Threats. Arrests. Intimidation. Harassment. Whether you work for a large media company, a community news organization, or as a freelancer, even seemingly routine assignments can turn hostile while carrying a press badge.
Journalists working throughout the United States face innumerable risks to their well being while performing their essential work, and the disturbing trend is only growing.
In honor of our extended World Press Freedom Day activities, the National Press Club’s Press Freedom Team and the NPC Journalism Institute hosted a panel discussion about concerns for journalists working in the U.S. Watch this video for firsthand accounts from journalists who have been arrested or mistreated for simply doing their jobs.
Panelists included:
- Matilda Bliss and Veronica Coit, two journalists with the citizen journalism publication Asheville Blade who were arrested on trespassing charges while documenting a sweep of a homeless camp in 2021. Body cam footage was just released indicating they were targets. Their case is in appeal to a jury trial.
- Dion Rabouin, a Wall Street Journal reporter who was detained while doing a routine person-on-the-street interview outside of a bank in Phoenix. The mayor eventually personally apologized for Rabouin’s mistreatment.
- Seth Stern, director of advocacy at Freedom of the Press Foundation, which oversees the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.
- Moderator: Steve Reilly, a Washington, D.C.-based investigative reporter for The Messenger. Reilly is a member of the National Press Club and serves on its Press Freedom Team and Board of Governors.
Additional resources:
- U.S. Press Freedom Tracker
- Journalism Source of Safety toolkit
- What to do if your phone is seized by the police
- RCFP’s reporter’s recording guide
- RCFP’s legal guide for journalists covering protests
- Physical and digital safety: Arrest and detention (Committee to Protect Journalists)
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