first_published_at,last_published_at,title,slug,latest_revision_created_at,charges,legal_orders,updates,categories,links,equipment_seized,equipment_broken,targeted_journalists,authors,date,exact_date_unknown,city,state,latitude,longitude,body,introduction,teaser,teaser_image,primary_video,image_caption,arrest_status,arresting_authority,release_date,detention_date,unnecessary_use_of_force,case_number,case_statuses,case_type,status_of_seized_equipment,is_search_warrant_obtained,actor,border_point,target_us_citizenship_status,denial_of_entry,stopped_previously,did_authorities_ask_for_device_access,did_authorities_ask_about_work,assailant,was_journalist_targeted,charged_under_espionage_act,subpoena_type,subpoena_statuses,name_of_business,third_party_business,legal_order_target,legal_order_type,legal_order_venue,status_of_prior_restraint,mistakenly_released_materials,type_of_denial,targeted_institutions,tags,target_nationality,workers_whose_communications_were_obtained,politicians_or_public_figures_involved 2023-09-21 20:33:05.960893+00:00,2023-09-22 14:07:18.545970+00:00,Miami mayor tries to grab phone from reporter’s hands,https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/miami-mayor-tries-to-grab-phone-from-reporters-hands/,2023-09-22 14:07:18.432166+00:00,,,,Assault,,,,Sarah Blaskey (Miami Herald),,2023-09-09,False,Miami,Florida (FL),25.77427,-80.19366,"
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez attempted to “snatch” the phone from Miami Herald investigative reporter Sarah Blaskey’s hands at City Hall on Sept. 9, 2023, after she asked him about a complaint being investigated by the state ethics commission.
The Herald reported that Blaskey approached Suarez in a hallway outside a city budget hearing and asked him about his multiday appearance at the Formula One Miami Grand Prix using tickets provided by a hedge fund executive. Suarez initially told Blaskey that once she made an appointment with his assistant he’d be happy to speak with her.
In footage of the interaction, Blaskey then appeared to tilt her phone up in order to capture Suarez’s face, at which point the mayor noticed that he was being filmed and attempted to grab the device from her hands. A sergeant-at-arms who serves as his bodyguard intervened and acknowledged Blaskey’s right to record, according to the Herald.
Blaskey seemed visibly shaken by the interaction in her footage, but persisted in asking Suarez about whether he had been approached by federal investigators and how much he paid back for the tickets.
Following the incident, the mayor’s office released this statement: "Mayor Francis Suarez has repeatedly answered questions from the local newspaper about the Formula One (F1) event. Last Saturday, after having answered several questions on the subject, without prior notice and unnecessarily, the reporter placed her cell phone inches from the mayor's personal space, who was surprised and, as any human being would react, moved the device away from his face.”
The mayor’s office did not respond to an emailed request for further comment.
In a column for the newspaper, Herald Executive Editor Alex Mena condemned Suarez’s attempt to grab the phone from Blaskey, stating that, “Any kind of physical interaction with our reporters is not acceptable.”
Mena also criticized the mayor’s response to the incident, noting that more than half of the outlet’s 55 requests for comment from the mayor have gone unanswered.
“The mayor has since misrepresented to other news outlets his willingness to speak with our reporters, with his office issuing a statement saying the mayor has ‘repeatedly responded’ to the Miami Herald’s questions and that Saturday’s confrontation occurred after he answered ‘several questions on the topic,’” Mena wrote. “In fact, Suarez answered none of our questions that day — until our reporters confronted him with a camera rolling.”
Senior Managing Editor Dana Banker told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that Suarez has not apologized to Blaskey, but agreed to meet with leadership from the Herald on Sept. 22.
“[Blaskey] was shaken up and understandably so,” Banker said. “We want to get with the mayor and talk this through tomorrow. ... It was 100% unacceptable and we’re going to make that clear.”
Banker added: “At the end of the day we’re just going to keep digging and we’re going to let our reporting speak for itself. But it definitely is not going to chill anything we’re doing here at the Herald.”
Editor's Note: This article has been updated to clarify that two ethics complaints were filed against Miami Mayor Francis Suarez. One of the complaints, before the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics & Public Trust, was dismissed after it was found to be legally insufficient. A second complaint is under investigation by the Florida Commission on Ethics.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, pictured here speaking at an event in February 2023, attempted to ‘snatch’ the phone from Miami Herald investigative reporter Sarah Blaskey when she asked him a question outside a budget hearing on Sept. 9, 2023.
",None,None,None,None,False,None,[],None,None,False,None,None,None,False,False,None,None,politician,yes,False,None,None,None,None,None,None,None,None,False,None,,,,, 2023-10-26 17:44:35.976123+00:00,2023-10-26 17:44:35.976123+00:00,Journalist says public official shoved him after town meeting,https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-says-public-official-shoved-him-after-town-meeting/,2023-10-26 17:34:16.435896+00:00,,,,Assault,,,,John Solak (Independent),,2023-06-26,False,Vestal,New York (NY),42.08507,-76.05381,"Independent journalist John Solak contends he was shoved by the town supervisor for Vestal, New York, on June 26, 2023, while attempting to interview a town board member about his arrest, Solak told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.
Solak, who posts regularly using the handle @BinghamtonDaily on X, formerly known as Twitter, said that after a town board meeting at the town hall, he followed Councilman Stephen Donnelly out of the meeting room to where Donnelly exited the building. In a video Solak shot of the encounter on an iPad, a man he identifies as Town Supervisor John Schaffer shouts, “Hey, get out of here!” Schaffer then positions himself between Solak and the exit, telling him that the exit is “not for you.”
Solak told the Tracker, “He made contact with a body move on me and the iPad, which I used as a shield, causing me to lose balance.” He added that he would characterize Schaffer’s actions as a physical assault, but did not file a complaint.
In the video, Schaffer then instructs a woman standing nearby, identified later by Solak as Councilwoman Patty Fitzgerald, to call the police. Solak leaves the town hall building through a different exit, before the police arrive.
Solak, who told the Tracker he has been attending local government meetings for about 50 years, said that he went to the emergency room later that day because, “as a heart [disease] patient, … the event caused more than a little stress.”
Schaffer subsequently filed an incident report with the Vestal Police Department in which he reported that “when he was attempting to prevent John Solak from speaking with [Donnelly], he was struck by Solak’s arm and in the chest.” Schaffer declined to prosecute. He did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
On Sept. 7, 2022, Las Vegas police arrested a public official on suspicion of murdering a Las Vegas Review-Journal journalist, according to the outlet.
Investigative reporter Jeff German was found fatally stabbed outside of his home on the morning of Sept. 3, with police saying they believe he was attacked the previous morning. In the report of his death, Review-Journal Executive Editor Glenn Cook said German had never communicated concerns about his personal safety or threats made against him.
On Sept. 6, LVMPD released two images during a news conference, including one of a suspect next to a vehicle. Later that evening, according to the Review-Journal, reporters for the outlet observed Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles in his driveway next to a vehicle matching the description.
German had published a series of investigations into Telles beginning in May which revealed a hostile work environment characterized by bullying, retaliation and an “inappropriate relationship” between Telles and a staffer during his oversight of the public administrator’s office.
On Sept. 7, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department searched Telles’ home and arrested him that evening, according to the Review-Journal.
TELLES ARRESTED: Police have arrested Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles on Wednesday on suspicion of murder of Las Vegas Review Journal investigative reporter Jeff German, according to @LVMPD Sheriff Joe Lombardo. #RJNow pic.twitter.com/V4IqE7euZP
— James Schaeffer (@jamesmschaeffer) September 8, 2022
“The arrest of Robert Telles is at once an enormous relief and an outrage for the Review-Journal newsroom,” Executive Editor Cook said in a statement to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. “We are relieved Telles is in custody and outraged that a colleague appears to have been killed for reporting on an elected official. Journalists can’t do the important work our communities require if they are afraid a presentation of facts could lead to violent retribution. We thank Las Vegas police for their urgency and hard work and for immediately recognizing the terrible significance of Jeff’s killing. Now, hopefully, the Review-Journal, the German family and Jeff’s many friends can begin the process of mourning and honoring a great man and a brave reporter.”
Telles is being held on suspicion of murder and has a court appearance scheduled on Sept. 8, according to online Clark County Jail records reviewed by the Tracker.
As of publication, LVMPD and the Review-Journal could not be reached for comment.
Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative journalist Jeff German, photographed on Las Vegas’ Strip in June 2021, was killed outside his home on Sept. 2, 2022. A county official has been charged with his murder.
",None,None,None,None,False,None,[],None,None,False,None,None,None,False,False,None,None,politician,yes,False,None,[],None,None,None,None,None,None,False,[],,killed,,, 2019-09-19 20:00:33.780626+00:00,2023-10-27 21:28:45.469477+00:00,North Carolina state senator damages reporter’s phone in physical altercation,https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/north-carolina-state-senator-damages-reporters-phone-in-physical-altercation/,2023-10-27 21:28:45.364437+00:00,,,,"Assault, Equipment Damage",,,cellphone: count of 1,Joe Killian (NC Policy Watch),,2019-09-11,False,Raleigh,North Carolina (NC),35.7721,-78.63861,"Investigative reporter for NC Policy Watch, Joe Killian, said North Carolina State Sen. Paul Lowe assaulted him and threw his phone down a hallway of the legislative building on Sept. 11, 2019.
Killian was covering the aftermath of an unscheduled vote to overrule the governor’s veto of the state budget at approximately 10:20 a.m. when he heard screaming from behind a closed door and a shout for police assistance, Policy Watch reported. Killian began filming as Lowe came out of the room alongside two other congressmen.
In Killian’s video of the incident posted to NC Policy Watch’s channel on YouTube, Lowe notices Killian filming and moves toward him asking, “What are you doing with your camera?”
“I’m a journalist,” Killian replies as Lowe grabs at the hand holding the phone. Killian told Policy Watch that after a brief struggle the senator threw Killian’s phone down the hallway and walked away. Killian said that he was not injured in the altercation.
In the outlet’s write-up about the incident, NC Policy Watch Director Rob Schofield offered this statement: “Senator Lowe’s unprovoked actions this morning targeted a working journalist just doing his job. They were outrageous, unacceptable, and sadly indicative of a trend we’ve seen from an alarming number of public officials.”
“I apologize for anything that I’ve done,” Lowe said in the write-up. “It was an unfortunate circumstance. I apologize for that circumstance.”
The Greensboro News & Record reported that both Lowe and Killian had spoken with the N.C. General Assembly Police Department about the incident.
Schofield told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that Killian’s phone was ultimately destroyed. “He has purchased a new one and Senator Lowe has promised to reimburse our organization,” Schofield said.
Schofield told the Tracker that they do not anticipate any further legal proceedings at this point.
An image from NC Policy Watch reporter Joe Killian’s phone as North Carolina State Sen. Paul Lowe moves toward him
",None,None,None,None,False,None,[],None,None,False,politician,None,None,False,False,None,None,politician,yes,False,None,[],None,None,None,None,None,None,False,None,,,,, 2017-05-25 05:49:19.927870+00:00,2022-08-09 20:09:20.502916+00:00,GOP Congressional candidate assaults Guardian U.S. reporter,https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/gop-congressional-candidate-assaults-guardian-us-reporter/,2022-08-09 20:09:20.387579+00:00,,,"(2017-08-29 22:00:00+00:00) Gianforte refuses to meet with Jacobs, (2017-11-17 15:39:00+00:00) Gianforte misled police",Assault,"Republican candidate charged with assault after 'body-slamming' Guardian reporter (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/24/greg-gianforte-bodyslams-reporter-ben-jacobs-montana) via Guardian U.S., Greg Gianforte: Fox News team witnesses GOP House candidate 'body slam' reporter (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/05/24/greg-gianforte-fox-news-team-witnesses-gop-house-candidate-body-slam-reporter.html) via Fox News, Trump hails 'great win in Montana' for candidate who body-slammed Guardian reporter (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/26/greg-gianforte-wins-montana-congress-race-body-slam-reporter) via Guardian U.S., Gianforte gives $50,000 to press group as charges loom after assault of Guardian reporter (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/07/greg-gianforte-ben-jacobs-assault-case-civil-settlement) via Guardian U.S., CPJ to use $50,000 Gianforte donated as part of body slam settlement to track other assaults on press (https://cpj.org/blog/2017/06/cpj-to-use-50000-gianforte-donated-as-part-of-body.php), Greg Gianforte sworn in to House days after pleading guilty to assault (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/21/greg-gianforte-congress-republican-house) via Guardian U.S., Greg Gianforte sentenced to community service for assaulting Guardian reporter (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/12/republican-greg-gianforte-sentenced-assaulting-guardian-reporter) via Guardian U.S.",,,Ben Jacobs (The Guardian),,2017-05-24,False,Bozeman,Montana (MT),45.67965,-111.03856,"Greg Gianforte, the Republican nominee in a special congressional race in Montana, physically assaulted Guardian U.S. reporter Ben Jacobs on May 24, 2017, while Jacobs tried to interview him at his campaign headquarters in Bozeman, MT.
A crew of Fox News journalists who witnessed the attack described it as brutal and unprovoked:
At that point, Gianforte grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground behind him. Faith, Keith and I watched in disbelief as Gianforte then began punching the reporter. As Gianforte moved on top of Jacobs, he began yelling something to the effect of, "I'm sick and tired of this!"
Jacobs scrambled to his knees and said something about his glasses being broken. He asked Faith, Keith and myself for our names. In shock, we did not answer. Jacobs then said he wanted the police called and went to leave. Gianforte looked at the three of us and repeatedly apologized. At that point, I told him and Scanlon, who was now present, that we needed a moment. The men then left.
To be clear, at no point did any of us who witnessed this assault see Jacobs show any form of physical aggression toward Gianforte, who left the area after giving statements to local sheriff's deputies.
Fox News
Following the attack, which left Jacobs’ glasses broken, police arrived to interview witnesses and an ambulance took Jacobs to the hospital, where he got an X-ray on his elbow. A few hours later, Gallatin county sheriff Brian Gootkin announced that Gianforte had been cited for misdemeanor assault.
“The nature of the injuries did not meet the statutory elements of felony assault,” Gootkin said in a statement.
Responding to reports that he had donated $250 to Gianforte’s campaign in March, Gootkin confirmed that he had made the donation but said that “this contribution has nothing to do with our investigation which is now complete.”
Gianforte's campaign initially released a statement claiming that Jacobs was to blame for the incident.
After winning the election on May 25, Gianforte publicly apologized to Jacobs during his victory speech.
On June 7, as part of a settlement with Jacobs, Gianforte pledged to donate $50,000 to the Committee to Protect Journalists — which used the money to help fund the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker — and wrote a lengthy apology to Jacobs:
I write to express my sincere apology for my conduct on the evening of May 24. My physical response to your legitimate question was unprofessional, unacceptable, and unlawful. As both a candidate for office and a public official, I should be held to a high standard in my interactions with the press and the public. My treatment of you did not meet that standard.
Notwithstanding anyone's statements to the contrary, you did not initiate any physical contact with me, and I had no right to assault you. I am sorry for what I did and the unwanted notoriety this has created for you. I take full responsibility.
I understand the critical role that journalists and the media play in our society. Protections afforded to the press through the Constitution are fundamental to who we are as a nation and the way government is accountable to the people I acknowledge that the media have am obligation to seek information. I also know that civility in our public discourse is central to a productive dialogue on issues. I had no right to respond the way I did to your legitimate question about healthcare policy. You were doing your job.
Greg Gianforte's letter of apology to Ben Jacobs
On June 12, Gianforte pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault. He was sentenced to community service and anger management classes, but did not face any jail time.
Gianforte was sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives on June 21 and has already filed for re-election in 2018.
Montana Republican congressman-elect Greg Gianforte appears in court to face a charge of misdemeanor assault after he was accused of attacking a reporter on the eve of his election, in Bozeman, Montana, U.S., June 12, 2017.
",None,None,None,None,False,None,[],None,None,False,None,None,None,False,False,None,None,politician,yes,False,None,[],None,None,None,None,None,None,False,None,,election,,, 2017-05-18 07:12:00.350939+00:00,2021-10-19 20:40:08.958749+00:00,Alaska state senator slaps journalist,https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/alaska-state-senator-slaps-journalist/,2021-10-19 20:40:08.913452+00:00,,,,Assault,Alaska Dispatch News reporter slapped by Wasilla lawmaker (https://www.adn.com/politics/alaska-legislature/2017/05/03/alaska-dispatch-news-reporter-says-he-was-slapped-by-wasilla-lawmaker/) via Alaska Dispatch News,,,Nathaniel Herz (Alaska Dispatch News),,2017-05-02,False,Juneau,Alaska (AK),58.30194,-134.41972,"Alaska Dispatch News journalist Nathaniel Herz was slapped by Alaska state senator David Wilson on the main stairs of the Alaska Capitol in Juneau on May 2, 2017.
Herz reports that he had approached Wilson to get his reaction to a recent report he had published on Wilson’s new bill. After a brief, awkward exchange, Wilson slapped Herz in the face. Herz recorded the entire incident.
Herz filed a police report after the incident, but no charges were filed against Wilson.