Lawyer 2 Lawyer : Journalists, Protests, Law Enforcement, and Freedom of the Press

Social justice issues have been at the forefront of protests across our nation.  In order to report on these protests, journalists have been on the front lines of the action. Yet, due to a lack of public trust, journalists are often targeted by law enforcement or counter protesters. 

American broadcast journalist Walter Kronkite, famously said, “Freedom of the press is not just important to democracy, it is democracy.”So what are the rights of journalists during protests? What about public citizens?

On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, host Craig Williams is joined by Shannon Jankowski, the E.W. Scripps Legal Fellow at Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and David Bralow, Legal Director for the Press Freedom Defense Fund & Senior Vice President, Law, for the First Look Institute, Inc., as they discuss incidents of mistreatment of journalists by law enforcement during recent protests. Together, we explore freedom of the press generally and in the context of protests; and talk briefly about the legalities surrounding the filming and photographing of the police by citizens.

Shannon Jankowski is the E.W. Scripps Legal Fellow at Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

David Bralow is Legal Director for the Press Freedom Defense Fund and Senior Vice President, Law, for the First Look Institute, Inc.

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