Physical Attack

Data Summary

Total cases	57
Journalists attacked in 2018	13
Journalists attacked in 2017	45

Independent journalist Zack Stoner shot and killed in Chicago

May 30, 2018

On May 30, 2018, independent journalist Zack Stoner was shot and killed while driving in downtown Chicago, Illinois. Authorities have …

EPA security guards refuse entry to AP reporter, then shove her out the door

May 22, 2018

On May 22, 2018, security guards at the Environmental Protection Agency prevented a number of journalists from entering a building …

TV reporter Maria Lisignoli assaulted while documenting public fight

May 6, 2018

WHO-HD Channel 13 reporter Maria Lisignoli was assaulted and suffered a mild concussion while she was documenting a fight in …

AP photojournalist hit with rubber bullets in Puerto Rico

May 1, 2018

Carlos Rivera Giusti, a photojournalist with the Associated Press, was struck by rubber bullets while covering demonstrations in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on May 1, 2018.Dánica Coto, Giusti’s colleague who also reported on the May 1 demonstrations, Giusti’s colleague, wrote on Twitter that Giusti was hit by rubber bullets fired by police:

Police officer strikes journalist in Puerto Rico

May 1, 2018

On May 1, 2018, a police officer struck José Encarnación in the chest, as the journalist livestreamed a protest in …

WABC reporter Tim Fleischer punched by stranger in New York City

April 10, 2018

Tim Fleischer, a reporter for WABC’s Eyewitness News, was punched in the face by a stranger while he was conducting in an interview in Queens, New York, on April 10, 2018.According to the New York Daily News, Fleischer was filming a segment in the Far Rockaway neighborhood of Queens, when a man ran up to him and socked him in the face around noon.The man was arrested soon after the attack and charged with assault and harassment. Fleischer was taken …

KGTV reporter and photographer attacked while filming in San Diego

March 12, 2018

On March 12, 2018, an unidentified man attacked KGTV 10News San Diego news reporter Bree Steffen and photographer Mike Gold, …

Former White House aide Seb Gorka shoves Mediaite reporter at CPAC

February 22, 2018

Mediaite reporter Caleb Ecarma was shoved by former White House advisor Sebastian Gorka while attempting to interview him at the …

More Incidents

Results Summary

Total Results	57
Journalists affected	59
Results in 2018	11

How we track Physical Attacks

Journalists who face physical violence and injury or equipment damage, either as the result of a targeted attack by a public or private individual or in the course of their work. If a journalist is hit by rubber bullets or bean bag rounds, it will be counted in this category.

Journalists affected by tear gas, pepper spray, or other mass riot control agents will be counted if the individual suffers serious injury or appears to have been specifically targeted. Incidents that fall outside these parameters and in which multiple journalists were affected by riot control agents may be counted in the “other” category.

Physical Attack

Data Summary

Results Summary

How we track Physical Attacks

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