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| Journalist Linda Tirado |
A freelance journalist, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against the city of Minneapolis, and dozens of news organizations urged Minnesota authorities to let journalists work unimpeded.
Protests have spread across the country following Floyd’s death last week after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes.
One organization has logged more than 230 incidents targeting journalists since Floyd’s death.
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| Jared Goyette |
Goyette was shot in the face last Wednesday by police using rubber bullets, according to the complaint. The lawsuit documents charges by more than 30 people who were set upon by authorities despite clearly identifying themselves as working journalists.
Freelance journalist Linda Tirado was blinded in one eye after being shot in the face. MSNBC’s Ali Velshi was fired upon after identifying himself as a journalist and being told, “we don’t care.” Vice magazine’s Michael Adams was thrown to the ground by police and pepper sprayed from inches away, the complaint said.
Police on the street clearly haven’t gotten the message, and they’re poorly trained in the rights of the media to bear witness, even when there is a curfew, said Jane Kirtley, director of the Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law at the University of Minnesota.
It’s hard to avoid the conclusion that there’s a bad attitude, not just bad training, given relentless criticism of the press by President Donald Trump, she said.
“If you put a gun in the hand of somebody and tell them they’re the enemy, what’s going to happen?” Kirtley said.
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