Anxiety rises over attacks on media covering US protests
A wave of attacks on journalists within the protests in america is driving growing anxiety in the media, with some blaming President Donald Trump for creating an atmosphere that encourages violence.
In the last week, media watchdogs have logged scores of incidents of police violence against journalists - with crews shot at, beaten, kicked, pepper-sprayed or arrested - with many incidents captured on camera.
An open letter to law enforcement endorsed by 18 press freedom organisations, like the National Press Club and Committee to safeguard Journalists, needed a halt to "the deliberate and devastating targeting of journalists in the field".A tally by media watchdog groups cited 192 press freedom violations through the latest wave of protests, including 131 assaults, which 108 were by police.
The tally included 31 arrests, 46 firings of rubber bullets, 30 cases of harm to equipment, 30 incidents of tear gas and 17 pepper-sprayings. Some media advocates say Mr Trump's persistent bashing of the mainstream press has opened the entranceway to attacks by undermining the credibility of journalists covering the protests following the police killing of a black man in Minnesota the other day.
"This definitely creates an atmosphere what your location is more likely to see attacks on reporters," said Professor Len Downie, a former Washington Post executive editor who's a professor at Arizona State University and authored a study earlier this season on the Trump administration and the media.
Prof Downie said that while Mr Trump might not exactly explicitly encourage violence against the press, his harsh rhetoric "deepens the divide" over credibility. "
The united states is split between those that believe the President and the ones who believe the press," he said. Some stunned journalists took to Twitter recounting mistreatment, while some posted videos. "After showing my badge and yelling 'I am with the press' a @RichmondPolice officer sprayed pepper spray in my own face and shoved me to the bottom.
Had 3397 on his helmet," tweeted radio reporter Roberto Roldan of Richmond, Virginia.One video showed an Australian TV crew being pushed to the bottom by police nearby the White House in Washington.
"That is alarming," said National Press Club president Michael Freedman.
"The instances I've seen have all included journalists playing by the guidelines, and we hope officials on the other hand play by the same standards."Patricia Gallagher Newberry, president of the Society of Professional Journalists, said Mr Trump's attacks have had a "harmful effect".
Rather than attacking the media, elected officials "should speak out in defence of journalists and ask the community to safeguard journalists", she said.
"This is not supposed to happen in the United Stated of America. We've press freedom included in our Constitution. So to see police and protesters attacking the storytellers is shocking, is disheartening, is illegitimate and it is very disturbing."
Mr Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to safeguard Journalists, also highlighted the value of the Trump attacks on the media."While Trump didn't make covering US protests dangerous, he has made the situation worse," Simon wrote in a column for the Columbia Journalism Review.
"That is definitely possible that the President's anti-media rhetoric has emboldened local police, who are attacking and arresting journalists at a pace not seen in recent history. In fact it is also possible that some protesters who've attacked journalists are Trump supporters motivated by his denunciations of fake news."
The latest incidents include many media outlets taking an economic hit from the virus pandemic while struggling to keep readers informed on critical issues.Media advocates say the shocking incidents underscore an erosion of respect for the constitutional guarantees of free press recently.
"The scenes that played out across the country during the last week can't be covered from a 'safe' distance," said Mr Jon Schleuss, president of the NewsGuild, the union representing a large number of journalists."Reporters and photographers understand the risks and do not expect special treatment. But attacking them for news-gathering is an unconstitutional attack on all Americans."
