Incident Details
- Date of Incident
- September 2018
- Location
- Bladen County, North Carolina
- Assailant
- Private individual
- Was the journalist targeted?
- Yes
Assault
In September 2018, Associated Press video journalist Josh Replogle was reporting on flooding in rural North Carolina caused by Hurricane Florence when a man punched him in the face.
An AP article published on Oct. 29, 2018, described the assault on Replogle:
Video journalist Joshua Replogle of The Associated Press was filming flooding from Hurricane Florence in North Carolina’s rural Bladen County when a nearby man knocked over his camera and began punching him in the face. His friends muttered, “fake news.” So far no charges have been filed, he said.
“The ironic part is my video would have helped him,” Replogle said. “It would have brought attention to a small town” where there was flooding, he said.
Anger toward media spreads into local communities (AP)
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogues press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].
