Journalists were important players in making sure the country knew what was going on in D.C. on January 6, 2021, when protestors fired up by President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol threatening to hang Vice President Mike Pence or kill House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) pointed out on the second anniversary of the insurrection that journalists paid a price for that role.

According to CPJ’s Press Freedom Initiative, 18 journalists were assaulted, tens of thousands of dollars of news equipment was damaged and 10 people were charged with those assaults and destruction of equipment.

Immediately after the riot, CPJ interviewed journalists who covered the event and one freelancer told the group: “I had three different people threaten to shoot me over the course of the day.”

Others were hit with rubber bullets and had to don gas masks when police tried to disperse the crowd.

CPJ used the anniversary to raise money for its efforts to protect journalists. “Attacks on the press should not go unpunished,” it wrote in an email, “and with your support, CPJ will continue to demand that journalists in the U.S. and around the globe are able to do their jobs safely and without fear of reprisal.” ▪️

Director-General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay called on authorities to investigate the killings of journalists Roman Nezhyborets and Zoreslav Zamoysky, whose bodies were discovered earlier this month in the Ukranian cities of Yahidne and Bucha.

"The importance of reporters’ work informing local populations and the world of events on the ground in times of war cannot be overstated and their safety must be respected, in line with international law and the Geneva Conventions," said Azoulay.

Russia is currently being investigated for war crimes over its treatment of civilians in its unprovoked war on Ukraine.

Also: Scott Pelley, Bill Whitaker Weigh in on Ukraine

According to the UNESCO, Nezhyborets was a video technician for TV broadcaster Dytynets while Zamoysky was a freelancer for various local news outlets, covering the war from his Facebook page.

The Committee to Protect Journalists cited a Facebook post by Nezhyborets April 6 that her brother was attempting to hide evidence of his work as a journalists when he was caught and taken away by Russian forces in March. He was later found in a shallow grave with gunshot wounds to his knees and his hands tied.

Zamoysky’s body was found on a Bucha street by Ukrainians after Russian forces withdrew, CPJ said.

Also: Advertisers Increasingly Cut Russia Media Spend

“We are profoundly saddened by the deaths of journalists Roman Nezhyborets and Zoreslav Zamoysky in Ukraine, and call on Ukrainian authorities to promptly investigate and determine whether they were killed in retaliation for their work,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, in a statement.

According to CPJ, it has confirmed that at least seven journalists have died covering the war in Ukraine, not including Zamoysky and Nezhyborets given that CPJ is still investigating whether they were killed because of their work as journalists. ■

A Washington State man has been sentenced to seven years in prison for plotting to threaten and intimidate journalists who were trying to expose anti-semitism.

Kaleb Cole, who lead the neo-Nazi Atomwaffen Division, was convicted by a Washington District Court of threatening communications and conspiring with other neo-Nazis to commit "interference with federally-protected activities because of religion, mailing threatening communications and cyberstalking."

Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general of DOJ's Civil Rights Division, said that Cole had led a multistate plot to threaten and intimidate journalists who were Jewish or of color by mailing posters or gluing them to the homes of the journalists. The posters featured images of a hooded figure about to throw a molotov cocktail at a house and said “you have been visited by your local Nazis.”

The journalists targeted had told at trial how the intimidation had affected them, including moving out of their house for a while, or buying a security system, buying a gun and learning how to use it, and one even quit the journalism business.

“The defendant sought to intimidate journalists and advocates working to expose anti-Semitism, but that effort failed,” said Timothy Langan, assistant director of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “Cole’s intended victims fought back but not with threats of violence; they fought back in a court of law. The FBI will continue to do our part by aggressively investigating cases involving threats or acts of violence.” ■

Stop the presses! President Trump has taken action to honor journalists.

Actually it was only putting his signature on a bill, though with his refusal to sign the defense authorization and COVID-19 and omnibus spending bills, perhaps that was a heavy lift in the current climate.

Also Read: Enough Is Enough

The President has signed into law the Fallen Journalists Memorial Act, which authorizes the building of a national memorial in D.C. honoring journalists who have died in the line of duty, that duty being keeping the world informed.

“Since our nation’s founding, a free press has played an integral role in reporting the facts, informing the public and holding our democratic institutions to account," said National Association of Broadcasters President Gordon Smith. "Sadly, too often, journalists have made the ultimate sacrifice at home and abroad in service to the First Amendment. America’s broadcasters commend Congress for passing and President Trump for signing into law the Fallen Journalists Memorial Act to commemorate those who have lost their lives reporting the news.”

One of those that hit particularly close to home for reporters covering the communications beat was the killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, who was kidnapped and murdered in 2002 while covering Islamic extremists in Pakistan. Pearl had covered telecommunications in D.C. the late 1990s before becoming the paper's South Asia bureau chief. 

Also Read: President Signs Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act

The bill does not fund the memorial. In fact it says federal funds can't be used for that purpose.*  But it does establish the Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation, which is authorized to create a memorial on federal land commemorating "America's commitment to a free press as represented by journalists who sacrificed their lives in service to that cause." The foundation is "solely responsible for acceptance of contributions and payment of the expenses for the establishment of the commemorative work."

Also Read: Trump Calls Out Media 'Criminals' Over Hunter Biden Story

President Trump has been, inarguably, the harshest critic of journalists and mainstream media of any modern President, mocking their appearance, calling them corrupt and enemies and criminals and purveyors of fake news. He has himself been branded (while a presidential candidate) by the Committee to Protect Journalists as a threat to press freedom “unknown in modern history,” as well as an ongoing threat to journalist safety.

*The 1986 Commemorative Works Act generally prohibits the use of federal funds for memorial design and construction, but Congress has made exceptions, including in 2005 appropriating $10 million for the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial, but only as a matching grant.

The News Media for Open Government Coalition is renewing its call for passage of a bill to protect journalists. 

The Journalist Protection Act, which was introduced in a previous Congress, would "make it a federal crime to intentionally cause bodily injury or threaten a journalist in a manner designed to intimidate him or her from gathering or reporting the news." 

The idea is to give the feds the ability to prosecute assaults on or intimidation of journalists if states or local prosecutors won't. 

The protests following the death of George Floyd have put a renewed spotlight on attacks on journalists in the line of duty. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker has identified more than 500 attacks this year, including more than 100 in a three-day-period during protests in May. 

"It is troubling that, during this time of incredible turmoil and crisis, journalists’ First Amendment rights have been disregarded and many have been assaulted and threatened while doing their jobs," the coalition said in letters to House and Senate leaders asking them to pass S.751, the Journalist Protection Act, introduced by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.).

The coalition, formerly the Sunshine in Government Initiative, includes the American Society of News Editors, Association of Alternative Newsmedia, The Associated Press, National Newspaper Association, News Media Alliance, Online News Association, Radio Television Digital News Association, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and Society of Professional Journalists. 

During this lull -- between June's civil unrest following George Floyd's death and August’s political conventions, usually a hotbed of contentious confrontations -- there's an opportunity to evaluate the disconnect between law enforcement agencies and journalists. Discontent has simmered on both sides for generations, but it is becoming ever more dangerous for reporters to cover legitimate public assemblies where police are sometimes literally gunning for them.

“No journalist goes out in the field planning to get arrested,” said Dan Shelley, executive director and chief operating officer of the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA). “They are there as witnesses to collect the facts and report them out broadly…. the same public on whose behalf the law enforcement officers are acting.” He discussed the evolving police/press process in the midst of recent live telecasts during which reporters from CNN, KPIX-TV, Australian TV and other outlets were attacked or arrested as they covered protest demonstrations.

While last month's police/media interactions loom large, the upcoming political conventions will pose another challenge. Although the Democrats’ convention in Milwaukee is expected to be largely virtual, the physical presence at the re-located Republican National Convention in Jacksonville is still uncertain. Recent history suggests that whatever the scale, the nominating (coronation?) events bring out protests and accompanying police responses. There are classic memories such as NBC's John Chancellor reporting "from somewhere in custody” at the 1964 Republican convention near San Francisco and CBS's Dan Rather knocked to the floor and gut-punched by a private security officer at the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago.

As media companies, police and others make plans for the conventions, they are also evaluating what to expect during the long, hot summer ahead with so many other health, economic and inevitably weather issues that will affect Americans in coming months.

RTDNA working groups have been developing the “correct verbiage to use in news stories” to understand how to be respectful of law enforcement officers, said Shelley, a former WCBS-TV executive producer as well as director of digital services. RTDNA’s “Guidelines on Civil Unrest” warn reporters not to use words like “protest” and “riot” (or “protester” and “rioter”) interchangeably. 

“Protests can be legal or not, while rioting is by definition a crime,” Shelley explained. 

Shelley conceded that sometimes reporters are “just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Others contend that they are in the right place, doing their jobs, while law enforcement officers are focused on doing their own jobs, which may be calming or breaking up a crowd without paying attention to details about who’s who.

The Committee to Protect Journalists tallied nearly 500 incidents in U.S. cities from late May through June where police and/or protesters' actions affected reporters. According to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker (a joint project of CPJ, the Freedom of the Press Foundation, and other free-press organizations), during the weeks after George Floyd's death in Minneapolis, there were 112 physical attacks on reporters (67 by law enforcement officers); 64 arrests of reporters and about 200 tear gassings, pepper sprayings and 104 rubber-bullet or projectile strikes. In addition, the report identified nearly 70 incidents of media equipment or newsroom damage.

The numbers merely encapsulate the situation. The on-screen arrests of TV reporters such as CNN’s Omar Jimenez in Minneapolis and KPIX-5 News reporter Katie Nielsen in Oakland, California, to name just two of about 60 such arrests, plus the devastating injuries to photographers – notably freelance photojournalist Linda Tirado, who lost vision after being hit in the eye by an expanding foam bullet early in the Minneapolis street demonstrations – became the focus of the first wave of critiques.

So far there has been almost no official local government response to the actions of local police in roughing up journalists who were doing their jobs. Requests to the organizations such as the International Associations of Chiefs of Police, the Fraternal Order of Police, the National League of Cities and other groups generated no response, despite multiple efforts to obtain their views.

Constitutional Protection, New Laws

Police reform legislation now in Congress doesn't deal with protection of reporters and media. The “best practices” recommendations in the bills may make it safer for reporters caught up in protests, but experts contend that First Amendment mandates are still the best protection.

Both the Republicans’ S. 3985, the “Just and Unifying Solutions to Invigorate Communities Everywhere (JUSTICE) Act,” and the Democrats’ H.R. 7120, the “George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020,” include “best practices” sections as well as directives for reviews police actions locally. Journalists could find protection under one section of the House legislation, the “Police Exercising Absolute Care With Everyone (PEACE) Act,” which recommends "deescalation tactics and techniques” that could apply to treatment of reporters.

RTDNA's Shelley acknowledges that attempts to avoid confrontations by putting words such as “Press” or “Media” on headgear or clothing, such labels “often make no difference to police” and may actually flag the journalists as “targets for media-haters in the crowd.” He also cited problems that arise when rabble-rousers don a “Press” vest or cap in hopes of avoiding rough treatment, and that police have become suspicious of such characters – and thus feel entitled to take aim at anyone wearing a press credential. He contends that even in tense situations, “officers should make the presumption” that a person is a journalist if he or she identifies as such.

“As journalists we don’t want poseurs out there who claim they are journalists [including freelancers] if they are not,” Shelley says.

Accreditation Won’t Necessarily Help

Admittedly, identifying legitimate journalists is an ongoing dilemma when anyone with a phone camera or a blog can self-declare himself or herself a reporter. At a Zoom video conference organized by the International Center for Journalism in early June, reporter Branden Hunter of the Detroit Free Press explained – as have many others – that merely being a “young black male” made him a police target, even though he was wearing a media pass given to him by the Detroit Police Department.

“They ignored it,” Hunter recounted.

A 24-year-old Des Moines Register reporter, Andrea Sahouri, was pepper-sprayed and arrested on May 31 while covering a protest and was charged with interfering with police. She claimed she identified herself and has pleaded not guilty. Last week she asked a judge to produce more evidence to back the charge, including police reports and body camera recordings, The Register reported.

Don Aaron, the Nashville Police Department’s public information officer and a former reporter at a local TV station, said his force seeks to alert officers of special treatment for reporters. He cited a recent curfew order which was accompanied by careful directives to “make sure that all officers know that media representatives were exempt from a curfew on downtown streets.”

“We want our police officers to know and appreciate the media’s role, even during protests,” Aaron said, explaining that a general curfew was imposed after rocks and bottles were thrown at officers and the city’s historic courthouse was attacked. He told me that the media members asked permission to cover events after curfew hours and, he said, “we’ve continued to let officers know that media representatives are allowed to be there to complete their missions as reporters.”

Aaron acknowledged the challenges of recognizing “new media” reporters, which may be difficult to parse out during tense situations.

For example, the issue of accreditation is a constant conundrum. In Detroit, like New York City and a handful of other jurisdictions, the police issue a “Press Pass,” although it’s often a controversial process. Big media companies also distribute photo identification badges/cards – but those are easily obscured in the heat of confrontations. Several publications ran images of press badges worn on cords around reporters’ necks during the melees. The badges were shattered and broken.  

Only a few major metropolitan law enforcement agencies issue press credentials for local reporters, notably the New York City Police Department. Accredited reporters must wear a visible badge, but there have been incidents in recent years where badged journalists have been attacked by police. Moreover, a police commander can revoke the credentials on the spot with no right of appeal.

Educating Law Enforcement

One ongoing challenge is to educate police about press freedom rights. Most local law enforcement officers take an oath to support the U.S. Constitution as well as state constitutions, but their actual training may be limited to about two hours of media training while at the police academy, according to sources I interviewed -- hardly enough time to delve into the First Amendment. Supervisors get additional training as they work their way up the ranks, but those constitutional values may lapse in the heat of a confrontation

Many observers, especially protective media organization leaders, contend that the police/media relationship is “the worst I’ve ever seen” (or some variation on that wording). But the contentious nature has long been obvious, notably in high-visibility confrontations between television reporters and law enforcers during the broadcast TV era. 

The fracas has been “part of the job.” As CBS's Rather said after he emerged from the scrum at the 1968 Chicago convention, "It’s all in a day’s work.” 

Those '60s smackdowns look tame, even quaint, compared to the current brutality. Today’s law enforcement practices – especially in this unruly, shifting, and immensely politicized media landscape – require broad changes to support the First Amendment and give citizens the news coverage they deserve. That’s more than police reform legislation can do.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) wants Congress to investigate the Administration's treatment of protesters and journalists. 

At a committee business meeting, Klobuchar called Thursday (June 11) for Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to hold hearings, with Attorney General William Barr as a witness, on federal officer's use of "chemical gas and rubber" bullets on protesters in Lafayette Park (in front of the White House). 

"[I]t is the responsibility of this committee to examine the federal government’s response to protesters, as well as the deployment of federal law enforcement in Washington, D.C., and the treatment of journalists covering the protests,” she said. 

The Committee to Protect Journalists Monday (June 1) pointed to as many as 90 separate incidents of journalists assaulted, pepper-sprayed, shot with rubber bullets and arrested and said the scale of such "abuses" is "unprecedented in recent American history."

CPJ said it is investigating all of those incidents, which stem from coverage of the protests of the death of George Floyd in police custody. It argues that covering protests has been made more dangerous by "the adoption of aggressive, military-style policing, and the mounting hostility of protesters towards journalists," both of which have been going on for some time.

"CPJ is working with our press freedom partners to engage police departments, mayors, and other local officials across the country to improve practices, ensure accountability, and launch investigations into police misconduct when necessary," the group said.

In the face of those attacks, many on Local TV and radio journalists, the National Association of Broadcasters reiterated its support for those news crews as they cover the ongoing protests over racial inequality and called for greater protection.

“NAB has enormous respect for law enforcement and for the rights of Americans to protest peacefully to make their voices heard. However, I am gravely concerned about recent violence against journalists who are legally covering protests across the nation in the wake of the unconscionable death of George Floyd," said NAB President Gordon Smith.

"We implore both police and protesters to respect the difficult job of journalists and recognize their essential role in democracy. Dedicated broadcast journalists are putting themselves in harm’s way to cover the news and to shine a light on civic unrest. These reporters must be afforded appropriate First Amendment protections as they cover the news, hold officials accountable and shine a spotlight on the challenges facing our society.”

The Radio Television Digital News Association is warning broadcasters to be careful out there following arguably President Donald Trump’s most extended attack on the news media to date.

In a speech to a campaign rally in Phoenix Aug. 22, the President repeatedly called the press fake and dishonest and blamed them for not reporting correctly his "perfect" words following the violence in Charlottesville. His attacks prompted long "boos" for the journalists present and anti-media chants from the audience.

“Throughout his campaign, and throughout his first seven months in office, the president has consistently tried to make responsible journalists the villains in his effort to fire up his political base. We know that this kind of rhetoric has emboldened some people who don’t like, or don’t understand, the news media to act out against reporters and photojournalists at the national and local levels,” said Dan Shelley, RTDNA incoming executive director, in a statement.

Related: Poll: Majority Say President Isn't Stable

Shelley heads an RTDNA First Amendment task force. RTDNA says that during the Charlottesville protests, four journalists were attacked.

“As long as the person with the most powerful bully pulpit in the world continues to attack verbally the news media, journalists are at risk,” Shelley said. “We urge reporters and photojournalists to be vigilant, and to take whatever steps they feel necessary to protect their personal safety while fulfilling their Constitutionally-guaranteed duty to seek and report the truth.”

A majority of the potential full (five-member) FCC has committed to speak out against violence against and intimidation of journalists.

That came in a Senate nomination hearing for FCC chair Ajit Pai and potential commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Brendan Carr, all of whom promised to speak out on behalf of the media.

Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) had pointed to various incidents of alleged intimidation, including an incident involving a reporter trying to ask a question of FCC commissioner Michael O'Rielly earlier this year.

Pai also reiterated that the White House had not contacted him about retaliating against negative news stories, and said he would not do so if asked.

Udall also cited a story that said the White House could use the AT&T-Time Warner deal as a way to punish CNN for its stories, and suggested the administration might want to reward Sinclair by approving its Tribune deal.

Pai said the FCC would not be used to punish media companies or reward others, and would be troubled by any attempt to pressure it to do so.

OK, I've got to weigh in once again on the one-man political circus that is Donald Trump.

His petty personal attacks, most recently aimed at journalists with the temerity to ask tough questions, have gotten very old.

He called one reporter a “sleaze” after the journalist pressed the candidate on just how much money he raised for veterans with an event he quickly put together after refusing to participate in a Fox News Channel debate. But Trump has found multiple media targets to insult and signaled White House press conferences would be equally bare-knuckle bouts of personal attacks if he were being quizzed by “lying” reporters.

Trump is an equal opportunity offender, which is why many in his own party are so troubled by his candidacy.

His defenders, meanwhile, find new ways of positioning his thin-skinned petulance and "You are, but what am I?" rebuttal technique as a refreshing anti-Washington tone.

But the shrugging “That’s Trump” defense of his often embarrassing and mean-spirited bluster doesn’t wash either. I don't know what is in his heart, but what comes out of his mouth reminds me why I have such problems with his candidacy, as well as those who appear willing to follow him down such and ugly path.

There are ways to point out the flaws in the current system without trashing people right and left, but the GOP candidate has yet to discover them.

This election has gone beyond politics to a referendum on what kind of people we want to be, not just who we want to be led by.

While I am on the subject of potential and actual future presidents and press attacks, the president-elect of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duteret, reportedly said recently, "Just because you're a journalist, you are not exempted from assassination if you're a son of a bitch."

The Committee to Protect Journalists, SOBs and otherwise, was not amused and strongly condemned the statement.

"President-Elect Rodrigo Duterte's shocking remarks apparently excusing extrajudicial killings threaten to make the Philippines into a killing field for journalists," said Shawn Crispin, CPJ's senior Southeast Asia representative, following various reports on the statement. "We strongly urge him to retract his comments and to signal that he intends to protect, not target, the press."

So do I and, come to think of it, I would relay that last bit of advice to candidate Trump as well. It would be nice to think that someone who wants to be President would have the First Amendment's back.

The video images of the Hungarian photo-journalist first being bumped by fleeing immigrants, while she was outside in a field taping, was troubling. Her name is Petra Laszlo, and she works for the Hungarian TV station N1TV. She was just doing her job, and found herself caught in a panic not of her making.

Having been there myself, I tried to sympathize as to how she must have felt. She had this large group of “outsiders” quickly surging her way, while she tried to capture the event for her employer. She might have been trampled.

What really turned a rather minor event, though, into a global embarrassment for all journalists, was her reaction. Indeed, it turned the relatively minor occasion into an international embarrassment for Hungary as a nation, but as important, globally, and professionally, for journalists and journalism as a trade.

I feel shamed.

She pro-actively was filmed doing her worst version of multitasking. With one appendage, she continued to do her job of chronicling the event for history. Yet, with another rather malevolent appendage, she threw the image of the media into the dust, as she actively thrust her leg and intentionally tripped a running man in obvious fear, indeed as he tried to carry his infant from harm. Then she kicked a young girl half her size. It was pretty clear, as well, that the young girl and the man she tripped had not intentionally harmed her.

Indeed, it was scary to see.

Interestingly, perhaps this woman epitomized the collective angst and unfriendliness of the Hungarian people toward these Syrian, Iraqi and Afghani newcomers. I hope not.

Rather, what really burns -- and what I would like to apologize to these immigrants for (as a longtime and proud member of the journalist community), is what this act said to the world about journalists.

In doing this, I sincerely hope that the world gets what I have always said. I hope it gets what I still believe fervently is true: The profession of journalism is indeed a noble one. And it remains so.

I base this upon, and am comforted on this 9/11 by, the knowledge that 14 years ago today my profession did its job stunningly well, as it captured a truly world-changing event in New York; Washington, D.C.; and Shanksville, Pa.

Yet, just as is true with any profession, there are bad apples. There are those who let the bad side of their natures and their bad acts get the better of them. This was truly the case with this rather weak videographer this past week in Hungary.

But --I think I will be able to say this forever -- actions like hers will never be representative of the trade of journalism, nor journalists.

In conclusion, to the people of Hungary, and most fervently and importantly to the immigrants and to the rest of the world (as but one sincere journalist on behalf of our profession): I, and we, apologize. This woman does not represent us, and she is not representative of the great good our profession or what we do.

Thank you, in advance, for your understanding and continued positive attitudes toward us and what we do.

We journalists will keep trying to earn that.   

Jimmy Schaeffler is chairman and CSO ofThe Carmel Group, astreaming/broadband, broadcast and pay TV/video consultancy based in Carmel by the Sea, Calif.; he writes about telecommunications and media.