Journalist and ex-CNN news host Don Lemon was arrested by federal agents as a result of his coverage of an Anti-ICE protest. His arrest follows a clear trend of journalists being unfairly targeted and silenced by the federal government.
Lemon, who is now facing federal charges, has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to deprive rights and violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act by allegedly interfering with religious worship.
The incident occurred on Jan. 18 during a protest at Cities Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in response to news that a pastor there was an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer. Lemon, along with other journalists, was present covering the protest and later was arrested as a result of his involvement.
Lemon has been criticized by the government for his involvement, with Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon reposting a tweet referring to him as one of “today’s Klansmen” and President Donald Trump calling him a “loser” and accusing him of “abusing patriots.”
Though Lemon’s arrest is one of the more publicized incidents of journalists being targeted, he is not the first to become the subject of the administration’s attempts to control the media.
According to a Reporters Without Borders article, “At least six journalists have been violently attacked by agents in the state’s twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul since the start of the new year.”
Though the physical attacks against journalists are more recent, the administration, and President Trump in particular, has targeted and spoken against journalists since his first term’s inauguration, frequently referring to and labelling journalists he disagrees with as “the enemy of the people” and “fake news.”
Freedom of the Press has been a core value of democracy in the United States since its founding, and trying to silence or punish journalists reflects a slippery slope into an authoritarian government and away from democracy.
According to a PBS article, “Trump has filed lawsuits against outlets whose coverage he dislikes, threatened to revoke TV broadcast licenses and sought to bend news organizations and social media companies to his will.”
The article also states, “The tactics are similar to those used by leaders in other countries who have chipped away at speech freedoms and independent media while consolidating political power, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a close Trump ally whose leadership style is revered by many conservatives in the U.S.”
The recent attacks against journalists prompts concern across the country for people pursuing the career, and while St. Louis hasn’t had many experiences with local journalists being targeted, the federal government’s actions impact everyone and reflect the risk of the country losing its democratic principles.
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Jasper Winterton-Feature EditorThis will be Jasper Winterton’s third year on ECHO staff. He made several contributions while taking journalism class his freshman year. |
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