Reporter shoved, punched during anti-mask demonstration in Traverse City, Michigan

August 26, 2021
Traverse City Record-Eagle reporter Brendan Quealy was shoved to the ground and punched in the face while covering an anti-mask demonstration near Traverse City, Michigan, on Aug. 26, 2021.Quealy told the Record-Eagle that he arrived at the Silver Lake Recreation Area at 6:15 p.m. to cover an event organized by a group called Citizens Liverating Michigan. When the event began, one of the organizers announced to the crowd of 80 to 100 that filming would not be permitted, and specifically …

Parent accosts Michigan journalist after school board meeting

August 2, 2021
Reporter Eric Baerren was attacked by a parent who wanted him to delete photos from his camera on Aug. 2, 2021, after covering a school board meeting, he told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.Baerren told the Tracker that the school board at Mount Pleasant High School in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, had been discussing wearing masks in school and he had been covering the story for the Mount Pleasant Morning Sun and taking photographs.He told the Tracker that after the meeting, …

Broadcast reporter threatened, spat on by man at event with Michigan governor

May 6, 2021
An individual was caught on film assaulting a news team for NBC-affiliate UpNorthLive, based in Traverse City, Michigan. Video posted by the station shows the man throwing one of the news team’s microphones and spitting on a camera during an event with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on May 6, 2021.The news team was covering an outdoor event in Greilickville, at which Whitmer signed a bill authorizing spending to protect Michigan’s natural resources, UpNorthLive News reported. The man first heckled the …

Michigan broadcast reporter assaulted by a man who grabs and throws her microphone

May 6, 2021
An individual was caught on film assaulting a news team for NBC-affiliate UpNorthLive, based in Traverse City, Michigan. Video posted by the station shows the man throwing one of the broadcast team’s microphones and spitting on a camera during an event with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on May 6, 2021.The news team was covering an outdoor event in Greilickville, at which Whitmer signed a bill authorizing spending to protect Michigan’s natural resources, UpNorthLive News reported. The man first heckled the …

Videographer assaulted, his phone thrown over a fence while covering Detroit protest

April 10, 2021
Freelance videographer Brendan Gutenschwager says he was assaulted by people who claimed to be “acting as security” for an anti-evictions protest in Detroit, Michigan, on April 10, 2021.According to The Detroit News, protesters, organized by local activist groups Detroit Will Breathe and Detroit Eviction Defense, gathered beside the Detroit Public Safety Headquarters on Third Street and proceeded through downtown.Gutenschwager, whose videos of protests have been used by Fox News, CNN and ABC News, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that …

Detroit Free Press reporter detained, pushed to ground while covering a protest for story on police tactics

June 2, 2020
Detroit Free Press reporter Darcie Moran had her hands zip-tied and was flung to the ground by Detroit police while reporting on protests in the city on June 2, 2020, the reporter told the Committee to Protect Journalists.Moran said that she was working on a story about police tactics and observed police blocking a line of protesters on Gratiot Avenue and an armored vehicle coming up from behind the protesters.Moran said she was standing on a grassy area with other …

Two journalists assaulted while documenting protests in Detroit

June 2, 2020
Detroit News reporter Jordyn Grzelewski and freelance photographer Sean Work were physically assaulted by police officers while covering protests against police violence in Detroit, Michigan, on June 2, 2020.Both journalists had been following protesters as they marched through downtown that evening. Grzelewski told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that as the city’s 8 p.m. curfew approached, she was reporting along Gratiot Avenue between Conner Street and Outer Drive, documenting the scene on Facebook Live.In the video, a line of police …
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