Incident Details
- Date of Incident
- March 12, 2018
- Location
- San Diego, California
- Targets
- Bree Steffen (KGTV)
- Assailant
- Private individual
- Was the journalist targeted?
- Yes
Assault
A screengrab from a video shot by KGTV photographer Mike Gold shows an unidentified man lunging toward him and KGTV reporter Bree Steffen on March 12, 2018.
On March 12, 2018, an unidentified man attacked KGTV 10News San Diego news reporter Bree Steffen and photographer Mike Gold while they were in the middle of a live shot.
Video of the attack, published on KGTV’s YouTube page, shows Steffen stopping mid-sentence and rushing out of the frame, to avoid a man who lunges toward her. The man, who briefly appears on the video, then knocks the camera to the ground.
At the time of the attack, Steffen was recording a live segment for KGTV’s 11 p.m. newscast about demonstrations ahead of President Donald Trump’s first visit to California since his election. KGTV later said that the attack was not related to the topic of the segment.
“While the man’s motive is unclear, the incident was not related to the content of the story,” the network reported. “Authorities were contacted and are handling the matter.”
Steffen later tweeted about the incident, reporting that her wrist was injured and the camera was broken. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker has documented Gold’s assault and the equipment damage here.
“Thanks for all your sweet comments and support,” Steffen wrote.
On March 14, Steffen published an update about the attack on Facebook.
“I’ve never been in a fight before in my life; however, I have a right to defend myself,” she wrote. “When I saw this man running full-speed at me with his arms outstretched, fight-or-flight kicked in. I’m glad police know who he is. I’m still very sore but our camera is now fixed, so my photographer Mike is happy!”
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogues press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].
