United States: CFWIJ concerned over attacks on women journalists covering #BlackLivesMatter protests in the United States.

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UNITED STATES, June 1, 2020 - Murder of Minneapolis resident George Floyd on May 25th 2020 by the police forces sparked fury and erupted demonstrations across the United States. Across fifty states in America, protestors are demanding justice and an end to racial inequality and police brutality. As streets heat up countrywide many journalists covering the story on the ground are being targeted, with multiple cases of brutal attacks by police forces causing injuries. 

With the majority of reporters attacked being women, the Coalition For Women In Journalism is concerned about the current stance of the authorities on women’s rights, freedom of press and freedom of expression.

Freedom of the press—the right to report news or circulate opinion without censorship from the government—is considered “one of the great bulwarks of liberty,” and is protected under the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

By the time this report is published we have been made aware of the following attacks on women journalists on site:

Los Angeles Times reporter Molly Hennessy-Fiske posted a video on Twitter detailing how Minnesota State Patrol fired tear-gas canisters at her and other media outlets at “point-blank range” while they were outside the city’s fifth precinct in Minneapolis.

Freelance photographer Linda Tirado suffered a severe injury to her left eye leaving her permanently blind according to her Twitter account.

“I was aiming my next shot, put my camera down for a second, and then my face exploded,” she said in a telephone interview after being released from the hospital. “I immediately felt blood and was screaming, ‘I’m press! I’m press!’”

Sarah Belle Lin is another freelance reporter who faced police violence, even after identifying herself as a journalist and invoking her First Amendment rights while covering protests in Oakland, California.

On Saturday, Detroit Free Press Senior News Director announced on his Twitter account of his team getting pepper sprayed by the police while a woman photographer among the crew got her equipment slapped out of her hand.

Clearly targeted attacks of the security forces included threats such as in the case of Minneapolis based reporter Madeleine Baran along with her colleague Samara Freemark. Both reporters had to “call it a night” when the police did not lower their weapons pointed directly at Baran and Freemark’s heads.

CBC Senior Correspondent Susan Ormiston was hit by a rubber bullet while reporting in the midst of protests in Minneapolis.

In the meanwhile on Friday, WAVE 3 reporter Kaitlin Rust and photojournalist James Dobson had pepper bullets fired at them by a Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) officer while covering protests following the murder of Breoanna Taylor at her home during a police raid.

Fox news also reported their correspondent Leland Vittert as having been attacked by protestors in Washington.

CBS5 reporter Briana Whitney was also attacked by a civilian man on live television while reporting on protests outside Phoenix Police Department headquarters, “ I feel violated, and this was terrifying. Let us do our jobs. We are trying our very best” said Whitney on the attack.

All such incidents prompted the Committee to Protect Journalists Program to issue a statement on Saturday calling out on authorities “to instruct police not to target journalists and ensure they can report safely on the protests without fear of injury or retaliation.”

The Coalition for Women in Journalism urges all parties to stop targeted attacks on journalists, media crews, and news organizations covering the demonstrations. CFWIJ would like to remind authorities of the first amendment rights of all; especially those who play a critical role in documenting issues of public interest.