VOA News released an article on August 21, 2020 entitled "Police Response to Press at Black Lives Matter Protests Tests First Amendment", the article talks about the journalists that were tear-gassed, shot with rubber bullets, and detained by police officers after identifying themselves as media and showing their credentials in Washington D.C. However, Washington D.C. was not the only place to break first amendment rights of journalists; in Seattle, Washington and Cleveland, Ohio journalists were subpoenaed for unpublished footage, and in Portland, Oregon the Department of Homeland Security created intelligence reports on their local media reporters. The U.S. Park Police in Washington placed two of their officers on administrative leave while the investigation is going on for the local incident. Many media experts have stated that the police retaliation is against the first amendment rights of the journalists, going to protests for their job.
One of the six freedoms in the First Amendment is the right to peacefully protest, which according to the article the protests the media was covering were done peacefully. The press was hit with rubber bullets, tear gassed, and detained. This goes against the freedom of press that is covered by our First Amendment right in the Constitution. According to the article, the police ignored the proof that the members of the press were media and allowed to be there. In Seattle and Cleveland, press outlets were subpoenaed for unpublished footage. This clearly goes against first amendment rights.
The article talks about how different foundations, the Freedom of the Press Foundation being one, are gaining information and data on incidents including police breaking different First Amendment rights. "The Tracker has received reports of at least 700 incidents involving media at the protests, including more than 100 arrests and at least 114 physical attacks allegedly carried out by police. The scale of incidents is the highest recorded by the Tracker since it was formed in 2017 to monitor incidents in the U.S."
The article clearly has a bias towards the police following the brutality that has been going on, but it does not hide the fact that hundreds of people have been punished for carrying out their rights as American citizens.
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