The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is demanding that Minnesota officials implement concrete measures to prevent the arrest of journalists at protests.
In a letter signed by 115 media and press freedom organizations, the organization decries police violence towards journalists and cites the U.S. Constitution.
Journalists have been at the center of protests taking place across the country in response to th death of George Floyd. Floyd died while in Minneapolis police custody after an officer kneeled on his neck last week, according to video.
“The right of the press to document police activity is foundational to our democracy and has long been recognized and protected by the courts,” the letter reads.
The organization lists a series of incidents in which Minnesota police officers arrested journalists who were identified as members of the press. The list includes the arrest of CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez, who was arrested while doing a live hit on CNN Friday morning.
The letter comes after a number of incidents involving journalists covering protests in other parts of the country have garnered attention on social media. (RELATED: New York Times Writer Claims Property Destruction Is ‘Not Violence’)
NBC News correspondent Jo Ling Kent was hit by a firework set off by police during protests Monday night in Seattle. Huffington Post reporter Chris Mathias was taken into police custody Saturday night in New York.
Photos taken by @PLBarghouty show HuffPost senior reporter Chris Mathias (@letsgomathias), with press badge clearly visible, being taken into custody by the NYPD. Chris was on assignment for HuffPost covering the protests in Brooklyn. pic.twitter.com/EWcWNoFjMW
— HuffPost (@HuffPost) May 31, 2020
Fox News was among the media organizations to sign the letter. Fox News correspondent Leland Vittert was attacked while covering protests Friday night in Washington, D.C. However, few press freedom groups condemned the attack on Vittert.
In total, there have been more than 31 arrests and 130 assaults involving journalists at Floyd protests, according to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.
OUR LATEST DATA:
*192 total press freedom violations*
—31+ arrests
—131 assaults (108 by police, 23 by others)
—30 equipment or newsroom damage.Assault category breakdown:
45 physical attacks (30 by police)
30 tear gassings
17 pepper sprayings
46 rubber bullet/projectiles— U.S. Press Freedom Tracker (@uspresstracker) June 2, 2020
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