Feb. 5 – 2018 – The NewsGuild-CWA and NABET-CWA are supporting a bill that would make it a federal crime to assault a journalist.
The Journalist Protection Act, introduced by Rep. Eric Swalwell of California on Feb. 5, addresses a real need, said NewsGuild President Bernie Lunzer.
“This is a dangerous time to be a journalist,” Lunzer said. “At least 44 reporters were physically attacked in the U.S. last year and angry rhetoric that demonizes reporters persists. The threatening atmosphere is palpable.
“Journalists put themselves in danger in order to keep Americans and the world informed,” Lunzer said. “The Journalist Protection Act deserves the support of everyone who believes our democracy depends on a free and vibrant press.”
Among the physical attacks:
- In March 2017, an OC Weekly intern and two photographers were assaulted by at a Make America Great Again rally in Huntington Beach, Calif.
- In May, a Montana candidate for Congress body-slammed a Guardian reporter and Guild member who was attempting to interview him.
- In August, a journalist for the Hill was punched in the face and thrown to the ground at a rally in Charlottesville, Va.
- A Guild member was among several journalists who were roughed up by police in September and October 2017 during mass arrests while covering protests in St. Louis.
- In 2015, a news reporter and a cameraman were shot dead on live TV in in Roanoke, Va.
In April, the international organization Reporters Without Borders cited President Trump’s rhetoric against journalists as a reason for lowering the United States’ ranking in its annual World Press Freedom Index.
“Not all attacks on journalists this year have been committed by Trump supporters, but the fact remains that rhetoric emanating from the world’s most powerful office is stoking an environment in which these attacks proliferate,” Swalwell said in a news release. “We must send a loud, clear message that such violence won’t be tolerated.”
Charlie Braico, president of NABET (National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians), said the group’s members are “easy and tempting prey for anti-media extremists and thieves” because they often work in the field alone or with just one other person. They also carry equipment that’s expensive and cumbersome, he said.
“The Journalist Protection Act will permit the authorities to properly punish people who attempt to interfere with our members as they work in dynamic and challenging newsgathering situations,” Braico said.
The bill would make it a federal crime to intentionally cause bodily injury to a journalist engaged in reporting or with the intention of intimidating the journalist or impeding newsgathering. It calls for punishment of up to six years in prison.
The Guild also supports a bipartisan shield law, which was introduced by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) in November. The bill would protect journalists from being forced to reveal confidential sources or documents except under specific circumstances, such as when the disclosure of leaked information threatens national security.
The Guild, NABET and CWA endorsed a resolution calling for legislation to protect journalists and for stronger shield laws at conferences and conventions in August 2017.
Canada adopted a much-improved shield law in October 2017. The new law shifted the burden of proof from journalists seeking to protect their sources to the authorities who are demanding to know the sources.