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{
"title": "NY Times intelligence reporter subpoenaed by DOJ for grand jury testimony",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/ny-times-intelligence-reporter-subpoenaed-by-doj-for-grand-jury-testimony/",
"first_published_at": "2026-07-13T18:08:34.772000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-09-03T21:39:17.572041Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-09-03T21:39:17.382746Z",
"date": "2026-07-10",
"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=\"c6bq2\">Julian E. Barnes, an intelligence and security reporter for The New York Times, was subpoenaed by the U.S. Department of Justice on July 10, 2026, ordering him to appear in a New York City courtroom five days later.</p><p data-block-key=\"bp45\">The Times <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/11/business/media/new-york-times-trump-subpoenas.html\">reported</a> that Barnes was one of <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2026-07-10&date_upper=2026-07-31&targeted_institutions=The+New+York+Times&categories=Subpoena%2FLegal+Order\">several of its reporters</a> subpoenaed that day.</p><p data-block-key=\"6oeie\">The journalists had reported days prior that, after taking his new Qatari-donated Air Force One on its maiden voyage, President Donald Trump <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/08/us/politics/trump-air-force-one-security.html\">reverted</a> to the former plane at the urging of the Secret Service. Subsequent <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/09/us/politics/new-air-force-one-defensive-countermeasures.html\">reporting</a> revealed that the new plane was not outfitted with the same defensive countermeasures.</p><p data-block-key=\"cl0ff\">Both articles cited sources who only agreed to discuss sensitive security issues on the condition of anonymity.</p><p data-block-key=\"a4bk4\">The Times reported that, prior to the first article publishing, a senior FBI official asked the newspaper to hold it, citing national security but declining to elaborate on the nature of the security issue. The official also asked the Times to identify its sources for the article; the newspaper refused.</p><p data-block-key=\"chr7n\">FBI Director Kash Patel was tapped to oversee a leak investigation into the Times’ reporting, the newspaper <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/11/us/politics/white-house-patel-investigation-times.html\">reported</a>. In a major departure from precedent, Patel ran his investigation from the White House and briefed senior administration officials.</p><p data-block-key=\"9n2qt\">In an <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.668455/gov.uscourts.nysd.668455.23.3.pdf\">affidavit</a> unsealed July 20, Barnes said two FBI agents, dressed in FBI apparel, served him the subpoena at his home shortly before 8:30 p.m.</p><p data-block-key=\"cknnv\">The <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.668455/gov.uscourts.nysd.668455.23.1_1.pdf\">subpoenas</a>, issued by U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton, were vague, according to the Times, only compelling testimony “in regard to an alleged violation of federal criminal law.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7mf1s\">Clayton was nominated by Trump on June 11 to serve as director of national intelligence.</p><p data-block-key=\"1iu3k\">In a statement shared with the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, the Times denounced the subpoenas and the federal government’s decision to serve some of the reporters at their homes.</p><p data-block-key=\"9h7v8\">“The appearance of federal law enforcement agents on the doorstep of news reporters should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects,” wrote David McCraw, the Times’s top newsroom lawyer.</p><p data-block-key=\"3vc8h\">“Our journalists report the facts and advance the American public’s right to know how their government is operating and their taxpayer dollars are being used,” McCraw continued. “This brazen act should be seen as nothing more than an attempt to prevent the public from knowing what is happening in their country by intimidating journalists from doing their jobs.”</p><p data-block-key=\"935pc\">A Justice Department spokesperson told the Times that “reporters are not the targets, those leaking classified information are.”</p><p data-block-key=\"ei14d\">“We value and appreciate the important role that the press plays in this country, but D.O.J. also plays an important role to make sure that the people entrusted with our nation’s secrets do what they’re supposed to do with that information,” said spokesperson Emily Covington. “We recognize there may always be natural tension there, but we are not going to ignore the law.”</p><p data-block-key=\"vl7p\">In an email sent to Times staff, and shared with the Tracker, Executive Editor Joseph Kahn called the subpoenas impulsive, and a naked attempt to intimidate the newspaper and its reporters, as well as the media as a whole. He added that the Times will “mount a full defense of our staff.”</p><p data-block-key=\"391cm\">“We expect to prevail. We have the best legal team in the business,” he wrote. “The law protects news gatherers from this sort of retaliatory abuse of prosecutorial power. It is essential that the courts reaffirm that protection and quash this overreach. We are confident they will in this case.”</p><p data-block-key=\"cbc04\">An additional Times reporter, London-based Adam Goldman, is also expected to receive a subpoena in connection with the leak investigation, according to Kahn’s email.</p><p data-block-key=\"9nn4i\"><i>Update: This article has been revised to include details from court filings reviewed by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"chqtj\">President Donald Trump deboards the new Air Force One, a plane gifted by Qatar, in South Dakota on July 3, 2026. Multiple New York Times reporters were subpoenaed July 10 by the Justice Department after reporting on safety concerns with the aircraft.</p>",
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"name": "New York",
"abbreviation": "NY"
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"updates": [
"(2026-07-15 16:41:00+00:00) NY Times asks court to strike down DOJ subpoenas",
"(2026-07-23 22:12:00+00:00) DOJ withdraws subpoenas for NY Times reporter's records"
],
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"tags": [
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"Julian E. Barnes (The New York Times)"
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{
"title": "NY Times reporters’ phone, text records secretly targeted in DOJ subpoenas",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/ny-times-reporters-phone-text-records-secretly-targeted-in-doj-subpoenas/",
"first_published_at": "2026-07-21T20:00:44.570000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-08-06T15:14:34.702200Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-08-06T15:14:34.570567Z",
"date": "2026-07-10",
"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=\"pgcij\">Phone records for multiple New York Times reporters were targeted in secretive subpoenas issued by the Department of Justice starting on July 10, 2026, as part of a rushed investigation to identify the sources leaking information to the newspaper.</p><p data-block-key=\"8qova\">The journalists had reported on <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/08/us/politics/trump-air-force-one-security.html\">July 8</a> and <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/09/us/politics/new-air-force-one-defensive-countermeasures.html\">July 9</a> that, after taking his new Qatari-donated Air Force One on its maiden voyage to Turkey for a NATO meeting, Trump reverted to the former plane at the urging of the Secret Service because of safety concerns, including that it lacked the same defensive countermeasures.</p><p data-block-key=\"cfh08\">On July 10, FBI Director Kash Patel was <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/fbi-director-kash-patel-targets-press/#July%2010\">tapped to oversee</a> a leak investigation into the Times’ reporting and, in a major departure from precedent, he ran the inquiry from the White House, establishing a “war room” with Trump’s <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/susie-wiles-intimidates-leakers-press-as-white-house-chief-of-staff/\">chief of staff Susie Wiles</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"6vtas\">That evening, FBI agents served grand jury testimony subpoenas to reporters <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/ny-times-intelligence-reporter-subpoenaed-by-doj-for-grand-jury-testimony/\">Julian E. Barnes</a>, <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/ny-times-investigative-reporter-subpoenaed-by-doj-for-testimony/\">Eric Lipton</a> and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/ny-times-national-security-reporter-subpoenaed-by-doj/\">Eric Schmitt</a> at their homes. According to a <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.668455/gov.uscourts.nysd.668455.27.0.pdf\">letter</a> written by an attorney for the Times, the Justice Department also attempted but failed to serve similar subpoenas to journalists Adam Goldman and Tyler Pager.</p><p data-block-key=\"8uu4o\">A week later, the DOJ revealed that it had also issued multiple subpoenas to phone service providers seeking call and text records for accounts believed to be associated with the five journalists. At least three of the numbers belonged to family members of the journalists, the newspaper <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/20/business/media/new-york-times-subpoenas-phone-records.html\">reported</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"elkrv\">In a <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.668455/gov.uscourts.nysd.668455.27.0.pdf\">letter</a> to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, attorneys for the Times wrote that while the department served “<a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/ny-times-reporters-phone-text-records-targeted-in-secret-doj-subpoenas\">some</a>” of the subpoenas July 10, additional requests were sent on <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/ny-times-reporters-phone-records-sought-in-secret-doj-subpoenas\">July 14</a> and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/ny-times-reporters-phone-text-records-sought-by-doj-in-secret-subpoenas\">July 16</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"7147d\">The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker was unable to confirm the precise number of subpoenas issued or which journalists were targeted in each. At least two of the subpoenas also sought records dating back to Jan. 1, but it was not immediately clear which.</p><p data-block-key=\"1ngho\"><a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.668455/gov.uscourts.nysd.668455.29.0.pdf\">According to the DOJ</a>, the last two subpoenas were issued after it was determined that the provider that had been served initially did not host the underlying phone number. The department also revealed that the July 16 subpoena was issued to Google along with a nondisclosure order issued by a different judge and under the false impression that the investigation was not public.</p><p data-block-key=\"1gbqn\">Attorneys for the Times asked the court July 18 to consider the third-party subpoenas alongside the grand jury requests in their motion to quash, arguing that they only further demonstrated the irregularity of the department’s requests.</p><p data-block-key=\"73hsi\">“These actions demonstrate abuse of the grand jury process, continued bad-faith attacks on the Journalists, violations of the Department’s own internal regulations, and disregard for the law in this Circuit intended to protect critical First Amendment interests,” wrote attorney David O’Neil. “They raise pressing questions about the conduct of this purported national security investigation and confirm the absence of any regularity in the department’s use of the grand jury in this case.”</p><p data-block-key=\"a2k8j\">The department, in its response, argued that the investigation is ongoing, and asked that the court place a two-week hold on all of the subpoenas in order for it to pursue “particular investigative steps.”</p><p data-block-key=\"8ul30\">The DOJ also said that it has asked the service providers to postpone turning over records for the time being.</p><p data-block-key=\"3avbb\">A hearing on the Times’ motion to quash the subpoenas — understood to concern all of them — is scheduled for July 23.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"par6t\">Phone records for multiple New York Times reporters were subpoenaed by the Justice Department in July 2026 as part of an attempt to uncover their confidential sources. Above, the Times building in New York City in 2025.</p>",
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"(2026-07-23 22:23:00+00:00) DOJ withdraws subpoenas for testimony from NY Times reporters"
],
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{
"title": "Reporter shoved while covering Maine demonstration",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-shoved-while-covering-maine-demonstration/",
"first_published_at": "2026-07-14T21:21:36.271000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-07-16T20:38:15.260066Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-07-16T20:34:13.937187Z",
"date": "2026-07-07",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Bangor",
"longitude": -68.77265,
"latitude": 44.79884,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"wi9bk\">Journalist Joe Sokol was pushed multiple times by an individual at a demonstration against the Trump administration’s policies in Bangor, Maine, on July 7, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"8lt8e\">Sokol, an investigative reporter for the <a href=\"https://www.themainewire.com/\">Maine Wire</a> — a digital media outlet and project of the nonprofit think tank Maine Policy Institute — told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was interviewing people about why they were at the protest, which takes place every Tuesday.</p><p data-block-key=\"5tbc6\">A <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DaguZbShCnz/\">video</a> of the incident posted by the outlet shows a small group of people with signs standing on the side of a road. Sokol, holding a microphone, briefly interviews one woman. Then, a man holding a large sign saying “healthcare 4 all” walks up to Sokol and pushes him with the sign.</p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-tweet block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Violent anti-Trump protestor with a "healthcare 4 all" sign charges at and shoves our reporter in Bangor.<br><br>This is assault, plain and simple: <a href=\"https://t.co/CORkDYaUOs\">pic.twitter.com/CORkDYaUOs</a></p>— The Maine Wire (@TheMaineWire) <a href=\"https://x.com/TheMaineWire/status/2074575910250889389?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 7, 2026</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.x.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"wi9bk\">“That’s assault,” the reporter says. “Why would you just assault me?”</p><p data-block-key=\"4bq8q\">A woman apologizes to Sokol, and the man says he didn’t see him and walks away.</p><p data-block-key=\"4rtss\">The video goes on to show Sokol trying to ask someone else questions when the same man appears to deliberately back up, bump into and elbow him; the woman apologizes again.</p><p data-block-key=\"3sm2a\">Sokol said he told the man that he was going to file a police report, and went with his photographer to a nearby police station. There, they reviewed video footage of the assault with an officer.</p><p data-block-key=\"925p9\">They then went with the officer back to the protest and the man was detained, Sokol said.</p><p data-block-key=\"3j0pa\">Fox News, citing the Bangor Police Department, <a href=\"https://www.foxnews.com/media/anti-trump-protestor-charged-after-viral-video-appears-show-journalist-shoved-maine-protest\">reported</a> that the man — identified as Ronald Staples — faces an assault charge.</p><p data-block-key=\"2t7sj\">Bangor Police Department confirmed Staples’ charge in an email to the Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"7qkmm\">Sokol said that Maine Wire journalists had been <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?targeted_institutions=Maine+Wire&categories=Assault\">targets</a> of violence, and he didn’t wear anything with the outlet’s name on it when reporting. He said he didn’t know for sure whether the man who assaulted him knew he was from Maine Wire, but “I would bet a good chunk of money on it.”</p><p data-block-key=\"20mqe\"><i>Update: This article was revised to include a response from the Bangor Police Department.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"zzj5s\">Maine Wire reporter Joe Sokol, seen holding a microphone, was shoved multiple times by a man at a July 7, 2026, protest in Bangor; the man was later charged with assault.</p>",
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"assailant": "private individual",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
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"name": "Maine",
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"Joe Sokol (Maine Wire)"
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{
"title": "Producer detained after judge closes courtroom for grand jury indictment",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/producer-detained-after-judge-closes-courtroom-for-grand-jury-indictment/",
"first_published_at": "2026-07-10T18:13:43.191000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-07-14T17:04:18.109624Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-07-14T17:04:17.919680Z",
"date": "2026-07-02",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "New Orleans",
"longitude": -90.07507,
"latitude": 29.95465,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"g2sg0\">WWL-TV investigative producer Danny Monteverde was handcuffed and detained by deputies after questioning a judge’s decision to close a court proceeding announcing the indictment of the Louisiana attorney general on July 2, 2026, in New Orleans.</p><p data-block-key=\"ejr7f\">Judge Leon Roche ordered the courtroom sealed before the grand jury returned the <a href=\"https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/local/orleans/orleans-parish-grand-jury-indicts-state-attorney-general-liz-murrill/289-0c77c89b-1e85-4b18-93ff-8fd0b0a4fd91\">indictment against Attorney General Liz Murrill</a>, though he did not explain why at the time. Louisiana law requires grand jury indictments be handed up in open court.</p><p data-block-key=\"cvaa2\">About a half-dozen news reporters waited in the hallway for the judge to reopen the courtroom. At that time, Monteverde asserted the proceedings should be public. He contacted WWL-TV’s First Amendment lawyer Elana Beiser, who quickly arrived with a motion seeking to open proceedings. But the courtroom remained locked.</p><p data-block-key=\"9dsvc\">“They basically ignored me,” Beiser told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"54qjj\">Then, close to a dozen Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived and ordered reporters away from the courtroom doors. When reporters questioned why they were barred from entering, a man who did not identify himself emerged from the courtroom and warned they could face contempt of court charges if they did not leave.</p><p data-block-key=\"ah1js\">At least one deputy threatened to handcuff anyone who refused to move. A <a href=\"https://www.nola.com/news/courts/new-orleans-liz-murrill-courtroom-closed/article_996ee81d-10ae-4a9c-992c-f29f62595694.html\">Times-Picayune reporter</a> who left the building was denied reentry a few minutes later.</p><p data-block-key=\"figtd\">“Danny kept saying to the deputies, ‘Why? I don’t understand. I’m not going to leave the public hallway,’” Beiser told the Tracker. “They cuffed Danny. They cuffed him behind his back quite tightly, and they led him toward the security checkpoint by the entrance.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4bhne\">Deputies also detained Beiser, who had repeatedly insisted that she was an attorney representing Monteverde’s station. Instead, they grabbed her cellphone, tossed it away and handcuffed her behind her back. She said one deputy read her her Miranda rights.</p><p data-block-key=\"21iue\">Beiser told the Tracker that she and Monteverde were both detained for around 20 minutes; the restraints left red marks on their wrists. Monteverde did not return a request for comment by the Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"6psu8\">In a statement to the Tracker, Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Keith Lampkin said deputies were directed by the judge to secure the courtroom door and surrounding area to protect the integrity of the grand jury process. He added that the office was continuing to gather all available details about what occurred.</p><p data-block-key=\"dmpso\">“It is our understanding that OPSO personnel acted in accordance with the directives they received and worked to ensure an orderly conclusion to the proceedings and safe passage for all persons involved,” Lampkin said.</p><p data-block-key=\"bdc3n\">The judge and prosecutor later said the media was removed from the courtroom to protect the anonymity of the grand jury. At a news conference, special prosecutor Laurie White said she asked deputies to release Monteverde and Beiser.</p><p data-block-key=\"v5l1\">“You all were handcuffed by sheriff’s deputies because you wouldn’t obey an order,” White said. “You all weren’t willing to walk out when you were asked to do so.”</p><p data-block-key=\"do7fm\">Roche, who did not respond to a Tracker request for comment, later <a href=\"https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/local/orleans/new-orleans-judge-defends-media-blackout-following-murrills-indictment/289-90d9a700-ae29-45c6-80dc-37305681cc11?fbclid=IwY2xjawS7n0JleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFhcFBnUllvbXhEUGNJdHJYc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHoJ52FbvNwDruAEACnOqhMnJ2nvmWAdJOl_iVK6p-UJ1k5t_Z_0SFy3I-DA9_aem_tKSz_qEdWSjULm9nhr8ipQ\">defended his decision</a> to close the proceedings. In a court filing, he claimed he received credible information that reporters were trying to film and communicate with grand jurors, and ordered the deputy sheriffs to clear the room out of an abundance of caution.</p><p data-block-key=\"8b3g6\">Roche said in the filing that he “never instructed deputy sheriffs to remand or detain any members of the media.” He added that the media was not handcuffed inside the courtroom.</p><p data-block-key=\"c0pjo\">Murrill, who was indicted on 16 counts related to violating anti-intimidation laws, denies any wrongdoing. In a <a href=\"https://x.com/AGLizMurrill/status/2072818377471783292\">statement posted to X</a>, she criticized the handling of the grand jury proceedings and called the decision to lock out the media and handcuff Monteverde a “clear violation of Louisiana law.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1dhvg\">The state Supreme Court has since <a href=\"https://www.wwltv.com/article/syndication/associatedpress/louisianas-top-court-halts-the-criminal-case-against-the-state-attorney-general/616-7549aa04-e4ae-42c0-be55-a583b9763e7b\">halted Murrill’s indictment</a>. In its order, the court cited “disturbing defects” in the proceedings, including that Roche had closed the courtroom to the press and public.</p><p data-block-key=\"oela\">In his responding court filing, Roche argued that “open court” refers to the presence of a judge on the bench, not that the proceedings must be open to the public.</p><p data-block-key=\"4u9hj\"><i>Update: This article was revised to include a comment from the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Screenshot_2026-07-09_at_12.55.09.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"xxbwr\">A screen grab of producer Danny Monteverde during a WWL-TV newscast. Monteverde was handcuffed by deputies after questioning the closing of a courtroom during a grand jury proceeding in New Orleans, Louisiana, on July 2, 2026.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office",
"arrest_status": "detained and released without being processed",
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": "2026-07-02",
"unnecessary_use_of_force": true,
"case_number": null,
"case_type": null,
"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": null,
"did_authorities_ask_about_work": null,
"assailant": null,
"was_journalist_targeted": null,
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "Louisiana",
"abbreviation": "LA"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Danny Monteverde (WWL-TV)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Deputy points gun at photographer during World Cup celebration",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/deputy-points-gun-at-photographer-during-world-cup-celebration/",
"first_published_at": "2026-08-13T16:58:32.039660Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-08-13T16:58:47.812387Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-08-13T16:58:47.687902Z",
"date": "2026-06-30",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "East Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.17202,
"latitude": 34.0239,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"u6pds\">A sheriff’s deputy aimed a firearm at independent photographer Steven Berumen while the journalist was documenting an arrest at a World Cup celebration in East Los Angeles, California, on June 30, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"5tdb1\">Berumen told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he had gone to an East LA neighborhood to document celebrations after Mexico won its match against Ecuador during the FIFA World Cup.</p><p data-block-key=\"26n4n\">Berumen saw LA County sheriff’s deputies chasing several young people around the block. As deputies apprehended one of them, Berumen approached to photograph the arrest. He said one deputy then raised a firearm and pointed it at him, ordering him to stand back.</p><p data-block-key=\"dmc3a\">Berumen said he was wearing a blue press vest and identified himself as a journalist, but the deputy continued pointing the firearm at him. “I was wearing my press gear. I don’t think he cared, and I got a gun pointed at me,” he said.</p><p data-block-key=\"3jjpa\">Later, a flash-bang canister fired by law enforcement detonated near his feet. Berumen said the device was deployed after someone threw a homemade firework at deputies.</p><p data-block-key=\"a8do\">At another World Cup celebration several days later, Berumen said two additional flash-bangs fired by deputies landed near him. He said neither appeared to be specifically directed at him.</p><p data-block-key=\"3sdos\">In response to a Tracker request for comment, the LA County Sheriff’s Department did not answer questions about the deputy’s actions toward Berumen. The department instead shared a <a href=\"https://local.nixle.com/alert/12502023/\">press release</a> stating that deputies responded to preserve order and maintain public safety during the celebrations.</p><p data-block-key=\"8rrbi\">Two deputies were struck with explosive devices and a third was struck in the eye by a thrown object, according to the release, which did not address the use of force against members of the press.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Sheriff_point.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"5k3cp\">A sheriff’s deputy, standing at left, points a firearm at independent journalist Steven Berumen during a law enforcement operation at a World Cup celebration in East Los Angeles, California, on June 30, 2026.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
"case_type": null,
"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": null,
"did_authorities_ask_about_work": null,
"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Steven Berumen (Independent)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "TV station vehicle windshield smashed while crew reported in Illinois",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/tv-station-vehicle-windshield-smashed-while-crew-reported-in-illinois/",
"first_published_at": "2026-07-02T17:41:16.015000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-07-07T19:02:26.635867Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-07-07T19:02:26.417102Z",
"date": "2026-06-29",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Chicago",
"longitude": -87.65005,
"latitude": 41.85003,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"peqxm\">A WBBM-TV reporter was preparing for a live broadcast with a photographer in Chicago, Illinois, on June 29, 2026, when the journalists were targeted by a group of men who shouted racial slurs and damaged the station’s news vehicle.</p><p data-block-key=\"1h2qd\">The reporter and <a href=\"/all-incidents/tv-photographers-camera-damaged-by-group-while-reporting-in-illinois/\">photographer</a> were near a local planetarium when several men in a white tow truck approached them, <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/cbs-chicago-reporter-photographer-attacked-near-adler-planetarium/?utm_source=cnn_Reliable+Sources&utm_medium=email\">the CBS-owned outlet reported</a>. One of the men yelled racial slurs and directed his <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9JSDL8586eo\">unleashed German shepherd dog</a> to attack the photographer, who is a Black man.</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/DaMiKlnCHJW/?utm_source=ig_embed\"\n\tdata-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\t<a class=\"btn btn-secondary\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DaMiKlnCHJW\">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=\"peqxm\">When the dog did not attack, one man smashed the news vehicle’s windshield with a traffic cone while another damaged the photographer’s camera, the station said.</p><p data-block-key=\"3dhhr\">About 20 minutes later, police responded to a separate incident involving the same tow truck and arrested three suspects. They recovered a firearm during the investigation.</p><p data-block-key=\"ct7uu\">In a later newscast, reporter Jermont Terry said the journalists, who were not identified, were safe. “While they are not physically hurt, what they endured while simply gathering news will impact them for quite some time.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4ce8t\">WBBM-TV reported that the suspects, who have not been identified, <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/3-people-in-custody-after-cbs-news-chicago-crew-attacked/\">may face hate crime charges.</a></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/PFT_header_images_7.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"eel1c\">A WBBM-TV station van after it was damaged by a group of men who targeted the station’s reporter and photographer on June 29, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
"case_type": null,
"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": "private individual",
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": null,
"did_authorities_ask_about_work": null,
"assailant": "private individual",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
"equipment_broken": [
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "vehicle"
}
],
"state": {
"name": "Illinois",
"abbreviation": "IL"
},
"updates": [
"(2026-07-01 10:44:00+00:00) Three charged in connection with attack against TV news crew in Chicago"
],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault",
"Equipment Damage"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Unidentified journalist 17 (WBBM-TV)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "TV photographer’s camera damaged by group while reporting in Illinois",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/tv-photographers-camera-damaged-by-group-while-reporting-in-illinois/",
"first_published_at": "2026-07-02T17:39:33.233000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-07-07T19:02:46.379081Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-07-07T19:02:46.171273Z",
"date": "2026-06-29",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Chicago",
"longitude": -87.65005,
"latitude": 41.85003,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"4d1wt\">A WBBM-TV photographer was targeted by a group of men who shouted racial slurs at him and damaged his camera while he was reporting in Chicago, Illinois, on June 29, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"2s6ln\">The photographer was preparing for a live shot <a href=\"/all-incidents/tv-station-vehicle-windshield-smashed-while-crew-reported-in-illinois/\">with a reporter</a> near a local planetarium when several men in a white tow truck approached them, <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/cbs-chicago-reporter-photographer-attacked-near-adler-planetarium/?utm_source=cnn_Reliable+Sources&utm_medium=email\">the CBS-owned outlet reported</a>. One of the men yelled racial slurs and <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9JSDL8586eo\">directed his unleashed German shepherd dog</a> to attack the photographer, who is a Black man.</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/DaMiKlnCHJW/?utm_source=ig_embed\"\n\tdata-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\t<a class=\"btn btn-secondary\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DaMiKlnCHJW\">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=\"4d1wt\">When the dog did not attack, one man smashed the news vehicle’s windshield with a traffic cone while another damaged the photographer’s camera, the station said.</p><p data-block-key=\"4r72l\">About 20 minutes later, police responded to a separate incident involving the same tow truck and arrested three suspects. They recovered a firearm during the investigation.</p><p data-block-key=\"11u6o\">In a later newscast, reporter Jermont Terry said the journalists, who were not identified, were safe. “While they are not physically hurt, what they endured while simply gathering news will impact them for quite some time.”</p><p data-block-key=\"aaic9\">WBBM-TV reported that the suspects, who have not been identified, <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/3-people-in-custody-after-cbs-news-chicago-crew-attacked/\">may face hate crime charges.</a></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/PFT_header_images_8.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"779z1\">Police inspect a WBBM-TV photographer’s camera after it was damaged when a group of individuals targeted the station’s photographer and reporter on June 29, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
"case_type": null,
"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": "private individual",
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": null,
"did_authorities_ask_about_work": null,
"assailant": "private individual",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
"equipment_broken": [
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "camera"
}
],
"state": {
"name": "Illinois",
"abbreviation": "IL"
},
"updates": [
"(2026-07-01 10:53:00+00:00) Three charged in connection with attack against TV news crew in Chicago"
],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault",
"Equipment Damage"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Unidentified photojournalist 49 (WBBM-TV)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Editor detained at U.S. event in Belgium after filming official",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/editor-detained-at-us-event-in-belgium-after-filming-official/",
"first_published_at": "2026-07-09T13:42:09.845000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-07-14T17:23:59.458662Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-07-14T17:23:59.271999Z",
"date": "2026-06-28",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Brussels",
"longitude": null,
"latitude": null,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"9l1iq\">European Correspondent editor-in-chief Julius Fintelmann and the outlet’s reporter were detained at a U.S. government-organized event celebrating America’s 250th birthday in Brussels after questioning the U.S. ambassador to Belgium on June 28, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"dllff\">The State Department <a href=\"https://europeancorrespondent.com/en/r/a-us-ambassador-turned-police-on-an-activist-then-on-me\">invited</a> the journalists to the Freedom 250 event, held in the city’s largest park and organized by the three U.S. embassies in Brussels. While there, Dempsey and Fintelmann interviewed attendees, including the president of the European Parliament and the European Union’s commissioner for defense.</p><p data-block-key=\"1iphi\">Dempsey later approached Ambassador Bill White to ask him questions about an <a href=\"https://europeancorrespondent.com/en/r/a-us-ambassador-turned-police-on-an-activist-then-on-me\">email he had sent</a> to American activist and Belgium resident John Hasan Yildiz, who had urged the Zac Brown Band to reconsider performing at the celebration. In the email, which copied both federal and local law enforcement in Belgium and the embassy’s head of security, White suggested he had obtained Yildiz’s personal information and shared it with police.</p><p data-block-key=\"devdd\">Even though White had initially agreed to answer questions, he declined to comment and walked away. A member of his entourage motioned for Dempsey to leave in an <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DaKho_7Dp4w/\">Instagram video</a> of the interaction.</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/DaKho_7Dp4w/?utm_source=ig_embed\"\n\tdata-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\t<a class=\"btn btn-secondary\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DaKho_7Dp4w\">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=\"9l1iq\">Twenty minutes later, as the Pledge of Allegiance played and American World War II aircraft flew overhead, about eight Brussels police officers wearing plain clothes <a href=\"/all-incidents/reporter-detained-at-us-event-in-belgium-after-questioning-official/\">surrounded Dempsey</a> and started moving him out of the event.</p><p data-block-key=\"3bc82\">The officers also confronted Fintelmann, who had begun filming the encounter. They demanded his identification and started physically removing him from the event. The police questioned the reporters about whether The European Correspondent had a political agenda and how the outlet had gained access to the event, despite being invited by the embassy.</p><p data-block-key=\"86el0\">“They were told we were an active threat by the ambassador,” Fintelmann told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. “Through the course of the conversation, they understood that we were journalists just doing our job.”</p><p data-block-key=\"2q8tg\">The reporters were detained for about 20 minutes before being <a href=\"/all-incidents/reporters-removed-from-us-event-in-belgium-after-questioning-official/\">escorted out.</a></p><p data-block-key=\"bjlrs\">Victor Kanyanzira, spokesperson for Brussels Mayor Philippe Close, told the Tracker in an email that police questioned the journalists after event organizers reported them as a threat. Officers determined the reporters posed no danger. However, at the organizers’ request, the event’s private security staff removed them from the premises.</p><p data-block-key=\"2u95g\">“We would like to stress that these are not methods that we personally use in our relations with the press,” the statement said. “The City of Brussels remains committed to maintaining a constructive and respectful relationship with journalists and to protecting press freedom.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1vcn\">“He just didn’t want to be asked any questions,” said Fintelmann, who was surprised the Belgian police consented to escort them out. “It’s ironic to do something like this at an event that’s tied to Freedom 250.”</p><p data-block-key=\"eoi58\">In one <a href=\"https://europeancorrespondent.com/en/r/a-us-ambassador-turned-police-on-an-activist-then-on-me\">email to the outlet</a> after the event, White implied Dempsey was connected to the activist and called him and Fintelmann “losers.” In another, White accused Dempsey of approaching him with a weapon and harassing embassy employees, allegations Dempsey denies. Video of the encounter shows Dempsey holding a cellphone as he approached White.</p><p data-block-key=\"6nrks\">White also said Dempsey would be barred from future government events. The ambassador went on to incorrectly identify Fintelmann as the activist who had emailed the Zac Brown Band, and claimed the European journalist suffered from “Trump Derangement Syndrome level five.”</p><p data-block-key=\"43kss\">Ben Grazda, advocacy manager for Reporters Without Borders, condemned the ambassador’s treatment of the journalists in <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DadPgRTjpH8/\">a statement.</a></p><p data-block-key=\"ecmb1\">“It is ludicrous that, on the anniversary of America declaring itself free from tyranny, the US Ambassador to Belgium, at his massive party for the occasion, kicked out an American and a European journalist simply for asking questions,” he wrote. “Americans expect their top diplomats to at least respect the nation’s founding values in their official duties. We hope Ambassador White will turn his attention to the matter of the Constitution before he disgraces it again.”</p><p data-block-key=\"avmo7\"><i>Update: This article was revised to include a comment from the spokesperson for Brussels Mayor Philippe Close.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"ef95b\">European Correspondent editor-in-chief Julius Fintelmann, right, speaks in a video screen grab with reporter Samuel Dempsey after both were detained at a U.S. government event in Brussels, Belgium, on June 28, 2026.</p>",
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{
"title": "Reporters removed from U.S. event in Belgium after questioning official",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporters-removed-from-us-event-in-belgium-after-questioning-official/",
"first_published_at": "2026-07-09T13:46:24.254000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-07-14T17:39:34.686416Z",
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"kd1z3\">European Correspondent reporter Samuel Dempsey and editor-in-chief Julius Fintelmann were removed from a U.S. government-organized event celebrating America’s 250th birthday in Brussels after questioning the U.S. ambassador to Belgium on June 28, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"a6nk5\">The State Department <a href=\"https://europeancorrespondent.com/en/r/a-us-ambassador-turned-police-on-an-activist-then-on-me\">invited</a> the journalists to the Freedom 250 event, held in the city’s largest park and organized by the three U.S. embassies in Brussels. While there, Dempsey and Fintelmann interviewed attendees, including the president of the European Parliament and the European Union’s commissioner for defense.</p><p data-block-key=\"423ev\">Dempsey later approached Ambassador Bill White to ask him questions about an <a href=\"https://europeancorrespondent.com/en/r/a-us-ambassador-turned-police-on-an-activist-then-on-me\">email he had sent</a> to American activist and Belgium resident John Hasan Yildiz, who had urged the Zac Brown Band to reconsider performing at the celebration. In the email, which copied both federal and local law enforcement in Belgium and the embassy’s head of security, White suggested he had obtained Yildiz’s personal information and shared it with police.</p><p data-block-key=\"ete0d\">Even though White had initially agreed to answer questions, he declined to comment and walked away. A member of his entourage motioned for Dempsey to leave, as shown in an <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DaKho_7Dp4w/\">Instagram video</a> of the interaction.</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/DaKho_7Dp4w/?utm_source=ig_embed\"\n\tdata-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\t<a class=\"btn btn-secondary\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DaKho_7Dp4w\">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=\"kd1z3\">Twenty minutes later, as the Pledge of Allegiance played and American World War II aircraft flew overhead, about eight Brussels police officers wearing plain clothes <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-detained-at-us-event-in-belgium-after-questioning-official/\">surrounded Dempsey</a> and started moving him out of the event.</p><p data-block-key=\"a3shm\">“They got in my ear and were kind of yelling at me,” Dempsey told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"8oo4g\">Dempsey, an American citizen, repeatedly told police he was a journalist and asked why they were detaining him. He said officers continued to physically move him and initially became more hostile.</p><p data-block-key=\"cpeh5\">“This was when all the songs for the country were playing, and it’s supposed to be a peaceful, unifying moment,” Dempsey said.</p><p data-block-key=\"csgkg\">The officers also <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/editor-detained-at-us-event-in-belgium-after-filming-official/\">confronted Fintelmann</a>, who had begun filming the encounter. They demanded his identification and started physically removing him from the event. The journalists were detained for about 20 minutes before being escorted out.</p><p data-block-key=\"6acrk\">While being detained, police questioned the journalists about whether The European Correspondent had a political agenda and how the outlet had gained access to the event, despite being invited by the embassy.</p><p data-block-key=\"5ip3g\">Officers told the journalists they had been informed Dempsey posed an active threat and didn’t believe he was a reporter until receiving confirmation from event officials.</p><p data-block-key=\"cr0pg\">Victor Kanyanzira, spokesperson for Brussels Mayor Philippe Close, confirmed this in an email to the Tracker, saying police determined the journalists posed no danger after questioning them. However, at the organizers’ request, the event’s private security staff removed them from the premises.</p><p data-block-key=\"7psbi\">“We would like to stress that these are not methods that we personally use in our relations with the press,” the statement said. “The City of Brussels remains committed to maintaining a constructive and respectful relationship with journalists and to protecting press freedom.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3t2rr\">The U.S. Embassy in Belgium did not return a Tracker request for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"ft0i0\">Dempsey said that characterizing him as a threat unnecessarily escalated the encounter by failing to tell responding officers that he was a reporter.</p><p data-block-key=\"e8fnj\">“They entered a scenario where they didn’t know if I was an active terrorist, if I was an agitator, they had no idea what was going on,” he said in <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DaKho_7Dp4w/\">the Instagram video</a>. “They put me physically at risk and them physically at risk if things were to escalate.”</p><p data-block-key=\"61ssi\">In one <a href=\"https://europeancorrespondent.com/en/r/a-us-ambassador-turned-police-on-an-activist-then-on-me\">email to the outlet</a> after the event, White implied Dempsey was connected to the activist and called him and Fintelmann “losers.” In another, White accused Dempsey of approaching him with a weapon and harassing embassy employees, allegations Dempsey denies. Video of the encounter shows Dempsey holding a cellphone as he approached White.</p><p data-block-key=\"9ep54\">White also said Dempsey would be barred from future government events. The ambassador went on to incorrectly identify Fintelmann as the activist who had emailed the Zac Brown Band, and claimed the European journalist suffered from “Trump Derangement Syndrome level five.”</p><p data-block-key=\"fg52a\">Ben Grazda, advocacy manager for Reporters Without Borders, condemned the ambassador’s treatment of the journalists <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DadPgRTjpH8/\">in a statement.</a></p><p data-block-key=\"7sloh\">“It is ludicrous that, on the anniversary of America declaring itself free from tyranny, the US Ambassador to Belgium, at his massive party for the occasion, kicked out an American and a European journalist simply for asking questions,” he wrote. “Americans expect their top diplomats to at least respect the nation’s founding values in their official duties. We hope Ambassador White will turn his attention to the matter of the Constitution before he disgraces it again.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4886q\"><i>Update: This article was revised to include a comment from the spokesperson for Brussels Mayor Philippe Close.</i></p></div>",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"p215x\">European Correspondent reporter Samuel Dempsey — center, in white T-shirt — who along with his editor was removed from a U.S. government event over his reporting in Brussels, Belgium, on June 28, 2026.</p>",
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{
"title": "Reporter detained at U.S. event in Belgium after questioning official",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-detained-at-us-event-in-belgium-after-questioning-official/",
"first_published_at": "2026-07-09T13:45:02.552000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-07-14T17:31:21.131227Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-07-14T17:31:20.934516Z",
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"5ah1i\">European Correspondent reporter Samuel Dempsey and his editor were detained at a U.S. government-organized event celebrating America’s 250th birthday in Brussels after questioning the U.S. ambassador to Belgium on June 28, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"dbvj\">The State Department <a href=\"https://europeancorrespondent.com/en/r/a-us-ambassador-turned-police-on-an-activist-then-on-me\">invited</a> the journalists to the Freedom 250 event, held in the city’s largest park and organized by the three U.S. embassies in Brussels. While there, Dempsey and Fintelmann interviewed attendees, including the president of the European Parliament and the European Union’s commissioner for defense.</p><p data-block-key=\"26ovp\">Dempsey later approached Ambassador Bill White to ask him questions about an <a href=\"https://europeancorrespondent.com/en/r/a-us-ambassador-turned-police-on-an-activist-then-on-me\">email he had sent</a> to American activist and Belgium resident John Hasan Yildiz, who had urged the Zac Brown Band to reconsider performing at the celebration. In the email, which copied both federal and local law enforcement in Belgium and the embassy’s head of security, White suggested he had obtained Yildiz’s personal information and shared it with police.</p><p data-block-key=\"5vb8n\">Even though White had initially agreed to answer questions, he declined to comment and walked away. A member of his entourage motioned for Dempsey to leave in an <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DaKho_7Dp4w/\">Instagram video</a> of the interaction.</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/DaKho_7Dp4w/?utm_source=ig_embed\"\n\tdata-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\t<a class=\"btn btn-secondary\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DaKho_7Dp4w\">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=\"o4hcm\">Twenty minutes later, as the Pledge of Allegiance played and American World War II aircraft flew overhead, about eight Brussels police officers wearing plain clothes surrounded Dempsey and started moving him out of the event.</p><p data-block-key=\"drt03\">“They got in my ear and were kind of yelling at me,” Dempsey told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"38l2t\">Dempsey, an American citizen, repeatedly told police he was a journalist and asked why they were detaining him. He said officers continued to physically move him and initially became more hostile.</p><p data-block-key=\"3br7o\">“They did put their hands on me. They did physically move me without my permission,” Dempsey said of the police use of force. “But it did not seem like they were looking to inflict harm.”</p><p data-block-key=\"a4t4n\">The officers also <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/editor-detained-at-us-event-in-belgium-after-filming-official/\">confronted Fintelmann</a>, who had begun filming the encounter. They demanded his identification and started physically removing him from the event. The journalists were detained for about 20 minutes before being <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporters-removed-from-us-event-in-belgium-after-questioning-official/\">escorted out.</a></p><p data-block-key=\"duaqh\">While being detained, police questioned the journalists about whether The European Correspondent had a political agenda and how the outlet had gained access to the event, despite being invited by the embassy.</p><p data-block-key=\"7uq\">“Jumping straight to, ‘You are being detained and removed,’ that’s not what the law is here at all,” Dempsey said.</p><p data-block-key=\"e3ccc\">Officers told the journalists they had been informed Dempsey posed an active threat and didn’t believe he was a reporter until receiving confirmation from event officials.</p><p data-block-key=\"2o1be\">Victor Kanyanzira, spokesperson for Brussels Mayor Philippe Close, confirmed this in an email to the Tracker, saying police determined the journalists posed no danger after questioning them. However, at the organizers’ request, the event’s private security staff removed them from the premises.</p><p data-block-key=\"d1inm\">“We would like to stress that these are not methods that we personally use in our relations with the press,” the statement said. “The City of Brussels remains committed to maintaining a constructive and respectful relationship with journalists and to protecting press freedom.”</p><p data-block-key=\"f2et2\">The U.S. Embassy in Belgium did not return a Tracker request for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"euj78\">Dempsey said that characterizing him as a threat unnecessarily escalated the encounter by failing to tell responding officers that he was a reporter.</p><p data-block-key=\"a69kk\">“They entered a scenario where they didn’t know if I was an active terrorist, if I was an agitator, they had no idea what was going on,” he said in <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DaKho_7Dp4w/\">the Instagram video</a>. “They put me physically at risk and them physically at risk if things were to escalate.”</p><p data-block-key=\"entke\">In one <a href=\"https://europeancorrespondent.com/en/r/a-us-ambassador-turned-police-on-an-activist-then-on-me\">email to the outlet</a> after the event, White implied Dempsey was connected to the activist and called him and Fintelmann “losers.” In another, White accused Dempsey of approaching him with a weapon and harassing embassy employees, allegations Dempsey denies. Video of the encounter shows Dempsey holding a cellphone as he approached White.</p><p data-block-key=\"1epp2\">White also said Dempsey would be barred from future government events. The ambassador went on to incorrectly identify Fintelmann as the activist who had emailed the Zac Brown Band, and claimed the European journalist suffered from “Trump Derangement Syndrome level five.”</p><p data-block-key=\"brqq2\">Ben Grazda, advocacy manager for Reporters Without Borders, condemned the ambassador’s treatment of the journalists <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DadPgRTjpH8/\">in a statement.</a></p><p data-block-key=\"dhuvm\">“It is ludicrous that, on the anniversary of America declaring itself free from tyranny, the US Ambassador to Belgium, at his massive party for the occasion, kicked out an American and a European journalist simply for asking questions,” he wrote. “Americans expect their top diplomats to at least respect the nation’s founding values in their official duties. We hope Ambassador White will turn his attention to the matter of the Constitution before he disgraces it again.”</p><p data-block-key=\"f21aa\"><i>Update: This article was revised to include a comment from the spokesperson for Brussels Mayor Philippe Close.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"azkqr\">European Correspondent reporter Samuel Dempsey, in white T-shirt, questions American Ambassador to Belgium Bill White at a U.S. government event in Brussels on June 28, 2026. Dempsey was later detained and barred from the event.</p>",
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{
"title": "Photojournalist pepper-sprayed by federal officer at New Jersey protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-pepper-sprayed-by-federal-officer-at-new-jersey-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-30T18:38:28.263000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-30T20:50:30.945721Z",
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"bxu4r\">Photojournalist Stephanie Keith was targeted with pepper spray by a federal officer while documenting a protest outside a detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 27, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"c46bs\">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. 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=\"b8a3r\">Federal <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/nj-senator-pepper-sprayed-with-protestors-outside-delaney-hall-immigrant-center-in-newark\">officers</a> have <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=\"dvvds\">Keith <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DaHOEYwDBoi/?img_index=5\">posted images</a> from the protest on Instagram, two of which show an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer deploying a can of pepper spray directly at her camera. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</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/DaHOEYwDBoi/?utm_source=ig_embed\"\n\tdata-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\t<a class=\"btn btn-secondary\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DaHOEYwDBoi\">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=\"bxu4r\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 24, 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=\"bhr7n\">“We remind members of the media and the public 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>",
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"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2026-06-07T054552Z_1917927248_RC2.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"gpl19\">Federal law enforcement outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on June 6, 2026. Stephanie Keith was pepper-sprayed by a federal officer at a protest there later in the month.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
"case_type": null,
"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
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"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
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"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
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"state": {
"name": "New Jersey",
"abbreviation": "NJ"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"chemical irritant",
"Department of Homeland Security",
"immigration",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Stephanie Keith (Freelance)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Journalist pepper-sprayed by federal officers at Father’s Day protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-pepper-sprayed-by-federal-officers-at-fathers-day-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-26T18:26:32.826583Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-26T18:26:32.826583Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-26T18:26:32.659606Z",
"date": "2026-06-21",
"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=\"4ukva\">Independent reporter and photojournalist Wali Khan was targeted with pepper spray by federal officers while documenting protests outside a detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 21, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"1mvvi\">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=\"cq3o8\">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=\"3nme8\">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=\"b0tgn\">Khan <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ8Pgj6CSLG/?img_index=5\">reported on social media</a> that protesters gathered outside the facility on June 21, tying neckties to the main gate after all Father’s Day visitations were canceled.</p><p data-block-key=\"cc4t6\">In a <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ5lN7MoRQT/\">social media post</a> he jointly published with Status Coup, federal officers can be seen streaming out of the facility alongside a couple of Geo Group employees, and starting to push demonstrators back while conducting arrests.</p><p data-block-key=\"2ppqe\">After deploying chemical munitions at the crowd — including pepper spray and pepper balls — officers then retreat behind the fence marking the detention center grounds.</p><p data-block-key=\"bfmmi\">Khan told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that an officer deliberately pepper-sprayed him, adding simply, “That really fucking sucked.”</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/DZ5lN7MoRQT/?utm_source=ig_embed\"\n\tdata-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\t<a class=\"btn btn-secondary\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ5lN7MoRQT\">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=\"4ukva\">Reflecting on the last month of protests, Khan said that federal officers routinely targeted members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"7fdsp\">“When the ICE or DHS officers step in to push protesters back, who are trying to block vehicles or whatever, they very obviously target journalists who are in front and taking pictures,” Khan said. “They push us back and beat us. They pepper-spray us. They don’t care.</p><p data-block-key=\"96rk6\">“They deploy their less-lethal ammunition like it’s a toy, and they’re very trigger-happy,” he added.</p><p data-block-key=\"dcpo\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 24, 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=\"5or5a\">“We remind members of the media and the public 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/June_21__IMG_2335.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"1jai2\">Federal officers with crowd-control weapons stand before an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 21, 2026. Journalist Wali Khan was covering protests outside the facility that day when an officer targeted him with pepper spray.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
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"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
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"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
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"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
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"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
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"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
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"state": {
"name": "New Jersey",
"abbreviation": "NJ"
},
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"tags": [
"chemical irritant",
"Department of Homeland Security",
"immigration",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Wali Khan (Independent)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Man charged in Vermont for assaulting journalist at home",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/man-charged-in-vermont-for-assaulting-journalist-at-home/",
"first_published_at": "2026-08-27T14:14:21.717922Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-08-27T14:14:21.717922Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-08-27T14:05:26.456212Z",
"date": "2026-06-20",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Brattleboro",
"longitude": -72.55787,
"latitude": 42.85092,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"650ll\">Independent journalist Hank Poitras said he was assaulted at his home in Brattleboro, Vermont, on June 20, 2026, by a man whose arrest he had filmed weeks earlier.</p><p data-block-key=\"8ts4l\">Poitras runs the social media platforms and websites Planet Hank and Brattleboro News, where he documents local crime and public safety issues, including by filming police activities. Poitras is also a local Republican Party leader.</p><p data-block-key=\"au7sr\">On May 6, Poitras <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/reel/967275512876779\">filmed</a> police in the nearby town of Keene, New Hampshire, arresting Julian Lemert, a 20-year-old college student, for allegedly assaulting a woman, and later posted a video about the incident and the charges Lemert faced.</p><p data-block-key=\"4j8uo\">In the video, Lemert can be seen asking Poitras why he is filming and asking police who he is. Poitras told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker he was filming the arrest with a mobile professional camera and was clearly there to document.</p><p data-block-key=\"8ajsa\">Poitras said he didn’t hear anything from Lemert after he posted the May video of his arrest.</p><p data-block-key=\"ce6q6\">Then, early in the morning on June 20, Poitras said he was alerted to the presence of someone at his house by his dog barking. He saw Lemert outside his window, and said he heard him calling his name and yelling, “Fuck you, Planet Hank!”</p><p data-block-key=\"7qb8d\">“It was definitely because of the video. I have no tie to him, and it’s not like he was calling me my personal name or anything,” he said. “He was coming after me because of Planet Hank.”</p><p data-block-key=\"79qut\">Poitras called the police as soon as he recognized Lemert.</p><p data-block-key=\"44b0v\">When he went to his door and Lemert saw him from outside, the college student ran toward the door and threw a rock, Poitras said. The journalist started <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/reel/1680461859833490\">filming the encounter.</a></p><p data-block-key=\"f9gc4\">“And he just came right up and used his hand and smashed right through the glass and basically kicked open the door,” Poitras added.</p><p data-block-key=\"9c0p8\">Poitras said he grabbed Lemert and wrestled him to the ground. As he was holding him, Lemert allegedly tried to stab him in the leg.</p><p data-block-key=\"9usr1\">The journalist said he then went back into his house, but dropped his phone, which he said Lemert grabbed and ran away with. Soon after, Lemert was <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1404628438362872&set=a.233311682161226\">taken into custody</a> by Brattleboro police.</p><p data-block-key=\"74lrg\">Poitras said Lemert threw his phone in a river; it was later retrieved by the fire department, providing police with video of the assault.</p><p data-block-key=\"1vs3a\">Lemert pleaded not guilty on June 23 to felony charges, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and burglary, and other charges related to theft and property damage, according to <a href=\"https://www.reformer.com/local-news/ny-man-appears-in-court-to-face-charges-of-assault-against-community-journalist/article_f59ea20b-e8ea-4a3b-8b91-7e2292965b6d.html\">news</a> <a href=\"https://mykeenenow.com/news/219912-keene-state-college-student-held-without-bail-after-alleged-brattleboro-home-invasion/\">reports</a> that cited court records.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Poitras_image.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"hatyb\">A man, later identified as Julian Lemert, approaches independent journalist Hank Poitras’ home in Brattleboro, Vermont, on June 20, 2026, where he allegedly assaulted the journalist. Lemert was arrested soon after.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
"case_type": null,
"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": "private individual",
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
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"assailant": "private individual",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
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{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "cellphone"
}
],
"state": {
"name": "Vermont",
"abbreviation": "VT"
},
"updates": [],
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"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [],
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"categories": [
"Assault",
"Equipment Damage"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Hank Poitras (Independent)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Photojournalist arrested mid-interview, incarcerated since June",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-arrested-mid-interview-incarcerated-since-june/",
"first_published_at": "2026-07-24T20:30:15.413000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-08-03T15:02:27.184377Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-08-03T15:02:27.026059Z",
"date": "2026-06-11",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Hardwick Township",
"longitude": null,
"latitude": null,
"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"50atl\">Trisha Brownlee, an independent photographer, was arrested by state police on June 11, 2026, while interviewing two men who were observing Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Hardwick Township, New Jersey. As of publication time, six weeks following her arrest, she had yet to be released.</p><p data-block-key=\"hd4t\">Brownlee’s mother, Sharon Edwards, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that her daughter, who has worked as a photojournalist on and off since 2004, was reporting a story about people who follow ICE activity to inform their communities, and had planned to pitch the completed piece to an outlet.</p><p data-block-key=\"4dmv0\">Brownlee traveled from York, Pennsylvania — where she has been living with her mother since late 2025 — to Hardwick Township several hours away. There, she entered the vehicle of two ICE watchers, interviewing them as they followed an ICE bus for approximately 50 minutes.</p><p data-block-key=\"cqq7q\">Eventually, ICE agents called state police, who discovered that the vehicle’s registration had expired and noticed some loose ammunition on the floor. Upon searching the vehicle, police found a handgun in the glove compartment and, later, a shotgun.</p><p data-block-key=\"dpvia\">According to Edwards and a spokesperson for Brownlee’s public defender, Brownlee immediately told the officers that she was a journalist interviewing the two ICE observers and that the vehicle did not belong to her. Brownlee also holds a National Press Photographers Association credential, which was in her parked car at time of arrest.</p><p data-block-key=\"7ssjb\">“My daughter said she never saw any weapons, never saw anything, knew anything about it. And, of course, the people in the vehicle, the driver did not fess up that they belonged to them,” Edwards told the Tracker, “So then they arrested them all by association.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5rsk0\">Edwards added that her daughter’s wrist and leg were injured during the arrest.</p><p data-block-key=\"3ppaq\">Brownlee was charged with illegal possession of armor-piercing rounds, court filings show, and she was placed in the Warren County Correctional Center in Belvedere, New Jersey, where she has been since.</p><p data-block-key=\"ckf5\">Edwards said Brownlee, a disabled veteran with Crohn’s disease, has gone without her medication since the arrest. Her family pushed for a medical release, but the request was denied.</p><p data-block-key=\"8bsiv\">The New Jersey State Police and state prosecutor’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"46cuh\"><i>Update: This report has been revised to clarify how long Trisha Brownlee has been held in jail.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/image3.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"jgy3b\">Trisha Brownlee, pictured above during her service as a military photographer, was arrested by police on June 11, 2026, in Hardwick Township, New Jersey, while interviewing two individuals observing immigration agents. She has been in jail since.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "New Jersey State Police",
"arrest_status": "arrested and released",
"release_date": "2026-07-27",
"detention_date": "2026-06-11",
"unnecessary_use_of_force": true,
"case_number": null,
"case_type": null,
"status_of_seized_equipment": "in custody",
"is_search_warrant_obtained": true,
"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": null,
"did_authorities_ask_about_work": null,
"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "unknown",
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [
{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "cellphone"
}
],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "New Jersey",
"abbreviation": "NJ"
},
"updates": [
"(2026-07-27 17:15:00+00:00) Independent photographer released from jail after 47 days in detention"
],
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"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge",
"Assault",
"Equipment Search or Seizure"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Trisha Brownlee (Independent)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "NYC journalist shoved, pepper-sprayed while covering NBA watch party",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/nyc-journalist-shoved-pepper-sprayed-while-covering-nba-watch-party/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-11T19:24:45.322325Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-11T19:24:45.322325Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-11T18:52:29.425865Z",
"date": "2026-06-08",
"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=\"tsk7i\">Dean Moses, amNewYork’s police bureau chief and resident photographer, was pushed by a police officer and doused with pepper spray while covering clashes between police and fans at a basketball watch party in New York, New York, on June 8, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"t37l\">Fans gathered in and around Bryant Park in Manhattan to watch Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs, amNewYork <a href=\"https://www.amny.com/news/knicks-watch-party-arrests-bryant-park-06092026/\">reported</a>. There was a <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/knicks-game-3-guidance-arrive-early-and-without-a-bag-at-msg\">heightened law enforcement</a> presence that night, as President Donald Trump attended the game itself around 10 blocks away.</p><p data-block-key=\"7kqcr\">As the night wore on — and the Knicks lost the game — some people in the crowd became disorderly and violent, blocking traffic and climbing on top of police vehicles, according to <a href=\"https://abc7ny.com/post/bryant-park-knicks-watch-party-ends-7-arrests-disorderly-behavior/19261843/\">news</a> <a href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/knicks-fans-swarm-midtown-after-teams-first-loss-of-nba-finals\">reports</a>. The New York City Police Department said 21 people were arrested.</p><p data-block-key=\"d0oh\">According to <a href=\"https://www.amny.com/news/knicks-watch-party-arrests-bryant-park-06092026/\">amNewYork</a>, at one point, a crowd of people spilled out onto a street and a group of officers was surrounded. One officer “became enraged with members of the media, pushing an amNewYork photographer and screaming, ‘Get that flash out of my face.’”</p><p data-block-key=\"6tavs\">Moses confirmed to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was the photographer who was pushed, saying the officer claimed he was “blinding him” with the flash.</p><p data-block-key=\"5mo38\">The NYPD then used pepper spray to try to push back fans and press.</p><p data-block-key=\"c2rng\">“He also did get myself and a few other press with the pepper spray,” Moses continued, adding that he turned his head as the irritant was fired, so it got in his hair.</p><p data-block-key=\"f382v\">“They certainly knew we were press and still aimed toward us,” he said.</p><p data-block-key=\"935ff\">The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment about Moses’ assault.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Dean_Moses.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"fhs6o\">A police officer fires pepper spray at journalists and fans at a New York Knicks watch party on June 8, 2026, in New York City. Dean Moses, amNewYork’s police bureau chief and photographer, was pushed and pepper-sprayed while covering the event.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
"case_type": null,
"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
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"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": null,
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"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "New York",
"abbreviation": "NY"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
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"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"chemical irritant"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Dean Moses (amNewYork)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Videographer pushed down by officer at New Jersey immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/videographer-pushed-down-by-officer-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-10T18:55:53.628000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-30T13:33:13.925541Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-30T13:33:13.780159Z",
"date": "2026-06-07",
"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=\"h5k9z\">Independent videographer David Snow was shoved to the ground by a police officer while documenting a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on June 7, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"11gra\">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=\"fjau4\">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> and <a href=\"https://www.newarknj.gov/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/232\">city officers</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=\"b8oiu\">Snow told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that before entering the protest area on June 7, officers with the Newark Police Division initially refused to allow him to bring in his equipment bag. He said officers requested to search its contents, which he refused, and eventually permitted the bag after he agreed not to put his gas mask inside it.</p><p data-block-key=\"5rn4i\">Once inside, Snow documented Newark police making arrests and using force via his YouTube channel, <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/@theexposurereport/streams\">The Exposure Report</a>. Snow, who was wearing a visible press credential, knelt with his camera to get a better angle. Then, an officer ran toward him, grabbed both his shoulders and shoved him to the ground.</p><p data-block-key=\"20fls\">“That was targeted at me as a member of the press so I wouldn’t capture what was happening there, because they were being extremely aggressive and violent,” Snow said. “I landed on my butt. I didn’t get hurt. I just got back up and continued to do my job.”</p><p data-block-key=\"cd5l1\">A week earlier, Snow was also <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/videographer-downed-by-police-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/\">knocked down by police</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"2vakf\">The Newark police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On June 8, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/CityofNewark/posts/pfbid0RZTHcyQaXKdX91x5tByc66Dc28SwmiRqAGFh8iJQJvffHQkmQAoWBNrhyUsRRunMl?rdid=qCLVFZBJzf7exfnZ\">released a statement</a> that officers were dispatched to Delaney Hall after receiving reports that people were blocking access to the facility. Baraka also asserted that responsibility for security at the immigration detention facility rests with its private operator, The Geo Group.</p><p data-block-key=\"63c94\">“I am encouraged by the NPD investigation because it appeared that some of our officers were over aggressive and should be held accountable. It is imperative that all of our officers uphold the standards of professionalism and accountability required under the consent decree,” the mayor said. “Any conduct that falls short undermines the significant progress we have made in building trust and advancing community-focused policing in Newark.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5qp4r\">The statement did not address the use of force against members of the press.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Screenshot_2026-06-08_at_6.32.56P.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"yw0xz\">Police outside a detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on June 7, 2026. Videographer David Snow was knocked down by an officer while documenting the demonstration.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
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"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
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"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
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"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
"equipment_broken": [],
"state": {
"name": "New Jersey",
"abbreviation": "NJ"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
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"tags": [
"immigration",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
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"David Snow (Independent)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Videojournalist grabbed, shoved by police at New Jersey immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/videojournalist-grabbed-shoved-by-police-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-30T14:01:58.640590Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-30T14:01:58.640590Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-30T13:46:38.817342Z",
"date": "2026-06-07",
"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=\"yoqa2\">Status Coup videojournalist Jon Farina was grabbed and shoved by a law enforcement officer while covering protests outside a federal detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 7, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"8a2tn\">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=\"adc6p\">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=\"aggni\">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=\"5jskc\">In an Instagram post, Status Coup <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZWCWVOoP9k/?hl=en\">reported</a> that Farina was “one of several members of the press who were shoved by law enforcement and restricted from covering.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7lhap\">The first half of the footage, recorded by Farina, shows several officers shouting at him to move back.</p><p data-block-key=\"anu9d\">“No bullshit, I’ll put you in cuffs, I swear to god,” one Newark Police Division officer tells Farina.</p><p data-block-key=\"fktki\">Then a Newark detective wearing sunglasses yells at Farina to get back, as a nearby voice is heard shouting, “Press! Press! Press! Press! Press!”</p><p data-block-key=\"b7e10\">The video then cuts to footage captured by freelance photojournalist Pierre Lavie, in which an officer is seen running up to Farina as he moves away in the direction the detective specified. The officer then grabs and pushes Farina seemingly toward the street.</p><p data-block-key=\"d0b02\">A second individual, who appears to be wearing press credentials, was also shoved by the officer.</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/DZWCWVOoP9k/?utm_source=ig_embed\"\n\tdata-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\t<a class=\"btn btn-secondary\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZWCWVOoP9k\">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=\"yoqa2\">“It’s the state police — the New Jersey State Police — throwing punches to people that are on the ground. Grabbing and throwing members of the press,” Farina reports in his footage. “This is what you have going on here in New Jersey.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7n8a5\">The Newark police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On June 8, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/CityofNewark/posts/pfbid0RZTHcyQaXKdX91x5tByc66Dc28SwmiRqAGFh8iJQJvffHQkmQAoWBNrhyUsRRunMl?rdid=qCLVFZBJzf7exfnZ\">released a statement</a> that officers were dispatched to Delaney Hall after receiving reports that people were blocking access to the facility. Baraka also asserted that responsibility for security at the immigration detention facility rests with its private operator, The Geo Group.</p><p data-block-key=\"42k2s\">“I am encouraged by the NPD investigation because it appeared that some of our officers were over aggressive and should be held accountable. It is imperative that all of our officers uphold the standards of professionalism and accountability required under the consent decree,” the mayor said. “Any conduct that falls short undermines the significant progress we have made in building trust and advancing community-focused policing in Newark.”</p><p data-block-key=\"djha3\">The statement did not address the use of force against members of the press.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2026-06-07T050058Z_626535024_RC2Q.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"stgws\">Individuals fall while being pushed by police amid ongoing protests outside a federal detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 6, 2026. Status Coup videojournalist Jon Farina was grabbed and shoved by an officer while reporting the following day.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
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"subpoena_type": null,
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"links": [],
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"state": {
"name": "New Jersey",
"abbreviation": "NJ"
},
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"tags": [
"immigration",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Jon Farina (Status Coup)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Photojournalist pushed over barricade at New Jersey immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-pushed-over-barricade-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-26T20:37:08.479174Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-26T20:37:08.479174Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-26T20:37:08.262222Z",
"date": "2026-06-06",
"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=\"sfbdy\">A freelance photojournalist was shoved by police over a concrete barrier while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on June 6, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"eu7l0\">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=\"fscj3\">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 police</a> and <a href=\"https://www.newarknj.gov/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/232\">city officers</a> in the days that followed.</p><p data-block-key=\"c5ia2\">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=\"cj3n2\">Freelance photojournalist Peter Lavie, who was also at the scene, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that on June 6, Newark police carrying riot shields began pushing protesters and journalists out of the way near Delaney Hall.</p><p data-block-key=\"alnk\">As officers continued clearing the area, they pushed <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-pushed-over-barrier-breaks-flash-at-new-jersey-protest/\">Lavie</a> and two other photojournalists, forcing them backward over a concrete barrier that had been used as part of the protest perimeter.</p><p data-block-key=\"4tb7c\">Lavie identified one of the other photojournalists as <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ryjmurphy/\">Ryan Murphy</a>, who had been documenting the protests for photo agencies including Reuters and had been <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-requires-stitches-after-baton-strike-at-new-jersey-protest/\">assaulted</a> <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-hit-with-baton-doused-with-irritant-at-new-jersey-protest/\">twice</a> by federal officers while on the job in May.</p><p data-block-key=\"dgobd\">Murphy did not respond to requests for comment, and the Tracker was unable to independently confirm that he was one of the photojournalists who was pushed.</p><p data-block-key=\"bvn14\">The incident was captured on <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reels/DZRPBJZs7nv/\">video</a> by journalist L. Vural Elibol, chief videographer for Turkey’s Anadolu Agency.</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/DZRPBJZs7nv/?utm_source=ig_embed\"\n\tdata-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\t<a class=\"btn btn-secondary\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZRPBJZs7nv\">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=\"sfbdy\">Lavie — who identified the third photojournalist as <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/freelance-photojournalist-pushed-over-concrete-barrier-at-new-jersey-protest/\">Tom Hudson</a> — said they “all collapsed on each other.” He added that he believed officers were indiscriminately pushing people out of the area rather than targeting journalists specifically.</p><p data-block-key=\"dq7n5\">The Newark police did not respond to a request for comment. On June 8, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1332157815726129&set=a.171394608469128\">released a statement</a> asserting that responsibility for security at the immigration detention facility rests with its private operator, The Geo Group, but that city police are required to uphold standards of professionalism and accountability.</p><p data-block-key=\"2fjog\">“Any conduct that falls short undermines the significant progress we have made in building trust and advancing community-focused policing in Newark,” the mayor said.</p><p data-block-key=\"ephd9\">The statement did not address the use of force against members of the press.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Reuters_NJ_unident_assault_June_6.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"jj0w9\">Police outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on June 6, 2026. A freelance photojournalist was pushed over a concrete barrier while documenting a protest that night.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
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"case_type": null,
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"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
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"was_journalist_targeted": "unknown",
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"state": {
"name": "New Jersey",
"abbreviation": "NJ"
},
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"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"immigration",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Unidentified photojournalist 48"
],
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},
{
"title": "Independent journalist struck with shield by New Jersey police officer",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/independent-journalist-struck-with-shield-by-new-jersey-police-officer/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-26T18:21:27.152971Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-26T18:21:27.152971Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-26T18:21:26.994968Z",
"date": "2026-06-06",
"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=\"6n3lw\">Independent reporter and photojournalist Wali Khan was struck with a shield by a police officer while covering protests outside a federal detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 6, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"e9pd5\">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=\"bfnq0\">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=\"7aq01\">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=\"5ivcm\">In a <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZSf09yFQLS/?img_index=1\">post on social media</a>, Khan reported that while federal officers had responded to protests earlier during the day on June 6, they were absent that night. Present instead was a collection of Newark Police Division officers and employees for The Geo Group, which owns and operates the facility.</p><p data-block-key=\"8k9c5\">“Geo group employees have been seen carrying baseball bats when exiting the facility and have assaulted protestors trying to block their cars,” he wrote.</p><p data-block-key=\"et5on\">Khan told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that Newark police were also aggressive when responding to the crowd.</p><p data-block-key=\"12kmk\">“They shoved and assaulted us with riot shields, me and a few journalists, pushing us back,” he said.</p><p data-block-key=\"7n051\">In some of his <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZRJ7dYBYlj/\">footage from that night</a>, officers are seen repeatedly shoving demonstrators while ordering them to get back, at times jostling Khan and his camera. Later, police shouts of “Move back!” are followed by protesters chanting “Fuck you!”</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/DZRJ7dYBYlj/?utm_source=ig_embed\"\n\tdata-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\t<a class=\"btn btn-secondary\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZRJ7dYBYlj\">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=\"6n3lw\">The Newark police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On June 8, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka<a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/CityofNewark/posts/pfbid0RZTHcyQaXKdX91x5tByc66Dc28SwmiRqAGFh8iJQJvffHQkmQAoWBNrhyUsRRunMl?rdid=LUmWqEvrW1KG00gh#\"> released a statement</a> asserting that responsibility for security at the immigration detention facility rests with The Geo Group but adding that all city officers are required to uphold standards of professionalism and accountability.</p><p data-block-key=\"7v4to\">“Any conduct that falls short undermines the significant progress we have made in building trust and advancing community-focused policing in Newark,” he wrote.</p><p data-block-key=\"4f08r\">The statement did not address the use of force against members of the press.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2026-06-07T050022Z_919272216_RC2R.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"kmc61\">Police officers and demonstrators face off outside a federal detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 6, 2026. Independent journalist Wali Khan was struck with a shield by an officer while covering the protests that night.</p>",
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"case_type": null,
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"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": null,
"did_authorities_ask_about_work": null,
"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
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"state": {
"name": "New Jersey",
"abbreviation": "NJ"
},
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"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"immigration",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Wali Khan (Independent)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Photographer punched by Proud Boy at LA protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-punched-by-proud-boy-at-la-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-07-16T14:26:02.271000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-07-16T14:38:59.155717Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-07-16T14:38:58.999333Z",
"date": "2026-06-06",
"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=\"hl02r\">Independent photographer Jonny Morales was struck in the face by a right-wing extremist at a protest against immigration raids in Los Angeles, California, on June 6, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"46umt\">The protest was held outside the city’s Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrants are being confined. It marked the anniversary of the large protests against immigration raids that began in and around LA in <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/article/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">June 2025</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"8ul7g\">Morales said a member of the far-right Proud Boys who was among the Jan. 6, 2021, defendants pardoned by Trump was at the protest, getting into conflicts with individuals at the demonstration.</p><p data-block-key=\"3gn8k\">“He started swinging at everyone. And me,” Morales told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. “I felt like it was just me being too close to the scene.”</p><p data-block-key=\"bicmg\">Morales said the man punched him in the face. At a protest the following month, the same individual <a href=\"/all-incidents/photographer-struck-by-proud-boy-at-la-rally/\">punched him again</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"e0a20\">“When he’s attacking people, he’s literally in a primal state; it’s so bizarre,” Morales said.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/IMG_9645.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"1rphx\">The moment Jonny Morales, behind the camera, is punched by a far-right activist, at center in red hat, at an immigration protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 6, 2026.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"assailant": "private individual",
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"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
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"tags": [
"immigration",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Jonny Morales (Independent)"
],
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"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Sen. Tommy Tuberville targets press amid gubernatorial campaign",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/sen-tommy-tuberville-targets-press-amid-gubernatorial-campaign/",
"first_published_at": "2026-07-09T14:49:43.400000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-07-09T14:50:29.270228Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-07-09T14:50:29.165422Z",
"date": "2026-06-06",
"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=\"gakgp\">As President Donald Trump’s second term continued in 2026, his allies in Congress, including Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, took steps to punish and intimidate news outlets that have covered them critically. We’re documenting Tuberville’s efforts in this regularly updated report.</p><p data-block-key=\"37lhn\">Read how Trump’s appointees and allies in Congress are striving to <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/blog/trump-allies-pursue-multipronged-campaign-against-the-press/\">chill reporting, revoke funding, censor critical coverage</a> and more.</p><p data-block-key=\"gt03\"><i>This article was first published on July 9, 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=\"gakgp\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"61bgc\"></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=\"#June 6\">June 6, 2026 | Senator from Alabama threatens suit against local weekly over coverage</a></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"gakgp\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"61bgc\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-raw_html block-raw_html\"><a id=\"June 6\" name=\"June 6\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"gakgp\">June 6, 2026 | Senator from Alabama threatens suit against local weekly over coverage</h4><p data-block-key=\"pmq5\">A personal attorney for U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville threatened on June 6, 2026, to sue the Lagniappe Daily, an independent newspaper based in Mobile, Alabama, after the outlet <a href=\"https://www.lagniappemobile.com/tncms/asset/editorial/578d2e17-d57a-4863-8682-3e3b65fe9a3a/\">reported</a> on details of Tuberville’s finances and residency.</p><p data-block-key=\"5j93q\">Tuberville, the Republican nominee in the state’s 2026 gubernatorial race, has been facing <a href=\"https://www.lagniappemobile.com/news/alabama/election_2026/tuberville-very-grateful-for-residency-challenge/article_98291545-5d52-437d-81a3-c2cfcb5bf1df.html\">multiple</a> <a href=\"https://alabamareflector.com/2026/06/17/montgomery-lawsuit-challenges-tommy-tubervilles-residency/\">challenges</a> to whether he has lived in Alabama for the seven years required by the state constitution to be eligible for the position.</p><p data-block-key=\"1q2ff\">Lagniappe <a href=\"https://www.lagniappemobile.com/news/alabama/campaign-exposes-tuberville-s-tax-financial-history/article_578d2e17-d57a-4863-8682-3e3b65fe9a3a.html\">found</a> that tax returns volunteered by Tuberville’s campaign June 1 had been improperly redacted, with the “PDF417” bar codes — which are widely used and can encode large amounts of information — visible on each page.</p><p data-block-key=\"dglom\">“When scanned, that code renders the data from the entire tax return, from Social Security numbers, driver’s license information, wages, deductions, and investment earnings,” wrote Scott Johnson, Lagniappe digital manager and investigative reporter.</p><p data-block-key=\"cq5ob\">Johnson specified that the newspaper was not republishing the bar code of the sensitive, identifying information. “However,” he added, “Lagniappe does believe some of that data is pertinent to the ongoing residency controversy Tuberville has faced as he runs for governor.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5npib\">Tuberville’s attorney Albert Jordan sent a <a href=\"https://www.lagniappemobile.com/news/alabama/tuberville-threatens-lagniappe-with-injunction/article_ac59f5f3-08d3-4eec-9dd1-e90b3bd81bad.html#cease-and-desist-letter\">cease and desist letter</a> to Lagniappe’s co-publisher Rob Holbert and Johnson on June 6, the day after Johnson’s article was released.</p><p data-block-key=\"dv23e\">The letter accused them of “unlawfully accessing” the information, claiming that scanning the bar codes “plainly misused the document,” and thereby violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and the federal anti-doxxing statute protecting public officials.</p><p data-block-key=\"8h74u\">Jordan went on to demand the removal of all articles, images or other content concerning the tax return data, and that the paper identify anyone who accessed, transmitted or handled it.</p><p data-block-key=\"6mg6h\">“Your conduct and that of the organization is not protected by the First Amendment when it involves unlawful acquisition and publication of statutorily protected tax and income data for a person, especially when that person is an official of the United States,” he wrote.</p><p data-block-key=\"cap97\">Lagniappe co-publishers Ashley Trice and Holbert said in a <a href=\"https://www.lagniappemobile.com/news/alabama/tuberville-threatens-lagniappe-with-injunction/article_ac59f5f3-08d3-4eec-9dd1-e90b3bd81bad.html\">statement</a> to the paper that they stand behind the reporting.</p><p data-block-key=\"eeifp\">“We will assert our right to publish information important to our readers and voters statewide and fight to uphold the First Amendment rights Senator Tuberville apparently does not value,” they said.</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/2026-02-25T154736Z_170625160_RC23.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"2kvbk\">Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama attends a Senate hearing in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 25, 2026.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
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"state": {
"name": "District of Columbia",
"abbreviation": "DC"
},
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"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
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"targeted_institutions": [
"Lagniappe Daily"
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"tags": [
"election"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Chilling Statement"
],
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},
{
"title": "Photojournalist pushed over barrier, breaks flash, at New Jersey protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-pushed-over-barrier-breaks-flash-at-new-jersey-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-15T19:15:58.153000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-25T20:34:54.153465Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-25T20:17:45.626410Z",
"date": "2026-06-06",
"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=\"q689w\">Freelance photojournalist Pierre Lavie was shoved by police over a concrete barrier, falling and breaking his camera flash, while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on June 6, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"7mlf5\">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=\"31bgt\">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 police</a> and <a href=\"https://www.newarknj.gov/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/232\">city officers</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=\"e9cmu\">On June 6, Newark police wielding riot shields began pushing protesters and journalists out of the way near Delaney Hall, Lavie told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. The journalist, who was wearing a reflective vest marking himself as a member of the press and displaying visible credentials, continued photographing the confrontation.</p><p data-block-key=\"30dii\">“I try to be clearly identifiable as press, and they just don’t care,” Lavie said.</p><p data-block-key=\"6rdu0\">As officers continued clearing the area, they pushed Lavie and two other photojournalists, tipping them backward over a concrete barrier that had been used as part of the protest perimeter.</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/DZRPBJZs7nv/?utm_source=ig_embed\"\n\tdata-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\t<a class=\"btn btn-secondary\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZRPBJZs7nv\">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=\"q689w\">“We all collapsed on each other,” said Lavie, who was uninjured and kept photographing, though his camera flash was broken during the scuffle.</p><p data-block-key=\"7nifr\">Lavie said he believed officers were indiscriminately pushing people out of the area rather than targeting journalists specifically.</p><p data-block-key=\"dcvlq\">“I feel like they were indiscriminate as to who they were corralling or pushing out of the zone that they didn’t want people in,” he said.</p><p data-block-key=\"1sn0a\">The Newark police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On June 8, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18VntaFmrN/\">released a statement</a> saying all city officers are required to uphold standards of professionalism and accountability.</p><p data-block-key=\"hnue\">“Any conduct that falls short undermines the significant progress we have made in building trust and advancing community-focused policing in Newark,” the mayor said.</p><p data-block-key=\"fbeo7\"><i>Correction: An incorrect date given for the incident involving Pierre Lavie has been corrected.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/2026-06-07T045609Z_1144778957_RC2.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"ursmn\">Police officers outside a detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on June 6, 2026. Pierre Lavie was shoved to the ground by officers in riot gear while covering the demonstration, breaking his camera flash.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
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"case_number": null,
"case_type": null,
"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": "law enforcement",
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
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"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "unknown",
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"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
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{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "camera equipment"
}
],
"state": {
"name": "New Jersey",
"abbreviation": "NJ"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"immigration",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault",
"Equipment Damage"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Pierre Lavie (Freelance)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Photojournalist pepper-sprayed by DHS officer at LA immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-pepper-sprayed-by-dhs-officer-at-la-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-26T21:06:22.938000Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-30T17:24:28.401229Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-30T17:24:28.279959Z",
"date": "2026-06-06",
"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=\"7o73s\">Photojournalist Jose Mejia was sprayed in the face with a chemical irritant by a federal officer while covering an immigration protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 6, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"5vo5n\">The protest was held outside the city’s Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrants are being confined. It marked the anniversary of the large protests against immigration raids that began in and around LA in <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/article/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">June 2025</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"d7q9b\">Mejia told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was covering the protest for the independent media collective OwlMedia. Everything was peaceful outside the detention center, he said, until a brawl with a counterprotester began. Later, Department of Homeland Security officers armed with riot gear advanced on the crowd.</p><p data-block-key=\"b4rr4\">“It all happened so fast,” Mejia said. “They were pushing people super violently.”</p><p data-block-key=\"cgol5\">Mejia positioned himself in the middle of the action and got close enough to capture DHS making an arrest. Then one officer pointed at Mejia, lifted his right hand and pepper-sprayed him directly in the face.</p><p data-block-key=\"6v5lq\">Mejia’s eyes burned, and he was unable to see for 40 minutes. He said an officer pushed him to the side of a gate outside the facility, where bystanders helped to flush his eyes. Mejia eventually left after LA police announced a dispersal order and threatened to arrest anyone who stayed.</p><p data-block-key=\"774np\">“They feel entitled to do whatever they want,” Mejia said, “and nothing is going to happen to them.”</p><p data-block-key=\"2b3me\">In a statement to the Tracker on June 24, a DHS spokesperson said law enforcement responded to about 200 protesters outside the detention center and that some individuals threw bottles and assaulted officers.</p><p data-block-key=\"7l6gg\">“We remind members of the media and the public to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks — though our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights,” the statement said.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/File_7.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"esqr5\">Photojournalist Jose Mejia captures the moment he is pepper-sprayed by a federal officer at an immigration protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 6, 2026.</p>",
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"arrest_status": null,
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"case_number": null,
"case_type": null,
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"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": null,
"did_authorities_ask_about_work": null,
"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
"third_party_business": null,
"legal_order_venue": null,
"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
"equipment_seized": [],
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"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
"updates": [],
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"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"chemical irritant",
"Department of Homeland Security",
"immigration",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Jose Mejia (OwlMedia)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Freelance photojournalist pushed over concrete barrier at New Jersey protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/freelance-photojournalist-pushed-over-concrete-barrier-at-new-jersey-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-25T20:49:19.841909Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-25T20:49:19.841909Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2026-06-25T20:49:19.662404Z",
"date": "2026-06-06",
"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=\"6o84i\">Freelance photojournalist Tom Hudson was shoved by police over a concrete barrier while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on June 6, 2026.</p><p data-block-key=\"a8eb5\">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=\"a016r\">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 police</a> and <a href=\"https://www.newarknj.gov/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/232\">city officers</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=\"6b0u3\">On June 6, Newark police wielding riot shields began pushing protesters and journalists out of the way near Delaney Hall. As officers continued clearing the area, they pushed Hudson and two other photojournalists, tipping them backward over a concrete barrier that had been used as part of the protest perimeter.</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/DZRPBJZs7nv/?utm_source=ig_embed\"\n\tdata-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n\t<a class=\"btn btn-secondary\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZRPBJZs7nv\">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=\"6o84i\">Hudson did not respond to multiple requests for comment. He was identified by what he was wearing in an <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZQvlGbgRkB/\">Instagram post</a> from that day and a <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reels/DZRPBJZs7nv/\">video</a> of the incident. He was also identified by Pierre Lavie, another <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-pushed-over-barrier-breaks-flash-at-new-jersey-protest/\">journalist</a> who was pushed over the barrier.</p><p data-block-key=\"1frgq\">Lavie said he believed officers were indiscriminately pushing people out of the area rather than targeting journalists specifically.</p><p data-block-key=\"c098d\">The Newark police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On June 8, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18VntaFmrN/\">released a statement</a> saying all city officers are required to uphold standards of professionalism and accountability.</p><p data-block-key=\"etsos\">“Any conduct that falls short undermines the significant progress we have made in building trust and advancing community-focused policing in Newark,” the mayor said.</p><p data-block-key=\"bfu8b\">The statement did not address the use of force against members of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"8p4pt\">While covering other Delaney Hall protests, Hudson was also <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-hit-with-pepper-balls-at-new-jersey-immigration-protest/\">struck with projectiles</a> and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-pinned-by-police-during-new-jersey-protest/\">pushed with a metal fence.</a></p></div>",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"pts4m\">Police at a protest outside an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 6, 2026. Photojournalist Tom Hudson was pushed over a concrete barrier while covering the demonstration.</p>",
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{
"title": "Photographer pushed repeatedly by DHS at LA immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-pushed-repeatedly-by-dhs-at-la-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2026-06-18T16:50:17.965105Z",
"last_published_at": "2026-06-18T16:50:17.965105Z",
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"date": "2026-06-06",
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"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
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"body": "<div class=\"w-block-rich_text block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"eoxcz\">Independent photographer Steven Berumen was shoved multiple times by federal officers while documenting an immigration protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 6, 2026. </p><p data-block-key=\"e783r\">The protest was held outside the city’s Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrants are being confined. It marked the one-year anniversary of the large protests against immigration raids that began in and around LA in <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/article/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">June 2025</a>. </p><p data-block-key=\"5uanb\">Berumen told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that officers from the Department of Homeland Security, assisted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, were arresting a demonstrator, and Berumen moved closer to photograph the encounter. DHS officers then began shoving him, grabbing his arm and ordering him to stay back. </p><p data-block-key=\"d7kne\">“I was pushed around, so that none of my photos came out good,” Berumen said. </p><p data-block-key=\"7efr3\">Berumen said officers formed a barrier around the arrest and repeatedly obstructed his view. At one point, he said, an officer appeared willing to allow him closer to document the arrest, but another officer blocked his access, and he continued to be pushed around. </p><p data-block-key=\"29q1v\">Berumen said he felt federal officers intentionally interfered with his ability to document the arrest by positioning themselves in front of his camera and physically pushing him away from the scene.</p><p data-block-key=\"ei5hi\">During the protest, officers also deployed pepper spray into the crowd, Berumen said. Although he was wearing a gas mask and did not experience breathing difficulties, he said the spray struck his face and exposed skin.</p><p data-block-key=\"144is\">“My neck and my arms were burning all day,” he said.</p></div>",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"xj7es\">Federal agents outside an immigration detention center in Los Angeles, California, on June 6, 2026. Photographer Steven Berumen was shoved by law enforcement while documenting the demonstration. </p>",
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"name": "California",
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}
]
