Incident Details
- Date of Incident
- June 2, 2020
- Targets
- Amelia Jones (WMTV)
- Assailant
- Private individual
- Was the journalist targeted?
- Yes
Assault
Man sentenced for attack on reporter at Wisconsin protest
The man who assaulted a TV reporter and photojournalist on air while they were reporting on Black Lives Matter protests in Madison, Wisconsin, received a partially suspended sentence for the attacks on May 21, 2021, according to court documents reviewed by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.
WMTV reporter Amelia Jones and photojournalist Curt Lenz were in downtown Madison to report on the aftermath of the June 2020 protests; Lenz began filming at a nearby 7-Eleven store that had been looted during the June 2020 protests and was approached by Michael E. Campbell, who police said was going through the looted goods and who told Lenz that he did not want to be recorded.
Jones and Lenz then began the live shot but were interrupted when Campbell charged toward them, throwing bottles, grabbing Lenz, and shaking him and the camera.
Campbell pleaded guilty to battery and disorderly conduct. He was given a suspended jail sentence of nine months, 18 months probation and a $486 fine, and ordered to complete mental health and substance use treatment. A charge of resisting/obstructing an officer was dismissed.
A TV reporter and a photojournalist were assaulted on-air while reporting on the aftermath of protests in Madison, Wisconsin, on June 2, 2020.
NBC15 News reporter Amelia Jones and photojournalist Curt Lenz were on State Street in downtown Madison, reporting live for the local station’s morning news after a third night of protests against police violence and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
In a video clip from the news program from that morning, Lenz’s camera is turned toward Jones, who is holding a microphone and about to deliver a report. Then suddenly the camera pans to show a man on a bicycle approaching, before the live news feed cuts off.
According to a report from the City of Madison Police Department, the suspect had been going through looted goods from a nearby 7-Eleven. Right after the camera panned, the report said that the suspect charged toward Lenz and the camera, throwing bottles, then grabbing Lenz and “vigorously shaking him and his camera” before leaving the scene on a bicycle.
While neither Jones nor Lenz could be reached for comment by the time of publication, the incident was confirmed to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker by NBC15 management.
After a chase, Madison police captured and arrested 40-year-old Michael E. Campbell, for “battery, disorderly conduct, resisting/obstructing, and on a probation hold,” according to the police report.
According to a news report on the incident from NBC15, Jones and Lenz were described as “shaken” but OK after the incident.
The news story said that just prior to the assault, Lenz had been recording people at a 7-Eleven store that had been looted. The suspect saw Lenz and informed him he did not want to be recorded.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker documents journalists assaulted, arrested, struck by crowd-control ammunition or tear gas or who had their equipment damaged in the course of reporting. Find all incidents related to Black Lives Matter and anti-police brutality protests here.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogues press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].