United States: Police violence targets student journalists

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June 8, 2020, United States-- University campuses across the United States are organizing peaceful #BlackLivesMatter protests and student journalists are recording this unprecedented historical movement.

Campuses are not free from police violence and student journalists get the burnt of targets against journalists.

Julia Lerner, a student journalist at the University of Maryland was chased by police and maced three times while covering protests in Columbus, Ohio, in the early hours of May 30, 2020. 

Lerner had stopped on the sidewalk to put her camera away when police officers started shouting and screaming. She put her hands up and indicated she was a journalist only to be responded with profanities. the officer then came at her, Lerner said, and pepper sprayed her, primarily hitting her arms and camera as she held her hands in front of her face. When she attempted to run away the police kept chasing her with pepper spray. 

“As journalists, we have the responsibility to expose violence and corruption within our systems. We have the responsibility to stand steadfast when threatened,” Lerner tweeted after the incident. “We can’t let cops chase us away.”

The following day, another student journalist, photo editor of the student run newspaper New Mexico Daily Lobo, Sharon Chischilly, fired rubber bullets at her while she was covering the protests with two other student journalists. Senior reporter Bella Davis was standing with them also wearing press identification when the officers opened fire.

Demonstrations sparked across the United States after murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, in the pursuit of justice. With numerous police forces deployed to protest sites, journalists face constant threat of violence, arrest and censorship. Hundreds of journalists have reported to have faced attempts at censorship, verbal attacks, blatant threats and police violence. Hundreds of journalists have been arrested while on duty and black journalists who take the ongoing civil unrest very personally are especially targeted. CFWIJ follows the events closely with great concern and urges authorities to stop attacking journalists.