Watchdogs Say Assaults on Journalists Covering Protests Is on a 'Scale That We Have Not Seen Before'

Reports of attacks on journalists or other violations of press freedom have been coming at a much faster rate than usual at the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, managed by the Freedom of the Press Foundation. The uptick in claims comes as reporters cover the protests against police brutality that have sprung up across the country in response to the murder of George Floyd on May 25.

Between May 26 to June 3, the tracker received more than 279 claims of violations to press freedom—claims that can range from physical assault, arrest, damage or seizure of equipment, and several other additional criteria. Those overseeing the tracker have documented 100 to 150 claims per year for the past three years. But the past few days alone investigators have been handling more than that average.

“It’s a scale that we have not seen before,” Kirstin McCudden, managing editor of the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, tells TIME. “It’s unprecedented in scope without a doubt.”

While investigations into each claim are still underway, officials involved with the tracker say it is clear there has been an increase in the specific targeting of journalists. “We do know that protests are incredibly dangerous places for journalists,” McCudden says. “Our data shows that across all the years.”

SOURCE: Time