Journalists Vow to Continue Reporting After Arrests at Minnesota Protest
In a determined stand for journalistic freedom, independent journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort have resolved to persist in their reporting efforts following their arrest while covering an anti-ICE protest at a Minnesota church.
Previously a CNN anchor, Lemon, alongside Minnesota-based reporter Fort, was released from federal custody on Friday. Their detainment had sparked backlash from human rights groups and journalist associations who criticized the arrests as unjust.
Both journalists faced indictment by a federal grand jury in Minnesota. The charges involve the alleged disruption of a religious service at St. Paul’s Cities Church, where a pastor holds a position with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Lemon and Fort assert their presence was solely for reporting purposes, not to participate in the protest.
During a recent episode of his YouTube show, Lemon emphasized the importance of unity among journalists worldwide. “It may have started with people having their due process rights violated on the streets, violently violated on the streets. But now they’re trying to silence journalists. And I will not be silenced,” he declared.
Meanwhile, Fort, who captured her arrest on video as agents appeared at her residence early Friday, expressed her commitment to storytelling in a conversation with CNN’s Anderson Cooper. She acknowledged the chilling effect the arrests could have on the media industry, stating, “As journalists, we never want to be the story. But unfortunately, I did find myself in a predicament where I felt that I needed to be able to tell my own story, that I needed the world to see that journalism is on trial.”
Fort further warned, “If they can criminalize a journalist here in Minnesota, whether you’re independent or not, I think that we’ve seen a track record where this is just going to continue to escalate.”
In a legal development, a federal magistrate judge initially refused to sanction Lemon’s arrest due to insufficient evidence. Subsequently, the chief federal appeals court judge in Minnesota dismissed a prosecutor’s appeal, noting the absence of any criminal conduct in Lemon’s journalistic activities.
Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, described the arrest as “an unprecedented attack on the First Amendment” through a social media post. Lowell pledged a robust defense against the charges. Similarly, Leita Walker, representing Fort, indicated her client would “vigorously defend” herself, as reported by the Columbia Journalism Review.
Disclosure: This reporter and Don Lemon were colleagues at CNN from August 2019 to April 2023.
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
