Massive Protests of Police Killings Marked by Attacks on News Media
The massive national protests of police killings, sparked by the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers on May 25, 2020, were also marked by attacks on the news media by police officers.
According to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker in the first twelve days of protests (May 25-June 7) there were 48 cases of physical attacks on working media people, 18 arrests, 17 cases of equipment damage, and 4 cases of equipment being searched or seized at protest events related to Floyd’s death.
Visit the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker web site for the latest data.
Most of the attacks and arrests were committed by police officers, but others were done by protesters.
** Chris Dunker, reporter for the Lincoln (Nebraska) Journal Star, for example, was thrown to the ground and arrested by Lincoln police while covering a demonstration on May 31, 2020.
** Also on May 31st, sheriff’s deputies shot reporter Andrew Dyer with the San Diego Union Tribune with pepper balls while he was covering a demonstration in La Mesa, California.
** Photojournalist Ian Smith for KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh was knocked to the ground and punched and kicked by protesters who also broke his camera on May 30th. Some by-standing protesters yelled “Kill Him,” “Kill Him.” Smith had videorecorded a police car that had been set on fire. A different group of protesters intervened and formed a human wall around Smith to protect him.
On May 29th, three members of a CNN crew were arrested by police while they were live on the air.