Early Tuesday morning, a reporter was arrested on the Cal Poly Humboldt campus while she was reporting on student encampments protesting their universities’ involvement in Israeli businesses and government for the local ABC affiliate station.
But this reporter is not the only one to be arrested. Last week, a reporter was arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer after what looked to passersby like an accidental brush of an officer with a camera at a protest at University of Texas Austin.
Similar protests have been happening across the nation asking for colleges and universities to divest funds from places supporting the Israeli military, including at the University of Idaho. However, the protests at several other universities have turned violent, causing reporters to get caught up in the mix.
But this isn’t even an uncommon occurrence, unfortunately. According to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, there have been 64 incidents of actions being taken against journalists in the last six months. This includes 15 criminal arrests or charges and 21 incidents of assault.
We believe that this is not only horrible but unjustifiable. In order for a democracy to function, members of the press must be able to report on events without being arrested and assaulted by law enforcement.
“It’s crystal clear from every angle of videos capturing the incident that Sanchez did not intentionally hit anyone while covering protests at the University of Texas at Austin last week,” SPJ National President Ashanti Blaize-Hopkins said in a statement about the arrest on the UT-Austin campus. “This is such a dangerous escalation by the Texas Department of Public Safety, and it feels like the agency is trying to send a message to journalists across the state who are covering this highly publicized and developing story.”
When the ABC reporter was arrested, she was told by officers to “find a new job” according to a recording of her arrest because her job as a reporter put her in harm’s way. But reporters, and especially those who report on protests do a vital job to supporting our democracy. Without reporters at protests, we would not have the photos of MLK Jr. and the civil rights protests.
These reporters provide a service to the populace that cannot be overstated. Without the reporter, the public does not know what is happening in their community. Without the press, our government can push those things they would rather the public not see underneath the rug. And if we do not protect journalists in events like protests, it is a slippery slope towards reporters being denied access to political entities, and access to crime reports.
Let reporters cover the protests. After all, you have nothing to hide, do you?
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