
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"name": "New Jersey",
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"protest"
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{
"title": "Photographer pushed, hit with pepper spray at New Jersey immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-pushed-hit-with-pepper-spray-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-02T17:19:02.355000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-03T21:12:33.631431Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-03T21:12:33.500842Z",
"date": "2026-05-28",
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"yq16x\">Photojournalist David “Dee” Delgado was shoved by federal officers and pepper-sprayed while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026. </p><p data-block-key=\"54iqq\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility. </p><p data-block-key=\"1ddsm\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests. The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"1vmq3\">Delgado told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he believed ICE was targeting journalists outside Delaney Hall on May 28. </p><p data-block-key=\"f95ga\">“They were talking amongst themselves, and they would point out photographers and journalists,” Delgado said. At one point, an officer recognized Delgado and remarked that he followed him on Instagram. “It felt like it was more of a threat than anything, just ‘we know who you are’ type of situation.” </p><p data-block-key=\"g6o6\">Officers swung batons, broke his colleagues’ camera gear, and pushed him and other members of the media. While Delgado was photographing a confrontation between ICE officers and protesters trying to block law enforcement vehicles from leaving the facility, he said an officer pepper-sprayed him.</p><p data-block-key=\"1l4i9\">“He made eye contact with me and sprayed me,” said Delgado, who was on assignment for Reuters and wearing press credentials. </p><p data-block-key=\"69qf0\">Delgado said the spray irritated his exposed skin, but he was more prepared than on May 26, when he was <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-shoved-pepper-sprayed-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/\">also pepper-sprayed</a>. The next day, <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-injured-by-crowd-control-munition-at-new-jersey-protest/\">on May 29</a>, Delgado was injured by a crowd-control munition fired by a state patrol officer.</p><p data-block-key=\"12e9m\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press. </p><p data-block-key=\"69mb6\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p><p data-block-key=\"48glp\"><i>Update: This article was revised to include a statement from DHS.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"yge5e\">An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent sprays chemical irritant during an immigration protest outside a detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 28, 2026. Photographer David “Dee” Delgado was pepper-sprayed while covering the demonstration.</p>",
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},
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"Department of Homeland Security",
"immigration",
"protest"
],
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{
"title": "Photojournalist hit with baton, doused with irritant at New Jersey protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-hit-with-baton-doused-with-irritant-at-new-jersey-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-03T16:15:41.031797Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-03T16:15:41.031797Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-03T16:15:40.882133Z",
"date": "2026-05-27",
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"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"wxqgd\">Photojournalist Ryan Murphy was struck in the leg with a baton and pepper-sprayed by federal officers while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"fafbg\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility. </p><p data-block-key=\"d1cia\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests. The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"514k\">Murphy told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was walking through the protest when an ICE officer hit the back of his leg with a baton. </p><p data-block-key=\"cci3m\">“He full-on targeted me and hit me full on with his baton, and I looked at him and said, ‘I’m press,’” said Murphy, who added that the officer apologized. Murphy, who was on assignment for Reuters, was wearing press credentials and carrying his cameras at the time. “He didn’t seem to care, he was just throwing his baton everywhere, being super aggressive.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1g0vu\">Murphy said he witnessed an officer strike a protester in the face with a baton. He was also pepper-sprayed — in situations that were both targeted at him and other media or during periods when he was caught in the cross fire. </p><p data-block-key=\"2rd12\">“It seemed pretty indiscriminate that they were just kind of blanketing people with pepper spray, just pointing in a general direction and just letting it rip,” said Murphy, who felt the sting of the irritant until the next morning. “My entire shirt was stained orange.” </p><p data-block-key=\"3f3i4\">The next day, his hand was struck with a baton, requiring stitches. </p><p data-block-key=\"ei772\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press. </p><p data-block-key=\"e5u3g\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"z5s0c\">Federal officers hold batons outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 2026. Photojournalist Ryan Murphy was struck with a baton and pepper-sprayed while covering the demonstration.</p>",
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{
"title": "Photojournalist pushed by ICE officer at New Jersey immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-pushed-by-ice-officer-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-01T20:20:18.637000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-03T20:26:41.869648Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-03T20:26:41.728999Z",
"date": "2026-05-27",
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"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"78g3y\">Photojournalist Cristina Panagi was shoved by a federal officer while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"7c6hl\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility. Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests.</p><p data-block-key=\"c220\">The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> the allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"b9dsl\">Panagi told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that as the area outside Delaney Hall became increasingly crowded, officers began pushing members of the press. An ICE officer then shoved her, even though she was clearly identifiable as a journalist by her media credentials and markings on her backpack.</p><p data-block-key=\"cffas\">“It was clear he was just trying to block us from being able to move,” she said, referring to her efforts to freely document the protest. “The aggression was really not anything I’ve ever seen before.”</p><p data-block-key=\"28cg6\">Officers also fired pepper spray into the crowd, and Panagi said the chemical irritant seeped beneath her protective goggles, causing her forehead to burn. At a protest <a href=\"/all-incidents/photojournalist-pepper-sprayed-by-ice-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/\">the day before</a>, Panagi was also pepper-sprayed by a federal officer.</p><p data-block-key=\"7nsdk\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press. </p><p data-block-key=\"coc5f\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p><p data-block-key=\"6qfth\"><i>Update: This article was revised to include a statement from DHS.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"m9hnp\">An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shoves photojournalist Cristina Panagi while she covers an immigration protest outside a detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 27, 2026.</p>",
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"state": {
"name": "New Jersey",
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},
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"protest"
],
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{
"title": "Photojournalist pepper-sprayed by ICE at New Jersey immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-pepper-sprayed-by-ice-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-01T20:37:35.642000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-03T20:25:25.162919Z",
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"date": "2026-05-26",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"4ntai\">Photojournalist Cristina Panagi was sprayed with chemical irritant by a federal officer while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"9j383\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"fllrq\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests.</p><p data-block-key=\"h3jf\">The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"488el\">Panagi told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that ICE agents fired pepper spray indiscriminately into the entire crowd outside Delaney Hall, which included members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"a2b58\">“We all got hit continuously over the course of the night, to the point where it smelled like hot sauce,” Panagi said.</p><p data-block-key=\"bbkvc\">Throughout the night, Panagi recalled, officers pointed pepper spray directly at her and other reporters who were clustered together and a fair distance away from protesters.</p><p data-block-key=\"a3ulp\">At one point, law enforcement chased protesters across the street to detain them. As reporters followed to photograph the arrests, officers aimed and fired pepper spray directly at the journalists, including Panagi.</p><p data-block-key=\"csk3v\">“That’s where it became pretty targeted,” she said. “They’re going to detain people, they’re chasing down protesters, and then they’re pointing and pepper-spraying press to prevent us from following and documenting.”</p><p data-block-key=\"48e3s\">Panagi, who was wearing media credentials and a backpack marking her as press, said the orange spray covered her arms, got into her mouth and caused her sinuses to burn.</p><p data-block-key=\"dqi8v\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press. </p><p data-block-key=\"6h97f\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p><p data-block-key=\"987kg\"><i>Update: This article was revised to include a statement from DHS.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/71587.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"r44qa\">An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, in red at center, pepper-sprays photojournalist Cristina Panagi while she covers an immigration protest outside a detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
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"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
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"actor": null,
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"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
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"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
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"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
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"state": {
"name": "New Jersey",
"abbreviation": "NJ"
},
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"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"chemical irritant",
"Department of Homeland Security",
"immigration",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Cristina Panagi (Independent)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Photojournalist shoved by federal officer at New Jersey immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-shoved-by-federal-officer-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-04T17:36:02.780000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-04T17:48:37.541990Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-04T17:48:37.404044Z",
"date": "2026-05-26",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"l2g2u\">Photojournalist Ben Ackman was pushed by a federal officer while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"a9vo3\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"d1b04\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests. The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"dd3go\">Ackman, on assignment for the New Jersey Monitor, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that an officer pushed him aside twice while chasing a protester. Ackman said he did not believe he was targeted because he was a journalist, but was simply in the way as ICE pursued an arrest.</p><p data-block-key=\"esvf6\">“They shoved me, and then they ran behind me,” said Ackman, who was holding a camera and wearing press credentials.</p><p data-block-key=\"36r2u\">Ackman said that he was also affected that day by pepper spray, which got in his eyes. He had to step away from documenting the protest for about a half hour while he washed it out. A <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-jostled-by-officer-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/\">couple of days later</a>, he was pushed again by an officer.</p><p data-block-key=\"9rrj9\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"8bhg6\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/0CC35DE9-459D-4BD7-81ED-752CCA39C.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"mqob1\">Photojournalist Ben Ackman is pushed by an ICE officer while covering an immigration protest outside a detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"name": "New Jersey",
"abbreviation": "NJ"
},
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"chemical irritant",
"Department of Homeland Security",
"immigration",
"protest"
],
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"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Ben Ackman (New Jersey Monitor)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Photographer for Turkish news agency targeted with pepper spray",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-for-turkish-news-agency-targeted-with-pepper-spray/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-04T16:10:53.357000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-04T21:04:58.613419Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-04T21:04:58.493662Z",
"date": "2026-05-26",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"acpq7\">Mostafa Bassim, a photojournalist for Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, was targeted with chemical irritants by federal officers while covering protests outside a private immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"4nleo\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"61lpi\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/delaney-hall-ice-protests-dhs-restores-family-visitation/\">state</a> <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/newark-sets-curfew-around-ice-jail-after-more-clashes-between-cops-and-protesters\">police</a> in the days that followed.</p><p data-block-key=\"ae53b\">The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"7fe3r\">Bassim and other journalists told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker the protests followed a consistent pattern, with a period of calm until law enforcement vehicles tried to exit the facility, when protesters would attempt to block them from leaving and to see whether any detainees were being moved. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers would then advance to push back the demonstrators and make arrests, before calm would resume.</p><p data-block-key=\"13lc8\">He said that he was wearing personal protective equipment, including goggles and a gas mask, but that with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers’ tactics, it didn’t make a difference.</p><p data-block-key=\"ascpc\">“Based on previous experience, maybe they will pepper-spray you in the face and, when they realize you’re a journalist, they move on. But this time, it’s different. They see you, they realize you’re press, and first they pepper-spray your lens,” he told the Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"75mpk\">Bassim noted that he was reporting alongside multiple other members of the press who received the same treatment. He added the tactic works: His lens was coated and the photos taken immediately after were almost entirely obscured.</p><p data-block-key=\"1nlse\">One of the officers deliberately targeted him a second time.</p><p data-block-key=\"6ij2b\">“He came back, and he can see me wearing a gas mask, so he pepper-sprayed first into my gas mask,” Bassim said. “I didn’t move, and then he pepper-sprayed into my ear and on the back of my head.”</p><p data-block-key=\"ftm2r\">Bassim added that while the spray itself burns, worse still was that it covered his face entirely, reactivating when he removed his mask.</p><p data-block-key=\"1b7ej\">“I went back home that night after a long night, and I took a shower and was in there for two hours and still the burning of the chemicals was all over me the next day,” he said. “They’re not usually as aggressive to press, but this time it felt like it was very, very directed at us.</p><p data-block-key=\"4fkdj\">“It feels almost like it was some order to attack us,” Bassim continued.</p><p data-block-key=\"5lhh2\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"9v28g\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"ge2u2\">A protester is pepper-sprayed by an ICE agent outside Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026. Anadolu Agency photojournalist Mostafa Bassim was targeted multiple times with chemical irritants while covering the protests that day.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"denial_of_entry": false,
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"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
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"links": [],
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"state": {
"name": "New Jersey",
"abbreviation": "NJ"
},
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"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"chemical irritant",
"Department of Homeland Security",
"immigration",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Mostafa Bassim (Anadolu Agency [Turkey])"
],
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},
{
"title": "Photojournalist engulfed with irritant at New Jersey immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-engulfed-with-irritant-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-04T19:07:33.194157Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-04T19:07:33.194157Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-04T19:07:33.081612Z",
"date": "2026-05-26",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"dxbn8\">Freelance photojournalist Jonathan Fernandes was pepper-sprayed by a federal officer while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"6n6jg\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"4prqt\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests. The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"cev7g\">Fernandes told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that on May 26, officers were shoving protesters and journalists to make way for law enforcement vehicles coming through the facility’s driveway. One officer, holding a large can of pepper spray, deployed a stream of the irritant at the crowd.</p><p data-block-key=\"99cvc\">“He goes in a line from the protesters to the press with the pepper spray. That was targeted,” Fernandes said. “He didn’t really care about press rights; he just sprayed us anyway.”</p><p data-block-key=\"asshk\">The pepper spray seeped beneath Fernandes’ goggles, temporarily blinding him for about five minutes while he rinsed his eyes. The resulting pain and disorientation sidelined him from the job for nearly 40 minutes.</p><p data-block-key=\"fbbnt\">“It was an ‘us versus them’ mentality,” he said. “Like, ‘Anybody who gets in our way, we’re just going to spray them.’”</p><p data-block-key=\"fc092\">The <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-thrown-backward-by-baton-wielding-officer-at-new-jersey-protest/\">day before</a>, Fernandes was thrust backward by an officer with a baton.</p><p data-block-key=\"a8vge\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"6kds\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"4vra3\">A federal officer, at right, brandishes a can of pepper spray at an immigration protest outside a detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026. Photographer Jonathan Fernandes was doused with the irritant while covering the demonstration.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"assailant": "law enforcement",
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"state": {
"name": "New Jersey",
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},
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"tags": [
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"immigration",
"protest"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
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],
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],
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},
{
"title": "Photographer shoved, pepper-sprayed at New Jersey immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-shoved-pepper-sprayed-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-02T17:14:08.110000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-03T21:13:10.297715Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-03T21:13:10.138850Z",
"date": "2026-05-26",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"t8ycr\">Photojournalist David “Dee” Delgado was pushed by federal officers and sprayed with a chemical irritant while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026. </p><p data-block-key=\"8vfst\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility. </p><p data-block-key=\"f4hfb\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests. The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"c615i\">Delgado, who was on assignment for Reuters, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that ICE officers responded to the May 26 protest with force, particularly when law enforcement vehicles were entering or leaving the facility. </p><p data-block-key=\"716bu\">Throughout the evening, he said, officers repeatedly shoved protesters and members of the media, including Delgado, as they tried to control the crowd.</p><p data-block-key=\"eojq3\">While Delgado was documenting ICE arresting protesters, an officer suddenly hit him with pepper spray. </p><p data-block-key=\"cqklt\">“He turned around and pointed the mace and sprayed me,” said Delgado, who was wearing press credentials and was clearly marked as press. “It completely stops you from doing the job at the moment.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1o2cg\">Delgado said he was forced to stop working for about 30 minutes while he flushed the pepper spray from his eyes. At least <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-pepper-sprayed-by-ice-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/\">one other journalist</a> was also deliberately pepper-sprayed that night. </p><p data-block-key=\"dnbs7\">Roughly two hours later, he was hit by pepper spray again when an officer deployed the irritant into the crowd, though he said that incident did not appear to target him specifically. </p><p data-block-key=\"a9q2f\">In the following days, Delgado was <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-pushed-hit-with-pepper-spray-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/\">pepper-sprayed</a> again by ICE and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-injured-by-crowd-control-munition-at-new-jersey-protest/\">injured by a crowd-control munition</a> fired by a state patrol officer. </p><p data-block-key=\"2fneo\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press. </p><p data-block-key=\"fe860\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1gd9\"><i>Update: This article was revised to include a statement from DHS.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2026-05-27T022858Z_1537304757_RC2.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"3f8lf\">A federal officer, at left, sprays a chemical irritant during an immigration protest outside a detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 26, 2026. Photojournalist David “Dee” Delgado was pepper-sprayed while covering the demonstration.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": null,
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"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
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"state": {
"name": "New Jersey",
"abbreviation": "NJ"
},
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"tags": [
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"Department of Homeland Security",
"immigration",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
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],
"targeted_journalists": [
"David \"Dee\" Delgado (Reuters)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Journalists encounter chemical irritants, blocked access at New Jersey protests",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalists-encounter-chemical-irritants-blocked-access-at-new-jersey-protests/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-04T21:24:43.701376Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-04T21:24:43.701376Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-04T21:24:43.574699Z",
"date": "2026-05-26",
"exact_date_unknown": true,
"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"crwl1\"><i>Protests broke out in late May 2026 in Newark, New Jersey, outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility, when many detainees went on a hunger strike. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility. The Department of Homeland Security has denied the allegations of detainee mistreatment.</i></p><p data-block-key=\"3kaq\"><i>Federal officers and then state and local police responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests.</i></p><p data-block-key=\"1u070\"><i>Journalists on the ground described being exposed to chemical irritants fired by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and New Jersey State Police, being forced to pull back from the protest area and otherwise being impeded from documenting the protests.</i></p><p data-block-key=\"9p4ak\"><i>Although these incidents do not constitute official press freedom violations under the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker’s criteria, we’ve provided a roundup of them below, organized by date (our reporting on the formal press freedom violations we cataloged in Newark in May is </i><a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2026-05-22&date_upper=2026-06-01&city=Newark&state=New+Jersey&tags=protest\"><i>here</i></a><i>). </i></p><p data-block-key=\"anvto\"><i>This roundup will be updated as additional incidents are verified. To date, law enforcement agencies have not responded to multiple requests for comment.</i></p><p data-block-key=\"61ui1\"><i>To learn more about how the Tracker documents and categorizes violations of press freedom, visit our </i><a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/frequently-asked-questions/\"><i>FAQ page</i></a><i>.</i></p><h4 data-block-key=\"b2gia\"><b>May 26, 2026</b></h4><ul><li data-block-key=\"f7i55\"><b>Ben Ackman</b>, on assignment for the New Jersey Monitor, told the Tracker he was indirectly exposed to pepper spray used by ICE and was unable to work for about 30 minutes while flushing the irritant from his eyes. Also <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-shoved-by-federal-officer-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/\">that day</a>, he was shoved by an agent. </li><li data-block-key=\"9oaeu\">Photojournalists <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-for-turkish-news-agency-targeted-with-pepper-spray/\"><b>Mostafa Bassim</b></a> of Turkey’s Anadolu Agency and <b>Olga Fedorova</b> of the European Pressphoto Agency were standing together when federal officers targeted them with pepper spray, aiming at their camera lenses and then spraying into both journalists’ ears when they turned their heads. Bassim also told the Tracker that the officer targeted the spray at a vent in his gas mask. </li><li data-block-key=\"aiecq\">Photographer <b>David “Dee” Delgado</b>, who was on assignment for Reuters, told the Tracker he was hit by pepper spray after a federal officer indiscriminately sprayed the crowd during an ICE charge toward a line of protesters. “He was just spraying everybody; it didn’t matter who.” Earlier <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-shoved-pepper-sprayed-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/\">that day</a>, Delgado was deliberately pepper-sprayed by an officer.</li><li data-block-key=\"abqe3\">Freelance journalist <b>Amanda Moore</b> told the Tracker she was sprayed by a chemical irritant during her evening coverage, causing measurable pain. Moore, who didn’t believe she had been targeted, said federal officers were spraying “super powerful crowd-control spray on individuals.” Later that day, a federal officer pointed a Taser at her while in pursuit of a protester. </li><li data-block-key=\"cstca\">Freelance photojournalist <b>Madison Swart</b> told the Tracker she was in a gaggle of other news photographers — including <b>Neil Constantine</b>, <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?targeted_journalists=Jonathan+Fernandes\"><b>Jonathan Fernandes</b></a><b>, Fedorova</b> and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-shoved-pepper-sprayed-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/\"><b>Delgado</b></a> — when ICE officers targeted them with chemical irritants, deliberately spraying their lenses. Swart identified the irritant as a stronger, law-enforcement-grade pepper-spray product.</li><li data-block-key=\"dsosp\">Freelance photojournalist <b>Christian Vazquez</b> told the Tracker that while he was documenting the protest, ICE agents called out to him and other journalists by name, reading from their press credentials, in what he described as an “intimidation tactic.”</li></ul><h4 data-block-key=\"33vj0\"><b>May 27, 2026</b></h4><ul><li data-block-key=\"37dpu\">Photojournalist <b>Stephanie Keith</b> told the Tracker that an ICE agent raised his baton at her as she was <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DY30p5QjqZE/\">photographing him</a>. “He lifted up the baton like he was going to bring it down like straight smack down on the top of my head.” </li><li data-block-key=\"41nov\">Photojournalist <b>Ryan Murphy</b>, on assignment for Reuters, told the Tracker that he was caught up in pepper spray fired into the crowd by ICE officers. Also <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-hit-with-baton-doused-with-irritant-at-new-jersey-protest/\">that day</a>, he was hit with a police baton and deliberately sprayed with the chemical irritant. </li><li data-block-key=\"2ovjo\">Photojournalist <b>Cristina Panagi</b> told the Tracker that pepper spray fired into the crowd by ICE seeped beneath her protective goggles and caused her forehead to burn. Also <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-pushed-by-ice-officer-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/\">that day</a>, she was pushed by an ICE officer. </li></ul><h4 data-block-key=\"3vgsv\"><b>May 28, 2026</b></h4><ul><li data-block-key=\"3skel\">Photojournalist <b>Stephanie Keith</b> told the Tracker she was hit with an irritant that ICE deployed into the crowd. “It was like a garden hose worth of pepper spray on everybody.” </li><li data-block-key=\"5eauo\"><b>Dean Moses</b>, amNewYork’s police bureau chief and resident photographer, was struck by pepper spray fired by an ICE officer, the outlet <a href=\"https://www.amny.com/news/delaney-hall-ice-agents-beat-protesters-05282026/\">reported</a>. Moses told the Tracker that it was “very hard to know for sure” whether the officer targeted him as a member of the press. “It was so chaotic.” </li><li data-block-key=\"dpofq\">Photojournalist <b>Ryan Murphy</b>, on assignment for Reuters, told the Tracker that an ICE officer pointed a Taser directly at him. Also <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-requires-stitches-after-baton-strike-at-new-jersey-protest/\">that day</a>, he was hit in the hand with a baton, needing stitches. </li><li data-block-key=\"2n6j1\"><b>Christian Vazquez</b> told the Tracker that while documenting the protest in the afternoon, an ICE agent pushed a protester into him, and he suffered a minor scrape. In the evening, he was exposed to chemical irritants that ICE agents fired “randomly.” He said the irritant got through a hole in his goggles and hit his left eye, and that he was treated by medics who flushed his eyes, as <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DY7sQuuFuQw/?img_index=11\">captured</a> by photographer Graham MacIndoe. He <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DY52QE8oyCR/\">described</a> that experience in a video posted on Instagram. </li></ul></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-instagram block-instagram\"><div class=\"instagram-embed\">\n\t<div>\n <blockquote\n\tclass=\"instagram-media\"\n\tdata-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DY52QE8oyCR/?utm_source=ig_embed\"\n\tdata-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\t<a class=\"btn btn-secondary\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DY52QE8oyCR\">View post on Instagram</a>\n</blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://www.instagram.com/embed.js\"></script>\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"crwl1\"><b>May 29, 2026</b></h4><ul><li data-block-key=\"2mc1f\">New Jersey State Police ordered a three-member WNBC television news crew — reporter <b>Checkey Beckford</b> and two photojournalists wearing press credentials — out of their marked news vehicle and into a cloud of tear gas, Beckford <a href=\"https://www.nbcnewyork.com/new-jersey/delaney-hall-protest-news-crew-tear-gas/6507083/\">reported</a>. The police <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/state-police-pull-photographer-from-news-car-during-new-jersey-protest/\">pulled</a> one of the photojournalists out of the car.</li><li data-block-key=\"4rokf\"><b>Stephen Yang</b>, on assignment for the New York Post, said that he was affected by tear gas deployed by law enforcement while documenting the protest. “The tear gas certainly was very effective at stopping me from doing my job intermittently throughout that night.” </li></ul><h4 data-block-key=\"c0dvn\"><b>May 30, 2026</b></h4><ul><li data-block-key=\"ajol6\"><b>Christian Vazquez</b> told the Tracker that he was reporting as New Jersey State Police in riot gear responded to the protest in the late evening, and the situation “went from zero to 100 real quick.” The police fired chemical irritants to disperse protesters, and even though he was standing back and wearing goggles and a KN95 mask, the gas got into his airway and he started coughing. He said he was <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DY_H0U2Nfvr/\">forced</a> to flee the scene. “They didn’t care who they were aiming at,” he said. “They didn’t give any warning to disperse. It just happened.”</li></ul><h4 data-block-key=\"c0qun\"><b>May 31, 2026</b></h4><ul><li data-block-key=\"6r8pu\"><b>Stephen Yang</b>, on assignment for the New York Post, told the Tracker that law enforcement blocked him and other members of the press from freely covering the protest for about 20 minutes. “They held us at a distance to where we could not see what was going on,” he said. “They’ll say it’s for safety, but really what they’re doing is they’re restricting press access.” </li></ul></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"iktlk\">Federal agents armed with crowd-control weapons aim at protesters outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention center during a demonstration on May 29, 2026, in Newark, New Jersey.</p>",
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"tags": [
"chemical irritant",
"Department of Homeland Security",
"immigration",
"protest"
],
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"Other Incident"
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},
{
"title": "Photojournalist sprayed in the face with irritant at New Jersey protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-sprayed-in-the-face-with-irritant-at-new-jersey-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-04T17:30:01.281641Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-04T17:30:01.281641Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-04T17:30:01.168821Z",
"date": "2026-05-25",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"h2e1q\">Photojournalist Stephanie Keith was pepper-sprayed by federal officers while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 25, 2026. </p><p data-block-key=\"ess3q\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility. </p><p data-block-key=\"ccn9\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests. The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"6sois\">On May 25, Keith was on assignment for Getty Images, photographing ICE operations alongside a group of other credentialed journalists with cameras. Federal agents made eye contact with the journalists before dousing them with pepper spray. Keith’s face was coated in the irritant. </p><p data-block-key=\"f2opm\">“There was literally no respect or no accord for the fact that we were nonthreatening and just standing there doing our jobs,” Keith told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. She immediately went home to wash the pepper spray from her body. </p><p data-block-key=\"874ar\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press. </p><p data-block-key=\"8mgfc\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"6o8yi\">Federal officers at a protest outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 25, 2026. Photojournalist Stephanie Keith was pepper-sprayed by an officer while covering the demonstration. </p>",
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"name": "New Jersey",
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},
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"tags": [
"chemical irritant",
"Department of Homeland Security",
"immigration",
"protest"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Stephanie Keith (Getty Images)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Photojournalist thrown backward by baton-wielding officer at New Jersey protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-thrown-backward-by-baton-wielding-officer-at-new-jersey-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-04T18:57:54.397000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-04T19:08:39.850965Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-04T19:08:39.718071Z",
"date": "2026-05-25",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Newark",
"longitude": -74.17237,
"latitude": 40.73566,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ujfg8\">Photojournalist Jonathan Fernandes was thrust backward by a federal officer with a baton while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on May 25, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"1f2j\">Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility <a href=\"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest/\">began</a> May 22, when many detainees went on a <a href=\"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/22/delaney-hall-hunger-strike/\">hunger strike</a>. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"5983h\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyregion/delaney-hall-newark-ice-protesters-arrest.html\">responded</a> to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests. The Department of Homeland Security has <a href=\"https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2059684595470094847?s=20\">denied</a> allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p><p data-block-key=\"8lhl\">Fernandes told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that officers were pushing back a crowd of protesters and media when he was thrown back by an officer lunging at him with a baton. Fernandes, on assignment for Documented New York, was wearing visible press credentials.</p><p data-block-key=\"bkk8b\">“I was not in anyone’s way at all,” he said. “He could see my badge, that I’m holding a camera and not participating in any way.”</p><p data-block-key=\"15r09\">At a protest outside Delaney Hall <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-engulfed-with-irritant-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/\">the following day</a>, Fernandes was pepper-sprayed by a federal officer.</p><p data-block-key=\"2q2cj\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"arq9h\">“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"0w0j6\">Photojournalist Jonathan Fernandes, who was shoved with a police baton while covering an immigration protest outside a detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 25, 2026.</p>",
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"name": "New Jersey",
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},
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"tags": [
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"protest"
],
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"authors": [],
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"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
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],
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},
{
"title": "Trump targets news media, punishing critical coverage of his second term",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/trump-targets-news-media-punishing-critical-coverage-of-his-second-term/",
"first_published_at": "2026-05-28T20:16:43.455000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-05-28T20:32:45.927618Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-05-28T20:32:45.798941Z",
"date": "2026-05-15",
"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=\"f2qh8\">President Donald Trump and his administration are continuing to take steps in his second term to punish and intimidate news outlets covering them unfavorably. We’re documenting Trump’s direct actions and public statements in this regularly updated report.</p><p data-block-key=\"9c5k2\">Trump’s social media posts denigrating the media are being catalogued separately in our ongoing project, the <a href=\"https://taps.pressfreedomtracker.us/\">Trump Anti-Press Social Media Tracker</a>. Read about Trump’s efforts in <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/trump-administration-allies-move-to-punish-outlets-during-first-weeks-in-office/\">2025</a>, and how his appointees and allies in Congress are striving to chill reporting, revoke funding, censor critical coverage and more <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/blog/trump-allies-pursue-multipronged-campaign-against-the-press/\">here</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"b2rcv\"><i>This article was first published on May 28, 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=\"f2qh8\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"esvrn\"></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=\"#May 15\">May 15, 2026 | Trump calls journalists’ reporting on Iran war ‘treasonous’</a>\r\n<p><a href=\"#April 6\">April 6, 2026 | Trump says news outlet must identify source or ‘go to jail’</a></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"f2qh8\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"3vd46\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><a id=\"May 15\" name=\"May 15\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"f2qh8\">May 15, 2026 | Trump calls journalists’ reporting on Iran war ‘treasonous’</h4><p data-block-key=\"bkhgk\">President Donald Trump accused David Sanger — a White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times — and others of treason for their coverage of the Iran war during a press gaggle on Air Force One on May 15, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"9nu97\">Trump, who was returning from a series of meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, held an informal press gaggle on the plane. In <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d33H5BImAI8\">footage</a> posted by Forbes, Sanger is heard asking the president what could be gained by resuming a bombing campaign against Iran.</p><p data-block-key=\"3ptbo\">“I had a total military victory. But the fake news, guys like you, write it incorrectly. You’re a fake guy and guys like you write about it incorrectly,” Trump responds. “We’ve had a total victory except by people like you that don’t write the truth. You know, you should write … I actually think it’s sort of treasonous what you write. But you and The New York Times and CNN, I would say, are the worst.”</p><p data-block-key=\"9j8sf\">As another journalist begins to ask a question, Trump turns back to Sanger, addressing him as David, and says that the reporter just writes what his editors tell him to, that he should be ashamed and that the reporting amounts to treason.</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-video block-video\">\n\n<figure class=\"inline-media full-width\">\n <div style=\"padding-bottom: 56.49999999999999%;\" class=\"responsive-object\">\n <iframe width=\"200\" height=\"113\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/d33H5BImAI8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen title=\"Trump Accuses Reporters To Their Faces Of 'Treason' For Their Coverage Of The Iran War\"></iframe>\n</div>\n\n \n</figure>\n</div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"f2qh8\">Sanger defended his reporting and the importance of the new media generally during an <a href=\"https://x.com/kaitlancollins/status/2055460965500567761\">appearance on CNN</a> later that day.</p><p data-block-key=\"9hqvk\">“We all know what this is about: It’s an effort to intimidate news organizations into not doing the reporting,” Sanger told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. “The president seems to conflate news he doesn’t want to hear with treason, and that’s not the case.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7json\">In a <a href=\"https://x.com/NYTimesPR/status/2055372950035939766\">statement</a> posted to social media, Times spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander defended the newspaper’s coverage.</p><p data-block-key=\"9hjeg\">“Reporting isn’t treason. It’s foundational to a free press and the work that America’s founders wrote the First Amendment to protect,” he said. “That includes making clear when the claims of government officials and the reality of their actions don’t line up.”</p><p data-block-key=\"19equ\">The incident came just days after The Wall Street Journal <a href=\"https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/trumps-complaints-about-iran-war-leaks-prompt-aggressive-doj-investigations-b5d31c13\">reported</a> that Trump had complained in April to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche about leaks concerning the Iran war, and in one meeting passed a stack of news articles to Blanche with a sticky note that read “treason.”</p><p data-block-key=\"demg2\">The newspaper also revealed that it and other news outlets were <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/doj-subpoenas-wall-street-journal-amid-internal-leak-investigation/\">issued subpoenas</a> earlier this year as part of ongoing leak investigations, and that Blanche had vowed to secure such legal orders for the records of journalists working on sensitive national security stories.</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>\r\n<a id=\"April 6\" name=\"April 6\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"f2qh8\">April 6, 2026 | Trump says news outlet must identify source or ‘go to jail’</h4><p data-block-key=\"djlil\">President Donald Trump vowed to investigate the source behind a leak concerning the downing of a U.S. fighter jet by Iran during a news conference on April 6, 2026, adding that he would not hesitate to take action against the media outlet that published the information.</p><p data-block-key=\"8vu4e\">The F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iran April 3, and while the pilot was quickly rescued, the weapons systems officer could not be immediately located, triggering a frantic two-day search to find him before Iranian forces did. The incidents were covered by <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/us/politics/us-fighter-jet-iran.html\">multiple</a> <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/04/03/f-15-crash-iran-missing/\">national</a> <a href=\"https://www.axios.com/2026/04/03/iran-us-fighter-shot-down\">and</a> <a href=\"https://x.com/N12News/status/2040123744799141937\">international</a> <a href=\"https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-fighter-jet-shot-down-over-iran-search-underway-crew-us-official-says-2026-04-03/\">newsrooms</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"5e3cg\">Trump asserted that news reporting on the incident endangered the airman and others, and that the administration would approach the unnamed outlet that had published it as part of ongoing efforts to identify the leaker, The New York Times <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/business/media/trump-jail-journalists-fighter-crew.html\">reported</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"1bobr\">“We’re going to go to the media company that released it,” Trump said, “and we’re going to say, ‘National security — give it up or go to jail.’ And we know who, and you know who, we’re talking about.”</p><p data-block-key=\"9fmu3\">The White House did not clarify which news outlet the president was referring to, the Times reported.</p><p data-block-key=\"b91j6\">Gabe Rottman, vice president of policy at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, told the Times he was not aware of another instance of a president issuing such a threat.</p><p data-block-key=\"fll13\">“During times of armed conflict in a democracy,” Rottman said in a statement, “it is essential that the press be able to gather and report information in the public interest and thus provide an independent check on the official government narrative.”</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/2026-05-21T164319Z_798006995_RC2S.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"cmvxh\">President Donald Trump speaks during an announcement at the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2026.</p>",
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"CNN",
"Media",
"The New York Times"
],
"tags": [
"Donald Trump"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Chilling Statement"
],
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"David Sanger (The New York Times)"
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},
{
"title": "Todd Blanche targets press, leakers as acting attorney general",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/todd-blanche-targets-press-leakers-as-acting-attorney-general/",
"first_published_at": "2026-05-15T17:53:11.227807Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-05-15T17:53:11.227807Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-05-15T17:51:44.383357Z",
"date": "2026-05-12",
"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=\"f7fjk\">As President Donald Trump’s second term continued in 2026, he removed <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/pam-bondi-targets-journalists-leakers-as-us-attorney-general/\">Pam Bondi</a> as attorney general. Her deputy, now acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, joined Trump in efforts to punish and intimidate news outlets that have covered Trump and his administration critically. We’re documenting Blanche’s efforts in this regularly updated report.</p><p data-block-key=\"eb0qq\">Read about how Trump’s appointees and allies in Congress are striving to chill reporting, revoke funding, censor critical coverage and more <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/blog/trump-allies-pursue-multipronged-campaign-against-the-press/\">here</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"e754c\"><i>This article was first published on May 15, 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=\"f7fjk\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"d93s\"></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=\"#May 12\">May 12, 2026 | Acting attorney general defends DOJ subpoenas to WSJ, others</a></p>\r\n<p><a href=\"#April 7\">April 7, 2026 | Acting attorney general willing to subpoena journalists in leak investigations</a></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"f7fjk\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"d93s\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><a id=\"May 12\" name=\"May 12\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"f7fjk\">May 12, 2026 | Acting attorney general defends DOJ subpoenas to WSJ, others</h4><p data-block-key=\"p6id\">Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the issuing of federal subpoenas to The Wall Street Journal as part of a leak investigation, after the legal orders were made public on May 11, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"7s95r\">In a May 12 social media post, Blanche <a href=\"https://x.com/DAGToddBlanche/status/2054197699486908639\">wrote</a>, “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.</p><p data-block-key=\"d7qvc\">“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,” he continued.</p><p data-block-key=\"f7977\">A Justice Department official <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/justice-department-wall-street-journal-subpoenas/\">emphasized to CBS News</a> the same day that the subpoenas were issued as part of an investigation into the source behind the leaks, not the journalists themselves.</p><p data-block-key=\"daqon\">Freedom of the Press Foundation, of which the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker is a project, <a href=\"https://freedom.press/issues/national-security-lies-fuel-wall-street-journal-probe/\">condemned</a> the subpoenas and the use of “national security” as justification.</p><p data-block-key=\"auj8c\">“These subpoenas are a direct threat to the public’s right to know, and the Journal is correct to fight them,” FPF Chief of Advocacy Seth Stern said. “Since the Department of Justice has abandoned the First Amendment, it’s up to the courts to restrain the government’s attempts to crush investigative journalism.”</p><p data-block-key=\"cj4b3\">The subpoenas to the Journal are just the latest instance of the news media being caught up in or deliberately targeted in federal investigations since then-Attorney General Pam Bondi <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/pam-bondi-targets-journalists-leakers-as-us-attorney-general/#April%2025\">rescinded Biden-era protections</a> for journalists in April 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"ahqkq\">Earlier this year, the DOJ <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/washington-post-subpoenaed-as-part-of-doj-leak-investigation/\">subpoenaed</a> The Washington Post, and the FBI <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/washington-post-reporters-home-searched-by-fbi-devices-seized/\">executed a search warrant</a> at the home of its reporter, Hannah Natanson, seizing her equipment. Independent photojournalist <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/fbi-questions-oregon-photographer-about-protesters-identities/\">Robert Scherle</a> was questioned by two FBI agents at his home seeking information about protesters. And FBI Director Kash Patel has reportedly ordered investigations into <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/fbi-director-kash-patel-targets-press/#Feb%2028\">two</a> <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/fbi-director-kash-patel-targets-press/#May%206\">reporters</a> following unfavorable coverage.</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>\r\n<a id=\"April 7\" name=\"April 7\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"f7fjk\">April 7, 2026 | Acting attorney general willing to subpoena journalists in leak investigations</h4><p data-block-key=\"fpi77\">During his first press briefing as acting attorney general on April 7, 2026, Todd Blanche said he would not hesitate to subpoena members of the press to uncover sources behind leaks of classified information.</p><p data-block-key=\"31aph\">The previous day, President Donald Trump vowed to investigate the source behind a leak concerning the downing of a U.S. fighter jet by Iran.</p><p data-block-key=\"ch61v\">“We’re going to go to the media company that released it,” Trump said, “and we’re going to say, ‘National security — give it up or go to jail.’”</p><p data-block-key=\"1so1d\">When asked about Trump’s <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/business/media/trump-jail-journalists-fighter-crew.html\">comments</a>, Blanche <a href=\"https://www.c-span.org/program/news-conference/acting-attorney-general-todd-blanche-announces-developments-in-federal-fraud-cases/676945\">said</a> that classified information leaks will always be investigated.</p><p data-block-key=\"lc80\">“If that means sending a subpoena to the reporter, that’s exactly what we should do, and that’s exactly what we will be doing,” Blanche said. “If it means doing regular investigations to identify who within the government feels like it’s OK to leak classified information, to put lives at risk, then we’ll try to root him or her out as well.”</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/2026-04-29T204145Z_1143287252_RC2.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"jrlkd\">Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche at a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., on April 29, 2026.</p>",
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"arrest_status": null,
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"name": "District of Columbia",
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},
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"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [
"Media"
],
"tags": [
"Department of Justice"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Chilling Statement"
],
"targeted_journalists": [],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "FBI Director Kash Patel targets press",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/fbi-director-kash-patel-targets-press/",
"first_published_at": "2026-04-20T19:46:25.941424Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-05-13T14:36:25.863121Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-05-13T14:36:25.747055Z",
"date": "2026-05-07",
"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=\"j0t80\">As President Donald Trump’s second term continued in 2026, his FBI director, Kash Patel, took steps to punish and intimidate news outlets that have covered Trump and his administration critically. We’re documenting Patel’s efforts in 2026 in this regularly updated report.</p><p data-block-key=\"e52s8\">Also read about <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/kash-patel-targets-press-leakers-as-fbi-director/\">Patel’s efforts in 2025</a>, and how Trump’s appointees and allies in Congress are striving<a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/blog/trump-allies-pursue-multipronged-campaign-against-the-press/\"> to chill reporting, revoke funding, censor critical coverage</a> and more.</p><p data-block-key=\"fekh9\"><i>This article was first published on April 20, 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=\"g23md\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"2shan\"></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=\"#May 7\">May 7, 2026 | Patel orders polygraphs for his security detail, other staff <i>(updated)</i></a></p>\r\n<p><a href=\"#May 6\">May 6, 2026 | FBI investigates reporter who wrote about Patel’s alleged excess drinking <i>(updated)</i></a></p>\r\n<p><a href=\"#April 20\">April 20, 2026 | Patel sues The Atlantic for defamation</a></p>\r\n<p><a href=\"#Feb 28\">Feb. 28, 2026 | FBI investigates reporter who wrote about Patel’s girlfriend</a></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"j0t80\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"fu1kb\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><a id=\"May 7\" name=\"May 7\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"nubk3\">May 7, 2026 | Patel orders polygraphs for his security detail, other staff <i>(updated May 2026)</i></h4><p data-block-key=\"5o3mf\">FBI Director Kash Patel has ordered polygraphs for more than two dozen members of his security detail and other staff as part of his quest to unmask those who’ve spoken with the press, MS NOW <a href=\"https://www.ms.now/news/kash-patel-ordered-polygraphs-of-more-than-two-dozen-members-of-his-team-sources-tell-ms-now\">reported</a> on May 7, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"6t9kr\">Following an April 17 <a href=\"https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/04/kash-patel-fbi-director-drinking-absences/686839/\">article</a> by Atlantic reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick on Patel’s alleged excessive drinking, erratic behavior and absences from the agency’s headquarters, the FBI director has <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/fbi-director-kash-patel-targets-press/#April%2020\">sued</a> the magazine and Fitzpatrick, and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/fbi-director-kash-patel-targets-press/#May%206\">opened an investigation</a> into her.</p><p data-block-key=\"9khb6\">According to MS NOW, Patel has also isolated himself from some senior bureau leaders. FBI spokesman Ben Williamson disputed those claims, telling MS NOW Patel has been regularly meeting with operational leaders. Williamson declined to comment, however, on whether Patel ordered polygraphs.</p><p data-block-key=\"fvp62\">During a hearing before the U.S. Senate on May 12, Patel vehemently <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKj-MqYPpUI\">denied</a> allegations about his conduct and that he had subordinates sit for polygraph examinations over the recent reports. “I don’t order any polygraph tests,” he insisted.</p><p data-block-key=\"4k0o0\">The New York Times <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/12/us/politics/kash-patel-hearing-fbi-drinking.html\">reported</a> that multiple people familiar with recent polygraphs and internal investigations said that they were ordered by the director.</p><p data-block-key=\"7ara\">Patel had <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/kash-patel-targets-press-leakers-as-fbi-director/#April%2028\">previously announced</a> the use of polygraphs to identify the sources behind leaks to the media in April 2025, and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/tulsi-gabbard-targets-press-leakers-as-national-intelligence-director/#March%2014\">similar efforts</a> <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/pete-hegseth-targets-news-outlets-leakers-as-defense-secretary/#March%2021\">have been</a> <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/kristi-noem-targets-press-leakers-as-homeland-security-secretary/#May%2020\">undertaken</a> by other agency heads.</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><a id=\"May 6\" name=\"May 6\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"rxrxm\">May 6, 2026 | FBI investigates reporter who wrote about Patel’s alleged excess drinking <i>(updated May 2026)</i></h4><p data-block-key=\"5bomc\">The FBI is conducting a criminal leak investigation focused on Atlantic journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick, <a href=\"https://www.ms.now/news/fbi-investigating-leaks-to-journalist-who-wrote-explosive-article-on-kash-patel-sources\">MS NOW reported</a> on May 6, 2026, following her exclusive reporting on Director Kash Patel’s alleged excessive drinking, erratic behavior and absences from the agency’s headquarters.</p><p data-block-key=\"4l8i9\">Fitzpatrick’s <a href=\"https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/04/kash-patel-fbi-director-drinking-absences/686839/\">article</a>, published April 17, reported that Patel’s conduct on the job has included “conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences,” and that more than two dozen sources, including current and former FBI officials, “described Patel’s tenure as a management failure and his personal behavior as a national-security vulnerability.”</p><p data-block-key=\"6nvh3\">Patel <a href=\"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73213220/1/patel-v-the-atlantic-monthly-group-llc/\">sued</a> The Atlantic and Fitzpatrick for defamation April 20, claiming that the article’s allegations were “designed to destroy Director Patel’s reputation and drive him from office,” and demanding $250 million in damages.</p><p data-block-key=\"394m6\">MS NOW reported that two sources close to the matter confirmed that an investigation focusing on Fitzpatrick was underway, but during a hearing before the U.S. Senate on May 12, Patel vehemently <a href=\"https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/05/12/kash-patel-senate-hearing-drinking-updates--live/90027796007/#glc90049384007\">denied</a> its existence.</p><p data-block-key=\"cd1n6\">“I can tell you unequivocally, this FBI is targeting and investigating no journalists,” Patel said.</p><p data-block-key=\"5s8gp\">Such an investigation could enable federal agents to obtain her phone records, examine her social media networks and run her name through the bureau’s databases.</p><p data-block-key=\"1qvms\">In an email to subscribers, Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg wrote that such an investigation, if true, would be disturbing. But, he added, the magazine will defend itself and its staff vigorously.</p><p data-block-key=\"85qtk\">“We will not be intimidated by illegitimate investigations or other acts of politically motivated retaliation; we will continue to cover the FBI professionally, fairly, and thoroughly; and we will continue to practice journalism in the public interest,” Goldberg continued.</p><p data-block-key=\"1ckhr\">“This isn’t our first rodeo. We’ve faced extraordinary government pressure, and Trump-administration calumny, before. We live in a period in which some media organizations buckle under government pressure. I promise you that we will never give in. If a story is true, we will publish it.”</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>\r\n<a id=\"April 20\" name=\"April 20\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"j0t80\">April 20, 2026 | Patel sues The Atlantic for defamation</h4><p data-block-key=\"epb33\">Attorneys for FBI Director Kash Patel sued The Atlantic and its reporter, Sarah Fitzpatrick, on April 20, 2026, accusing them of defaming him in an article about Patel’s alleged erratic behavior and poor job performance.</p><p data-block-key=\"dm0qg\">Fitzpatrick’s <a href=\"https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/04/kash-patel-fbi-director-drinking-absences/686839/\">article</a>, published April 17, reported that Patel’s conduct on the job has included “conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences,” and that more than two dozen sources, including current and former FBI officials, “described Patel’s tenure as a management failure and his personal behavior as a national-security vulnerability.”</p><p data-block-key=\"75ll2\">Patel’s lack of availability has exacerbated bureaucratic delays at the FBI, Fitzpatrick reported, and his alleged excessive drinking may have led to his sharing inaccurate information about active law enforcement investigations.</p><p data-block-key=\"n8v5\">Fitzpatrick quoted a statement from the FBI, attributed to Patel, responding to her list of questions: “Print it, all false, I’ll see you in court—bring your checkbook.”</p><p data-block-key=\"30ekd\">The day the article was published, Patel’s attorney Jesse Binnall <a href=\"https://x.com/jbinnall/status/2045287437325254768/photo/1\">posted</a> a letter on social platform X that he said he had sent to The Atlantic and Fitzpatrick, alleging that Fitzpatrick’s questions had contained false claims and threatening legal action if those claims were published.</p><p data-block-key=\"a0j4l\">Three days later, Patel’s attorneys filed their <a href=\"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73213220/1/patel-v-the-atlantic-monthly-group-llc/\">complaint</a> in federal court for defamation, claiming that the article’s allegations were “designed to destroy Director Patel’s reputation and drive him from office,” and that the article’s publication was done with “actual malice,” and demanded $250 million in damages.</p><p data-block-key=\"oghf\">“The statements,” the complaint argued, “falsely assert that the Director of the FBI—the nation’s chief federal law-enforcement officer—is a habitual drunk, unable to perform the duties of his office, is a threat to public safety, is vulnerable to foreign coercion, has violated DOJ ethics rules, is unreachable in emergencies, has required the deployment of ‘breaching equipment’ to extract him from locked rooms, allows alcohol to influence his public statements about criminal investigations, and behaves erratically in a manner that compromises national security.”</p><p data-block-key=\"c97un\">The Atlantic <a href=\"https://x.com/TheAtlanticPR/status/2046239419422675189\">responded</a> to the suit on X, writing: “We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend <i>The Atlantic</i> and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit.”</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>\r\n<a id=\"Feb 28\" name=\"Feb 28\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"pab1u\">Feb. 28, 2026 | FBI investigates reporter who wrote about Patel’s girlfriend</h4><p data-block-key=\"3lqb1\">The FBI investigated New York Times reporter Elizabeth Williamson after she published a report on Feb. 28, 2026, that the agency’s director, Kash Patel, had provided unprecedented transportation and security resources for his girlfriend.</p><p data-block-key=\"bt8r5\">FBI agents searched databases for information on Williamson and recommended further investigation to determine whether she had broken federal stalking laws while reporting the story, the Times <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/22/us/politics/fbi-times-reporter.html\">reported</a> April 22.</p><p data-block-key=\"12r3o\">Justice Department officials, however, “determined there was no legal basis to proceed with the investigation,” and the FBI dropped the case.</p><p data-block-key=\"20o3s\">Williamson had reported that Patel’s girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins, has been assigned an escort of SWAT personnel and that “Mr. Patel’s demand that rotating SWAT teams provide his girlfriend with security for singing appearances, personal engagements and errands is unprecedented in the F.B.I.”</p><p data-block-key=\"64dbu\">The day the article was published, Wilkins received a threatening, anonymous email, which she forwarded to the FBI, the Times wrote. The email’s alleged sender was later criminally prosecuted and said they had sent the email after reading Williamson’s article, according to an affidavit in the case.</p><p data-block-key=\"1lt5b\">The FBI then interviewed Wilkins, who said she felt “harassed” by Williamson’s reporting, which had involved reaching out to numerous people who knew her. Agents then launched the investigation into Williamson, citing laws against stalking and threats as justification.</p><p data-block-key=\"5m6kf\">Times Executive Editor Joseph Kahn called the investigation “alarming,” telling the paper, “The F.B.I.’s attempt to criminalize routine reporting is a blatant violation of Elizabeth’s First Amendment rights and another attempt by this administration to prevent journalists from scrutinizing its actions.”</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": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"y8qlo\">FBI Director Kash Patel testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee in Washington, D.C., on March 18, 2026.</p>",
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{
"title": "Utah politician knocks phone from reporter’s hand amid data center controversy",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/utah-politician-knocks-phone-from-reporters-hand-amid-data-center-controversy/",
"first_published_at": "2026-05-12T17:10:10.562545Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-05-12T17:10:10.562545Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-05-12T17:10:10.470926Z",
"date": "2026-05-06",
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"city": "Layton",
"longitude": -111.97105,
"latitude": 41.06022,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"5gvd6\">State Sen. Jerry Stevenson smacked KTVX/KUCW reporter Bayan Wang’s phone out of his hand as Wang was working on a story related to a data center project in Layton, Utah, on May 6, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"69kt1\">The <a href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/09/tech/ai-data-center-utah-kevin-oleary-opposition\">artificial intelligence data center development</a> was approved by Utah’s Box Elder County Commission on May 4. Stevenson, a Republican, sits on the board of Utah’s Military Installation Development Authority, which was created by the legislature to develop land to support defense-related infrastructure and which backed the data center project, KTVX <a href=\"https://www.abc4.com/news/digital-exclusives/reporter-jj-nursery-utah-senator-jerry-stevenson-box-elder-county-data-center/\">reported</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"1n9ou\">Opponents of the project <a href=\"https://www.abc4.com/news/northern-utah/community-reacts-data-center-box-elder/\">expressed</a> concern about the potential environmental impact and apparent lack of consultation with the local community. A social media post called for a boycott of J&J Nursery and Garden Center in Layton, a business co-founded by Stevenson, and some employees told KTVX that they had been harassed.</p><p data-block-key=\"6q6ui\">Wang, who said he was informed by a Utah Senate staff member that Stevenson was not available for comment on the story, went to J&J Nursery on May 6 seeking to speak to employees about the alleged harassment, according to a <a href=\"https://www.abc4.com/news/digital-exclusives/reporter-jj-nursery-utah-senator-jerry-stevenson-box-elder-county-data-center/\">report</a> published by the station.</p><p data-block-key=\"981r4\">“While Wang was in his vehicle in the nursery’s parking lot, he noticed a man screaming at his photographer, who was outside his news vehicle without a camera in hand,” KTVX reported.</p><p data-block-key=\"crrhi\">The reporter then approached the two individuals to find out what was happening, and tried to tell the senator that he had been in touch with staff at the nursery. Wang said Stevenson, who was wearing a Utah Senate jacket, refused to identify himself as a Utah state senator when asked.</p><p data-block-key=\"87h9t\">The reporter said he told Stevenson about the story they were working on, then took out his cellphone and started recording.</p><p data-block-key=\"8l95k\">In a video of the encounter posted by the station, Stevenson is shown asking Wang to leave, saying, “Just get your butt out of here.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3d5nd\">“Why are you being hostile to us?” Wang asked.</p><p data-block-key=\"12inb\">“Because I am tired of you,” Stevenson replied as he walked toward the reporter. He then swung his hand toward Wang, hitting the reporter’s hand and phone. Wang said his phone was knocked out of his hand onto the cement parking lot.</p><p data-block-key=\"3i5g4\">After the incident, Layton police arrived, saying they had been called by a witness reporting possible disorderly conduct by three individuals, according to KTVX. Wang showed the officer the video of the encounter.</p><p data-block-key=\"b674v\">Wang also confirmed to the officer that his phone had been damaged when it fell to the ground.</p><p data-block-key=\"8e5oe\">Shortly after, according to Wang, officers told him that Stevenson apologized for the incident, but still did not wish to speak with them.</p><p data-block-key=\"fqq1p\">The police also issued the KTVX crew a trespassing notice for J&J Nursery, which is private property. The Salt Lake Tribune, citing an interview with a Layton police officer, <a href=\"https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2026/05/08/police-investigating-confrontation/\">reported</a> that Stevenson had asked law enforcement to issue the notice, which is not a charge or a citation, “but a warning that if they return, they could face criminal charges.”</p><p data-block-key=\"6trb6\">Nancy Bauer, news director for KTVX/KUCW, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that the news crew did not go to J&J Nursery with the intention of interviewing Stevenson, adding, “What you see on video was an unplanned encounter after Stevenson approached our team in the parking lot.”</p><p data-block-key=\"dl729\">She said the station “accepts the senator’s apology and intends to respect the trespassing warning issued at that time.”</p><p data-block-key=\"8u81l\">She added, “Bayan Wang is declining to press charges against the senator at this time.”</p><p data-block-key=\"e27t6\">Stevenson did not respond to a request for comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"vypv0\">Utah state Sen. Jerry Stevenson confronts KTVX/KUCW reporter Bayan Wang on May 6, 2026, outside a business Stevenson owns in Layton, Utah. Moments later, the lawmaker knocked to the ground the phone Wang was using to film the interaction.</p>",
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{
"title": "Andrea Lucas targets news media as equal employment opportunity chair",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/andrea-lucas-targets-news-media-as-equal-employment-opportunity-chair/",
"first_published_at": "2026-05-08T16:31:27.345088Z",
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"8qzfs\">As President Donald Trump’s second term continued in 2026, his Equal Employment Opportunity Commission chair, Andrea Lucas, used her office to further Trump’s efforts to punish and intimidate news outlets that have covered him and his administration critically. We’re documenting her efforts in this regularly updated report.</p><p data-block-key=\"2trv6\">Read about how Trump’s appointees and allies in Congress are striving to chill reporting, revoke funding, censor critical coverage and more <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/blog/trump-allies-pursue-multipronged-campaign-against-the-press/\">here</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"andha\"><i>This article was first published on May 8, 2026.</i></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"6van7\"></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=\"#May 5\">May 5, 2026 | EEOC files lawsuit alleging discriminatory hiring practices at NYT</a></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"8qzfs\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"a5fer\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><a id=\"May 5\" name=\"May 5\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"8qzfs\">May 5, 2026 | EEOC files lawsuit alleging discriminatory hiring practices at NYT</h4><p data-block-key=\"b9mr6\">The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued The New York Times on May 5, 2026, following a monthslong investigation led by Chair Andrea Lucas over the newspaper’s alleged discrimination against a white male employee.</p><p data-block-key=\"121ri\">The <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.663349/gov.uscourts.nysd.663349.1.0.pdf\">complaint</a> asserts that the Times’ diversity goals and production of annual diversity and inclusion reports demonstrate an institutional practice of discrimination against white men.</p><p data-block-key=\"dj47j\">In a social media post <a href=\"https://x.com/USEEOC/status/2051776336432099375\">announcing</a> the suit, the EEOC highlighted that a “qualified white male employee was excluded from final interviews” while only non-white males were selected, and that the role went to another candidate “with less relevant experience.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5vre3\">“No one is above the law — including ‘elite’ institutions,” Lucas said in a statement. “No matter the size or power of the employer, the EEOC under my leadership will not pull punches in ensuring evenhanded, colorblind enforcement of Title VII to protect America’s workers, including white males.”</p><p data-block-key=\"d0jj5\">Times spokesperson Danielle Rhoades Ha <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/03/business/economy/eeoc-discrimination-claim-new-york-times.html?partner=slack&smid=sl-share\">called</a> the allegations “politically motivated,” asserting that they represent just the latest effort to leverage the tools of the federal government to pursue President Donald Trump’s personal aims.</p><p data-block-key=\"2m3t\">“Throughout this process, the E.E.O.C. deviated from standard practices in highly unusual ways, blatantly weaponizing a traditionally independent government body to serve a predetermined narrative,” Rhoades Ha told the Times. “We will defend ourselves and our values vigorously as there is not a single piece of evidence to support any claim of discrimination.”</p><p data-block-key=\"bb87v\">Kalpana Kotagal, the sole Democrat on the commission, voted against authorizing the lawsuit. In a <a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kalpana-kotagal-26998b72_i-voted-against-authorizing-litigation-against-share-7457508684823212033-fCb_/\">post on social media</a>, she argued that a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility alone is not evidence of discrimination.</p><p data-block-key=\"511q2\">“These programs are critical to building and maintaining successful workplaces as well as attracting and retaining top talent,” Kotagal wrote. “I fear this litigation is driven not by the merits, but by a desire to advance the administration’s political agenda, which weakens civil rights protections for workers and undermines employer efforts to advance equal employment opportunity.</p><p data-block-key=\"2uhsl\">“Notably, this litigation is filed on the heels of New York Times reporting on the weaponization of the agency, and the diversion of limited resources toward cases that align with the administration’s priorities,” she added.</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/2025-12-18T213031Z_452698786_RC26.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"ubcqd\">U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Chair Andrea Lucas in her office in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 18, 2025.</p>",
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"The New York Times"
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{
"title": "Journalist held in NYPD kettle while covering protest near synagogue",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-held-in-nypd-kettle-while-covering-protest-near-synagogue/",
"first_published_at": "2026-05-21T18:55:51.921423Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-05-21T18:55:51.921423Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-05-21T18:55:51.819268Z",
"date": "2026-05-05",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "New York",
"longitude": -74.00597,
"latitude": 40.71427,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"d6tsp\">Multimedia journalist A.B. Youssef was held in a police kettle while covering a protest in New York, New York, on May 5, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"ek1u\">The <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/nyregion/nyc-synagogue-protests-israel-real-estate.html\">protest</a> was taking place near a synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side that was holding an event to promote real estate sales in Israel and Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, the latter of which are widely believed to <a href=\"https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2019/01/chapter-3-israeli-settlements-and-international-law/\">violate</a> international law.</p><p data-block-key=\"9qgb9\">The New York City Police Department formed a buffer zone around the synagogue, prohibiting access to the block it was located on and directing pro-Palestinian and a smaller group of pro-Israel protesters, as well as press, onto surrounding avenues, according to <a href=\"https://www.amny.com/news/protest-synagogue-manhattan-nypd-strategy/\">news reports</a> and journalists who spoke to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"v65h\">Youssef told the Tracker that he and other journalists were documenting NYPD officers blocking off a sidewalk with metal barricades and pushing protesters back. The officers then formed a circle around the <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2026-05-05&date_upper=2026-05-05&state=New+York&tags=kettle\">group of press</a> with the barricades and told them they couldn’t leave.</p><p data-block-key=\"ddn52\">“I was telling them, ‘You can’t lock us in here,’” he said. “And they just didn’t care.” He said he was wearing his New York City press credential and holding his camera gear, adding that many of the officers saw him often and knew who he was.</p><p data-block-key=\"bequ2\">Video posted on social media by two other journalists who were in the kettle, <a href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/taliajane.bsky.social/post/3ml5hzfbnu22d\">Talia Ben-Ora</a> and <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYAQhgfuqy4/\">Neil Constantine</a>, shows uniformed police and plainclothes public information officers placing metal barricades around a group of press, separating them from the area where the NYPD was pushing protesters back.</p><p data-block-key=\"4t1i7\">Youssef said the NYPD didn’t explain why they were penning them in, and gave conflicting instructions.</p><p data-block-key=\"a3nuj\">“They were saying, ‘Go out that way.’ And I said, ‘Where? That way is blocked too.’”</p><p data-block-key=\"do160\">He said he was kept in that area for at least 10 minutes.</p><p data-block-key=\"an0u8\">The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Screenshot_2026-05-21_at_1.14.40P.fe45215e.fill-1330x880.png",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"wh2vk\">Officers set up metal barricades around a group of press covering a pro-Palestinian protest in New York City on May 5, 2026. Journalists A.B. Youssef and Talia Ben-Ora were among those stuck in the kettle, and Ben-Ora captured video of the incident.</p>",
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"name": "New York",
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"Israel-Gaza war",
"kettle",
"protest"
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"Arrest/Criminal Charge"
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},
{
"title": "Journalist kettled while covering protest near NYC synagogue",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-kettled-while-covering-protest-near-nyc-synagogue/",
"first_published_at": "2026-05-15T20:07:38.561193Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-05-15T20:07:38.561193Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-05-15T20:07:38.465257Z",
"date": "2026-05-05",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "New York",
"longitude": -74.00597,
"latitude": 40.71427,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"qtf6q\">Independent journalist Talia Ben-Ora was penned in a police kettle while covering a protest in New York, New York, on May 5, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"8ci7e\">The <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/nyregion/nyc-synagogue-protests-israel-real-estate.html\">protest</a> was taking place near a synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side that was holding an event to promote real estate sales in Israel and Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, the latter of which are widely believed to <a href=\"https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2019/01/chapter-3-israeli-settlements-and-international-law/\">violate</a> international law.</p><p data-block-key=\"2gv9f\">The New York City Police Department formed a buffer zone around the synagogue, prohibiting access to the block it was located on and directing pro-Palestinian and a smaller group of pro-Israel protesters, as well as press, onto surrounding avenues, according to <a href=\"https://www.amny.com/news/protest-synagogue-manhattan-nypd-strategy/\">news reports</a> and journalists who spoke to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"99g3s\">Ben-Ora told the Tracker that at one point, NYPD officers suddenly barricaded a sidewalk on nearby Third Avenue, pushing metal barricades into protesters and using chemical irritants to prevent them from accessing an area that had previously been open.</p><p data-block-key=\"431mq\">Members of the press were standing behind the officers, documenting the police actions. Then, “NYPD flooded that space and closed us in, not allowing press to move away, resulting in a strange press-only kettle,” Ben-Ora said.</p><p data-block-key=\"ebdpe\">In a video Ben-Ora posted on Bluesky, uniformed police and plainclothes public information officers can be seen telling press to back up from the protest, then surrounding them with metal barricades, penning them in.</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-bluesky block-bluesky\"><div class=\"bluesky-embed-container\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"bluesky-embed\" data-bluesky-uri=\"at://did:plc:lt7eqlk3l7u5pncvfgmcfjem/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml5hzfbnu22d\" data-bluesky-cid=\"bafyreicittxmahpdt7e2kdk2ils3abwfsx5zijskbeccffcjbjq4ckio5y\"><p lang=\"en\">Situation deteriorated as protest marched from Lex/68 back to their original protest location. Press kettled as NYPD pushed in on protestors, other press. We are now stuck beside the SRG line. Unclear if any arrests.</p>— <a href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:lt7eqlk3l7u5pncvfgmcfjem?ref_src=embed\">talia ben-ora (@taliajane.bsky.social)</a> <a href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:lt7eqlk3l7u5pncvfgmcfjem/post/3ml5hzfbnu22d?ref_src=embed\">2026-05-06T00:46:31.945Z</a></blockquote><script async src=\"https://embed.bsky.app/static/embed.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"qtf6q\">“They prevented us from leaving by not moving from in front of where the barricades were up against the wall, ignoring us, as other cops were pushing into the crowd,” Ben-Ora said, adding, “I didn’t get the sense that we would be arrested, just that they were freezing our movement in any direction, including away from where they were fighting protesters.”</p><p data-block-key=\"aa49o\">Ben-Ora said that members of the press were allowed to leave the kettle after a few minutes, but were “still separated by a police line and barricades from the protest.”</p><p data-block-key=\"e5fqi\">The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Officers_push_back_pro-Palestinia.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"phuno\">Officers push back pro-Palestinian protesters in New York City on May 5, 2026. The footage was taken by independent journalist Talia Ben-Ora moments before police penned a group of press inside metal barricades.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "New York City Police Department",
"arrest_status": "detained and released without being processed",
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": "2026-05-05",
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
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"name": "New York",
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},
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"tags": [
"Israel-Gaza war",
"kettle",
"protest"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Talia (Jane) Ben-Ora (Freelance)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Photojournalist kettled while covering protest near NYC synagogue",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-kettled-while-covering-protest-near-nyc-synagogue/",
"first_published_at": "2026-05-19T18:59:10.463644Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-05-19T18:59:10.463644Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-05-19T18:59:10.355317Z",
"date": "2026-05-05",
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"city": "New York",
"longitude": -74.00597,
"latitude": 40.71427,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"tn8l8\">Photojournalist Neil Constantine was held in a police kettle while covering a protest in New York, New York, on May 5, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"d1op9\">The <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/nyregion/nyc-synagogue-protests-israel-real-estate.html\">protest</a> was taking place near a synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side that was holding an event to promote real estate sales in Israel and Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, the latter of which are widely believed to <a href=\"https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2019/01/chapter-3-israeli-settlements-and-international-law/\">violate</a> international law.</p><p data-block-key=\"4ft8l\">The New York City Police Department formed a buffer zone around the synagogue, prohibiting access to the block it was located on and directing pro-Palestinian and a smaller group of pro-Israel protesters, as well as press, onto surrounding avenues, according to <a href=\"https://www.amny.com/news/protest-synagogue-manhattan-nypd-strategy/\">news reports</a> and journalists who spoke to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"echgp\">Constantine, who was freelancing for NurPhoto Agency and whose New York City press credential was clearly visible, told the Tracker that at one point, NYPD officers suddenly barricaded a sidewalk on nearby Third Avenue. The officers pushed metal barricades into protesters to prevent them from accessing an area that had previously been open.</p><p data-block-key=\"cj2j9\">Members of the press were standing behind the officers, documenting the police actions. In a video Constantine posted on Instagram, uniformed police and plainclothes public information officers can be seen placing metal barricades around <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2026-05-05&date_upper=2026-05-05&state=New+York&tags=kettle\">a group of press</a>, separating them from the area where the NYPD was pushing protesters back.</p><p data-block-key=\"13vpv\">In the video, Constantine can be heard saying, “This is kettling,” and “We are being blocked in here right now.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-instagram block-instagram\"><div class=\"instagram-embed\">\n\t<div>\n <blockquote\n\tclass=\"instagram-media\"\n\tdata-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DYAQhgfuqy4/?utm_source=ig_embed\"\n\tdata-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\t<a class=\"btn btn-secondary\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DYAQhgfuqy4\">View post on Instagram</a>\n</blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://www.instagram.com/embed.js\"></script>\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"tn8l8\">Constantine told the Tracker that when journalists asked to leave the area, they were either told that they couldn’t, or were given conflicting instructions about where to go by officers who were within a few feet of one another. In addition, the officers wouldn’t answer their questions about why they were keeping them there.</p><p data-block-key=\"103kb\">He said they were kept in the kettle for around 15 minutes.</p><p data-block-key=\"90qf3\">The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Officers_use_metal_barricades_to_.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"npdwp\">Officers use metal barricades to surround a group of press covering a pro-Palestinian protest in New York City on May 5, 2026. Photojournalist Neil Constantine was among those stuck in the kettle, and captured video of the incident.</p>",
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"name": "New York",
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"categories": [
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{
"title": "Photojournalist arrested at LA protest after being prodded with police batons",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-arrested-at-la-protest-after-being-prodded-with-police-batons/",
"first_published_at": "2026-05-05T18:13:27.499366Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-05-05T18:13:27.499366Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-05-05T18:13:27.273589Z",
"date": "2026-05-01",
"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=\"encyi\">Independent photojournalist Nick Stern was arrested and jabbed with police batons while covering a workers’ rights and immigration protest in Los Angeles, California, on May 1, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"api20\">Thousands <a href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-05-01/la-may-day-rallies-protest-immigration-sweeps-cost-of-living\">rallied</a> in downtown LA for International Workers’ Day as part of nationwide “May Day Strong” demonstrations that also called for an end to the war in Iran and the immigration raids that have swept the city since <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">June 2025</a>. Later, demonstrators gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrants are being held.</p><p data-block-key=\"60q4q\">Stern told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that the LA Police Department moved in to clear the area outside the adjacent City Hall, pushing the crowd back with batons before issuing a dispersal order that they said applied to everyone in the area, including the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"8vkln\">Some journalists left, but not Stern. “I felt it was important to stay and document what was going on,” he said, citing the California <a href=\"https://law.justia.com/codes/california/code-pen/part-1/title-11/section-409-5/\">law that exempts</a> journalists from dispersal orders and protects them from arrest or interference by police, including use of force. A <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-struck-with-baton-finger-injured-amid-protests-in-downtown-la/\">federal preliminary injunction</a> against the city is in place to uphold those protections.</p><p data-block-key=\"asav7\">Stern, who was wearing credentials and a shirt identifying himself as press, said that, without warning, officers kettled a group that included mostly journalists, sealing them inside a tightened perimeter.</p><p data-block-key=\"49ovu\">Stern, fearing he would be arrested, asked multiple times to leave but was blocked. At least two officers pushed him in the chest with batons, and one tried to swing at him. After Stern blocked the blow with his hand, a senior officer ordered Stern to turn around and put his hands behind his back.</p><p data-block-key=\"9pjf0\">In a <a href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/melbuer.bsky.social/post/3mkto4245u22r\">video posted to Bluesky</a>, Stern backed away from officers, spoke to them briefly, then began to leave.</p><p data-block-key=\"ckoib\">“Turn around,” an officer said.</p><p data-block-key=\"6m3rs\">“Why are you telling me to turn around now?” Stern responded.</p><p data-block-key=\"8i6kp\">“You’re under arrest,” another officer replies before grabbing him, twisting his arms behind his back and placing his wrists in zip ties.</p><p data-block-key=\"9psvi\">“It seemed like a selected arrest,” Stern told the Tracker, adding that all other journalists were eventually allowed to leave the kettle. Officers first told Stern he was being arrested for assault on a police officer, then later said it was for failure to disperse.</p><p data-block-key=\"79aj0\">Stern’s right zip tie was tightened to the point of throbbing pain and numbness. He said officers loosened it after about 10 minutes, only after he shouted for them to. Red marks were still visible on his wrist two days later.</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-aligned_image block-aligned_image\"><figure class=\"inline-media full-width\">\n\t\n\n\n\n <img src=\"https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/PFT_header_images_3.width-828.png\" width=\"828\" height=\"465\" alt=\"COURTESY NICK STERN\">\n\n\n\t\n\t<figcaption class=\"inline-media__caption\">\n\t\t<p data-block-key=\"i5b7i\">Photographer Nick Stern’s wrist about two hours after he was handcuffed by police while covering a protest in Los Angeles, California, on May 1, 2026.</p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<span\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"media-attribution\"\n\t\t\t> — COURTESY NICK STERN\n\t\t\t</span>\n\t\t\n\t</figcaption>\n\t\n</figure>\n</div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"encyi\">Stern was taken to jail, where he was held for two hours. He was the last of about a dozen people to be processed before being released without charges.</p><p data-block-key=\"87gqk\">“It was just a process of intimidation,” Stern said.</p><p data-block-key=\"6fl6f\">Stern, whose work has appeared in The Guardian, CNN and The New York Times, among others, is working on a documentary about protests in LA and has been involved in <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?targeted_journalists=Nick%20Stern\">seven cases</a> documented by the Tracker in the city. In one, the city paid him a $150,000 settlement over his treatment by law enforcement while covering <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-hit-with-multiple-projectiles-while-covering-la-protest/\">a 2020 protest</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"lgj6\">In April, he addressed the LAPD’s board of commissioners, <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DXaCxKekosZ/\">asking</a>: “What do I have to do … so I don’t get brutalized by LAPD?”</p><p data-block-key=\"6v7ak\">The LAPD did not immediately return a request for comment from the Tracker, but in a <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1416003060571476&set=a.221666803338447\">statement</a> posted on May 1, it wrote: “The Los Angeles Police Department fully supports the rights of individuals to peacefully assemble and exercise their First Amendment rights.”</p><p data-block-key=\"66ci7\">In an earlier <a href=\"https://www.lapdonline.org/newsroom/chief-of-police-statement-no-kings-3-0-protest-in-downtown-los-angeles-nr26067mb/\">statement</a> following the March 28 “No Kings” rally — which resulted in <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2026-03-28&date_upper=2026-03-28\">nearly two dozen</a> press freedom violations — Chief Jim McDonnell said that any use of force or allegations of mistreatment involving media members would be investigated and addressed.</p><p data-block-key=\"41p9n\">“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,” that statement said.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/5-1-2026_May_Day_COHEN-19.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"0mxuw\">Photojournalist Nick Stern, at center, is arrested while documenting a workers’ rights and immigration protest in Los Angeles, California, on May 1, 2026.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "Los Angeles Police Department",
"arrest_status": "arrested and released",
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": "2026-05-01",
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"assailant": "law enforcement",
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"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
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"links": [],
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"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
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"tags": [
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"kettle",
"protest"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
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"targeted_journalists": [
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}
]
