World Press Freedom Day

‘Startling Extent of Police Violence Against Journalists’

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press released its annual report on the state of press freedom in the U.S.

5 Takeaways:

1. Police were responsible for the vast majority of attacks on journalists — and appeared to frequently target them at Black Lives Matter protest
2. Journalists faced 15 times as many arrests as the previous year
3. Subpoenas reported to the Tracker increased for the third consecutive year
4. Journalists were denied access to a wide range of traditionally open government events, often in apparent retaliation for their questions or coverage
5. Former President Donald Trump accelerated his attacks on journalists in his last year in office

Additional key findings include:

• Despite Covid-19, many courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, live-streamed proceedings, but federal, state, and local officials excluded journalists from press briefings in apparent retaliation for their coverage;
• Trump set a new record for anti-press tweets, while state legislators repeated his attacks, and the Department of Homeland Security compiled “intelligence reports” about journalists; and
• In 2020, federal officials again excluded specific news outlets or reporters from press events in apparent retaliation for their coverage, in violation of the First Amendment.

Full report (pdf)

image: screen grab RCFP