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 2022-09-13 15:16:07.362175+00:00,2022-09-28 15:54:20.118316+00:00,Ransomware attack delays two daily newspapers in Utah,https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/ransomware-attack-delays-two-daily-newspapers-in-utah/,2022-09-28 15:54:20.060245+00:00,,,,Other Incident,,,,,,2022-09-05,False,Ogden,Utah (UT),41.223,-111.97383,"
Two Utah newspapers — the Standard-Examiner and its sister paper, the Provo Daily Herald — were forced to delay the delivery of daily print newspapers after a ransomware attack targeted the Standard-Examiner’s computer network on Sept. 5, 2022.
The Standard-Examiner reported that the attack, which caused an outage at the newspapers’ shared plant in Ogden, was believed to have come from an infected email sent by unknown intruders.
In ransomware attacks, hackers use malicious software, or “malware,” to seize control of a company’s IT and digital assets and demand the company pay a ransom for their return.
The Standard-Examiner reported that its IT staff initially detected the intrusion on Sept. 5, after the system had already been compromised, delaying the newspapers’ Sept. 6 print edition until the following day.
The Standard-Examiner’s website and digital newspaper, standard.net, were not affected by the attack, according to the outlet. Tim Swietek, information technology director for Ogden Newspapers of Utah, told the Standard-Examiner that the intruders did not gain access to the cloud computers containing most of the newspaper’s data.
The compromised computer network was repaired the next day, Swietek told the Standard-Examiner, and normal printing resumed.
Neither the Standard-Examiner nor the Daily Herald responded to requests for comment.
Republican leaders in the Utah State Senate pushed through a rule change limiting press access to the chamber, halls, lounge and committee rooms on Feb. 15, 2022, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
The rule change requires that journalists receive permission from a “Senate media designee” in order to have access to the Senate floor and adjacent hallways to conduct a specific interview and be escorted out of the area when it is completed. Journalists also must ask permission from the committee chair to film or take pictures from behind the dias. The resolution passed 17 to 5, the Tribune reported.
Traditionally, members of the press were allowed on the floor of both the House and Senate, as well as in some areas that are not open to the public, according to Deseret News. The policies changed during the coronavirus pandemic and the Senate vote made some of the restrictions permanent.
FOX 13 reporter Ben Winslow told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker via email that there had been some rumblings that lawmakers were upset with one or more reporters for eavesdropping on conversations and “skulking” around the chamber.
“Looking back over the years, this may have been building with a few complaints about reporters going into areas lawmakers felt they shouldn’t be in, and it’s not the first time we’ve had to challenge rules limiting press access,” Winslow wrote. “In COVID, access to the chambers unescorted was completely cut off and I don’t see it coming back.”
Sen. Mike McKell, the sponsor of the measure, cited security concerns as the primary concern behind the policy shift, according to the Tribune, though members of the press are required to submit to yearly background checks as part of the credentialing process.
McKell also dismissed concerns that the change limits the media’s access, citing the Senate’s daily media availability.
“The Senate has a long-standing tradition of holding media availability. That’s not going to change. That happens every single day after floor time,” McKell told the Tribune. According to the newspaper, senators have spent an average of about 13 minutes taking questions during such sessions during the 2022 legislative session.
McKell did not respond to requests for further comment.
According to the Tribune, other Senate Republicans noted that committee meetings and floor debates are now routinely livestreamed, a measure put in place during the pandemic.
The policy change was met with criticism from local journalists and national press freedom organizations, particularly as Republican legislators in both Iowa and Kansas announced similar policy shifts limiting press access to the senate floor in 2022.
“Given that it can be difficult to locate any particular member of the Senate, rushing as they are between the floor, committee hearings and offices, this access has been crucial to journalists in their efforts to give their audience a full picture of what’s happening,” the Tribune’s Editorial Board wrote. “Removing it can only serve to help senators avoid public scrutiny.”
Winslow told the Tracker he spoke against the bill during the public comment period, highlighting that often he needs only 30 seconds to get clarification on a bill and that the rule is impractical.
“We sometimes roll into a committee hearing mid-way through a bill and how do I get the permission of the committee chair without interrupting everything?” Winslow wrote. “One senator said there was a logic to my argument there. They still voted to pass the rule.”
Winslow did note that, despite the new rules, none of his station’s photographers have been prevented from filming from locations they have used in the past.
“One committee chair saw us walk into his hearing mid-meeting and he stood up and walked over to motion the photographer up, which is a really nice sign that they still want us there,” Winslow wrote. He added that the policy change has built up momentum for formalizing a Capitol press corps that may ultimately lead to improved access and credentialing.
Bridger Beal-Cvetko, a reporter at Salt Lake City-based newspaper The Deseret News, said he also hasn’t experienced any changes to access, but that he is concerned that the new rule paves a path for blocking access down the line.
“The worry that a lot of people have is that it’s great that they allow access most of the time, but if there’s a controversial bill or an unpopular discussion that’s happening they could decide not to give the same level of access, and that’s concerning to a lot of people,” Beal-Cvetko told the Tracker.
The Associated Press reported that the rule changes are now advancing through the Utah House.
Salt Lake Tribune photojournalist Rick Egan was sprayed in the face with a chemical irritant by a demonstrator upset that he was documenting a protest at the Utah state Capitol in Salt Lake City on Jan. 6, 2021.
Egan told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker he was documenting what was a largely peaceful demonstration organized by supporters of President Donald Trump who carried signs about unfounded election allegations. The Tribune reported there were some members of extremist or militia-type groups, including the Proud Boys and Utah Citizens’ Alarm, at the demonstration who were armed with bats and firearms.
Egan said he was walking up the first set of stairs toward the Capitol to film a demonstrator using a megaphone when a protesters accosted him.
“He was singing this sort of childhood, baby song about putting your diapers on your face talking about masks,” Egan said. “I wanted to film that song and I hadn’t even really started filming yet when some [other] guy came out of nowhere and said, ‘Look at you with your mask on, you fucking pussy.’”
Egan said he brushed the encounter off and continued working. Approximately a minute or two later, Egan said, a man carrying a flag repeatedly waved it in his face, preventing the photojournalist from taking pictures of him or from continuing to walk up the steps.
“As I tried to make my way through, he started shoving me and pushing me, saying stuff like ‘Get the fuck out of here,’” Egan said. “I just saw quickly from the corner of my eye the same guy who had yelled at me a minute or two earlier just popped around the corner to the side of this guy and sprayed me in the face [with mace]. He just ran up, sprayed me and ran.”
Egan said he was carrying two cameras and has no doubt that he was targeted because he was identifiable as a member of the press.
“As soon as the guy sprayed me, they all started laughing at me — all these Proud Boys or Boogaloo Boys who had this sort of gauntlet up to the capitol building,” Egan said. “I’m just stumbling blindly up these stairs thinking, ‘I’ve got to get away from these guys because they could beat me up, steal my cameras, whatever.’”
At first, the effects of the irritant were pretty mild, but suddenly he couldn’t see. Luckily, he said, Associated Press journalist Rick Bowmer found him and helped him to a quiet area where his fellow Tribune photojournalist Francisco Kjolseth was able to rinse out his eyes with a bottle of water.
Salt Lake Tribune photographer Rick Egan has been pepper sprayed by people here upset he was documenting the event. @sltrib #uptol pic.twitter.com/AT40p177Pt
— Taylor Stevens (@tstevensmedia) January 6, 2021
After approximately 45 minutes and having his eyes rinsed three or four times, Egan said he was able to continue photographing the protest.
“[The attack] kind of freaked me out a bit, mentally it messed me up a little bit, but I was able to see enough to shoot,” Egan said.
Egan said he found a quiet place to edit some of his photos and check to see if he had captured any photos of his assailant.
“While I was going through my photos though I saw a reflection on my screen and turned around to see the guy who had been waving the flag standing directly behind me, watching me,” Egan said.
Egan told the Tracker he quickly and calmly packed up his belongings and found a police officer, who escorted him inside the Capitol to give a statement about the assault.
Immediately after, Egan returned to his car and drove back to the office to finish editing his images there.
Egan said that he never felt like the armed demonstrators would hurt him as a member of the press, and that their main aim was to intimidate.
“None of us really back down,” Egan said. “I don’t think they’ve successfully intimidated any of us up to this point and I hope that this instance won’t make us not cover a story or not show up or not stay somewhere just because they’re there, because then they win. That’s what they’re trying to do.”
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall condemned the attack in a tweet that afternoon.
“An assault on a journalist is an attack on freedom of press and democracy. This is unacceptable, and should not be allowed to go unchecked,” Mendenhall wrote.
The Salt Lake Police Department did not immediately respond to voicemail requesting comment.
Salt Lake Tribune photojournalist Rick Egan, photographed here by colleague Francisco Kjolseth, was sprayed with pepper spray by a demonstrator at the Utah state Capitol in Salt Lake City on Jan. 6, 2021.
",None,None,None,None,False,None,[],None,None,False,None,None,None,False,False,None,None,private individual,yes,False,None,[],None,None,None,None,None,None,False,None,,"chemical irritant, Donald Trump, election, Election 2020, protest",,, 2020-10-21 14:44:53.903545+00:00,2021-11-16 17:24:03.401629+00:00,Photojournalist attacked during protest in Salt Lake City,https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-attacked-during-protest-salt-lake-city/,2021-11-16 17:24:03.329746+00:00,,,,Assault,,,,Unidentified photojournalist 5,,2020-05-30,False,Salt Lake City,Utah (UT),40.76078,-111.89105,"A photojournalist was assaulted while assisting a Fox 13 News crew during protests in Salt Lake City, Utah, on May 30, 2020.
Fox 13 correspondent Sydney Glenn wrote on Twitter that she, her unnamed colleague and a photojournalist from another station were assessing damage to a Fox 13 news vehicle when a crowd attacked the two photojournalists. The Tracker has documented the assault of the Fox News 13 photojournalist and damage to the outlet’s vehicle here.
This. Is. Unacceptable. Tonight a group of protestors attacked my co-worker.. a very talented photojournalist as we were assessing the damage to our @fox13 news car after it was smashed. A kind photojournalist from another station was helping and attacked as well. pic.twitter.com/ic3bDOOBle
— Sydney Glenn (@SydneyGlennTV) May 31, 2020
Glenn did not respond to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker’s calls or emails requesting comment. When emailed for comment, Fox 13 News Director Marc Sternfield said, “At the request of those involved, we are not releasing additional information about the incident.”
The Salt Lake Tribune reported that the group Utah Against Police Brutality had organized a car caravan protest, but that individuals took to the streets when there were not enough vehicles to fit all the demonstrators.
Following looting and vandalism, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall announced an 8 p.m. curfew. Salt Lake City Police Department officers were joined by police from 13 cities and up to 200 National Guardsmen.
Detective Greg Wilking of the SLCPD confirmed to the Tracker that two photojournalists were “roughed up.”
“There were so many things happening that day that we didn’t even break the incident with the journalists down into a separate report,” he added.
The SLCPD did not respond to the Tracker’s requests for additional information about the incident or whether arrests were made in connection with the assault or vehicle damage.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker is documenting several hundred incidents of journalists assaulted, arrested, struck by crowd-control ammunition or tear gas, or had their equipment damaged while covering protests across the country. Find these incidents here.
A photojournalist for Fox 13 News was attacked while covering protests in Salt Lake City, Utah, on May 30, 2020.
Fox 13 correspondent Sydney Glenn wrote on Twitter that she, her unnamed colleague and a photojournalist from another station were assessing damage to the Fox 13 news vehicle when a crowd attacked the two photojournalists. She also shared an image of her colleague, who appeared to have abrasions on his right arm and calf.
This. Is. Unacceptable. Tonight a group of protestors attacked my co-worker.. a very talented photojournalist as we were assessing the damage to our @fox13 news car after it was smashed. A kind photojournalist from another station was helping and attacked as well. pic.twitter.com/ic3bDOOBle
— Sydney Glenn (@SydneyGlennTV) May 31, 2020
In the image posted by Glenn, the van appears to have a shattered windshield. It is unclear what, if any, injuries the second photojournalist sustained, which the Tracker has documented here.
Glenn did not respond to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker’s calls or emails requesting comment. When emailed for comment, Fox 13 News Director Marc Sternfield said, “At the request of those involved, we are not releasing additional information about the incident.”
The Salt Lake Tribune reported that the group Utah Against Police Brutality had organized a car caravan protest, but individuals took to the streets when there were not enough vehicles to fit all the demonstrators.
Following looting and vandalism, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall announced an 8 p.m. curfew. Salt Lake City Police Department (SLCPD) officers were joined by police from 13 cities and up to 200 National Guardsmen.
Detective Greg Wilking of the Salt Lake City Police Department confirmed to the Tracker that the two photojournalists were “roughed up.”
“There were so many things happening that day that we didn’t even break the incident with the journalists down into a separate report,” he added.
The SLCPD did not respond to the Tracker’s requests for additional information about the incident or whether arrests were made in connection with the assault or vehicle damage.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker is documenting several hundred incidents of journalists assaulted, arrested, struck by crowd-control ammunition or tear gas, or had their equipment damaged while covering protests across the country. Find these incidents here.
Larry Curtis, a web editor for KUTV 2News was assaulted on July 9, 2019, while covering a protest in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Matthew Michela, a photojournalist for KUTV filmed a verbal confrontation as it escalated into a physical scuffle. “It was my job to capture the good and the bad; that’s when the man approached me and put his hand on the lens,” Michela told KUTV.
In the video Michela captured, the man is heard saying, “Stop fucking filming! Turn around!” Michela responds, “I have a right to be here, sir.” The man, holding his hand over the lens, responds, “Fuck you, no. No!”
Curtis wrote in an account published by the outlet, that he “was also at the protest doing a live video on Facebook and rushed into the fray” when he saw Michela surrounded by protesters. In a photo taken by Harmon, Curtis can be seen inserting himself between Michela and some of the protesters.
Photos and video taken during the incident show a woman attempting to pull out the cord from the back of Michela’s camera and an arm reaching behind him to pull the camera off his shoulder.
Michela told the Tracker, “Larry came over and broke up the fight before it got too involved.” In the process, Curtis wrote in his account, his credentials were pulled off from around his neck and his shirt was ripped.
According to the Tribune, eight people were ultimately arrested over the course of the protest.
Larry Curtis, a web editor for Salt Lake City’s KUTV 2News, attempts to protect his colleague, photojournalist Matthew Michela, during a protest near City Hall on July 9, 2019.
",None,None,None,None,False,None,[],None,None,False,None,None,None,False,False,None,None,private individual,yes,False,None,[],None,None,None,None,None,None,False,None,,"environmentalism, protest",,, 2019-07-15 18:18:45.084341+00:00,2022-09-21 20:17:21.624567+00:00,Two journalists assaulted while covering a protest in Salt Lake City,https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/two-journalists-assaulted-while-covering-protest-salt-lake-city/,2022-09-21 20:17:21.560511+00:00,,,,Assault,,,,Matthew Michela (KUTV),,2019-07-09,False,Salt Lake City,Utah (UT),40.76078,-111.89105,"Matthew Michela, a broadcast photojournalist for local KUTV 2News, was assaulted on July 9, 2019, while covering a protest in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Michela told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he and his team had been covering the protest over Utah’s planned inland port, a logistics and distribution hub, for a couple of hours when a man came up to protesters gathered outside City Hall and began antagonizing them.
Jeremy Harmon, director of photography at the Salt Lake Tribune, told the Tracker that he had arrived at the protest right as the incident began. “There was some guy who had ridden up on his bike and he was shouting at some of the protesters who had just been pushed across the street,” Harmon said. “This guy just kept ratcheting up with more racism, more bile, more transphobia, so I started taking pictures of the interaction.”
Michela also filmed the verbal confrontation as it escalated into a physical scuffle. “It was my job to capture the good and the bad; that’s when the man approached me and put his hand on the lens,” Michela told KUTV.
In the video Michela captured, the man is heard saying, “Stop fucking filming! Turn around!” Michela responds, “I have a right to be here, sir.” The man, holding his hand over the lens, responds, “Fuck you, no. No!”
The man approached Michela from the blindspot on his right created by the camera equipment, and was the first of several people to attempt to prevent Michela from filming. Michela told the Tracker that he was jostled enough to cause the camera to zoom erratically and the recording to stop and start multiple times.
Photos and video taken during the incident show a woman attempting to pull out the cord from the back of Michela’s camera and an arm reaching behind him to pull the camera off his shoulder.
At one point, Michela said, he felt “the camera being thrown from my shoulder towards the ground. I was able to catch it and prevent it from hitting the ground. It felt like people were pulling at me and at the camera.”
The incident left him shaken, Michela told the Tracker. “At the time I certainly felt threatened and I told the officers that I’d press charges if they ever found the guy,” Michela said. “Normally, to most people, my height is a deterrence. I’ve done this job 10 years and I’ve never had someone lay hands on me.”
During the same incident, Harmon also had to maneuver around protesters who were attempting to block him from documenting the scene, though he told the Tracker that he was not harmed and did not feel threatened.
According to the Tribune, eight people were ultimately arrested over the course of the protest.
Larry Curtis, a web editor for Salt Lake City’s KUTV 2News, attempts to protect his colleague, photojournalist Matthew Michela, during a protest near City Hall on July 9, 2019.
",None,None,None,None,False,None,[],None,None,False,None,None,None,False,False,None,None,private individual,yes,False,None,[],None,None,None,None,None,None,False,None,,"environmentalism, protest",,,