Incident details
- Date of incident
- June 9, 2025
- Location
- Los Angeles, California
- Targets
- Erin Burnett (CNN)
- Assailant
- Law enforcement
- Was the journalist targeted?
- Yes
Assault
CNN anchor Erin Burnett, at left, was pushed by a police officer during a live TV shot while covering an immigration enforcement protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025.
CNN anchor Erin Burnett was pushed on live TV by an officer while covering an immigration enforcement protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025, the outlet reported.
The protests began June 6 in response to federal raids in and around LA of workplaces and areas where immigrant day laborers gathered, amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. After demonstrators clashed with local law enforcement officers and federal agents, President Donald Trump called in the California National Guard and then the U.S. Marines over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.
During the live shot, Burnett is holding a microphone and speaking to the camera as police order protesters to leave the area behind her.
“They’re just saying move the area,” she said, as an armed officer wearing a helmet pushes her forward by the arm.
“You can just see the tension there,” she said. “They knew we’re media. They were just as happy to push me as to push anybody else.”
Burnett and CNN did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogues press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].
