English By Jessica Jerreat Share on Facebook
At least 117 journalists have been detained or arrested while covering protests across the U.S. in 2020, according to a report released Monday by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, a collaborative project of two leading press advocacy organizations.
The report, which covers cases up to December 10, shows an unprecedented number of reporters, photographers and news crews detained while covering protests in about 40 U.S. cities. The arrests in 2020 amount to more than double what the Tracker recorded in 2017, 2018 and 2019 combined and it is still verifying cases. The number is unlike what we ve seen in the Tracker s entire history, said Kirstin McCudden, managing editor of the project. This year we ve seen just an unprecedented amount of protests across the nation. And protests have always been an incredibly dangerous place for journalists compared to other beats.