The Online News Association stands with journalists who have been threatened, physically assaulted, detained and arrested while doing their jobs covering immigration raids and protests in Minnesota, Portland, Chicago and elsewhere.
We condemn the arrests of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort on Jan. 30, who have since been released. They were lawfully covering a Jan. 18 demonstration at a church in St. Paul, Minn., actions that are protected newsgathering activities and should have never resulted in arrest.
To be clear, journalism is not a crime. These journalists were not committing unlawful acts; they were committing acts of journalism.
ONA, alongside NABJ, NAHJ and other journalism support organizations, urges law enforcement and courts to uphold the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Press freedom is a cornerstone of that amendment and is essential for healthy, informed communities and a functioning democracy. When journalists are detained or arrested for doing their work, it sets a very dangerous precedent that undermines public trust and weakens the democratic bedrock we all rely on.
The same constitutional protections apply to independent journalists as to those working within newsrooms. Independent journalists like Lemon and Fort play a vital role in documenting our communities and bearing witness during moments of profound public consequence, and they need our collective support now more than ever.
ONA
