Incident Details
- Date of Incident
- November 9, 2023
- Location
- Princeton, New Jersey
- Assailant
- Private individual
- Was the journalist targeted?
- Yes
Assault
Student journalist Alexandra Orbuch said she was pushed and stepped on by a fellow student while documenting a pro-Palestinian protest at Princeton University in New Jersey on Nov. 9, 2023.
Orbuch wrote on social media that she was covering a student-led “Walkout for Palestine” in her capacity as a reporter for The Princeton Tory. Orbuch also serves as its editor-in-chief and has authored multiple news articles on antisemitism and op-eds in support of Israel and Zionism.
“I stood at a distance, gathering footage and audio of the protestors, but protesters continued to stalk and harass me,” she wrote. Footage from the incident shows participants deliberately using signs and flags to block Orbuch’s camera.
As the event continued, Orbuch wrote that one individual became emboldened and ultimately pushed her and stepped on her foot.
The Princeton Committee on Palestine posted a statement to social media claiming that the protester that Orbuch publicly identified had kept a respectful distance and that Orbuch ran into him, then baselessly accused him of assault.
Orbuch did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogues press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].
