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The US Press Freedom Tracker is a database that tracks and catalogs press freedom violations in the United States. A project of @freedom.press. DM or email tips@pressfreedomtracker.us Subscribe: freedom.press/newsletters/
Independent documentarian @adriano-kalin.bsky.social was wearing a vest, helmet and badge clearly marked as press when he was shoved by a Hennepin County Sheriff's deputy while covering a protest outside a federal building in the Minneapolis, Minnesota, suburb of Fort Snelling on March 1.
🔴 LIVE NOW: Join our webinar with @telliotter.bsky.social, @royalpratt.bsky.social, @sovernnation.bsky.social, and @charlie4change.bsky.social to learn about how government officials are citing journalism as "doxxing" to threaten press freedom.
Watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8EB...
Photographer Junn Bollmann was arrested in LA on Friday after being indicted on the same civil rights charges as journalists @donlemonofficial.bsky.social and @bygeorgiafort.bsky.social for covering January protests at a MN church.
Federal agents also seized his devices:
If you are a journalist — or know one — who has been attacked, seriously threatened, denied access by a public official or targeted with a legal order in the course of reporting, let us know. You can now submit tips in English or Spanish. Email: tips@pressfreedomtracker.us
If you are a journalist — or know one — who has been attacked, seriously threatened, denied access by a public official or targeted with a legal order in the course of reporting, let us know. You can now submit tips in English or Spanish.
Email: tips@pressfreedomtracker.us
FBI knocks on reporter’s door; plus, Student Press Freedom Day.
Read this and more in our monthly newsletter from Tracker Managing Editor @kamccudden.bsky.social (and subscribe):
Update: A newsletter publisher couple in Massachusetts who were severely harassed and stalked by seven eBay employees starting in 2019 settled their federal lawsuit against them and the company Feb. 25.
To learn more about Student Press Freedom Day — as well as about legal help and resources available for student journalists, visit @splc.org.
One student journalist, Jeremy Cuenca, was struck by impact projectiles while covering a June immigration protest in LA for his school newspaper, the Collegian.
He was hit first in the leg, but the second impact — to his hand — nearly severed a finger.
pressfreedomtrackfer.us/all-incident...
Fifteen student journalists were assaulted while reporting in 2025.
At immigration protests across California in particular, student journalists were hit with crowd-control munitions, pepper-sprayed, thrown and shoved to the ground.
Last year’s tally is also two incidents more than the 2024 total of 23, which was previously the highest number on record.
And more than half of last year’s incidents occurred at immigration enforcement protests.
pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incident...
In 2025, the Tracker documented 25 press freedom incidents against student journalists at 11 different colleges and one high school.
It is our highest annual tally to date.
🧵 For Student Press Freedom Day today, the U.S. Press Tracker is looking back at 2025 and documenting the start of 2026, where already three student journalists have been assaulted at protests and a fourth caught in tear gas fired by federal officers.
pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incident...
Update: A federal court, not the U.S. government, will search Washington Post journalist Hannah Natanson's seized reporting equipment, a judge ruled Feb. 24.
The aim is to limit a government probe of unrelated newsgathering information.
If you are a journalist — or know one — who has been attacked, seriously threatened, denied access by a public official or targeted with a legal order in the course of reporting, let us know. You can now submit tips in English or Spanish. Email: tips@pressfreedomtracker.us
If you are a journalist — or know one — who has been attacked, seriously threatened, denied access by a public official or targeted with a legal order in the course of reporting, let us know. You can now submit tips in English or Spanish.
Email: tips@pressfreedomtracker.us
Independent photographer Victor Montiel was shot in the leg with a crowd-control munition fired by LAPD officers while covering a Jan. 31 protest against immigration raids in LA.
A videographer for @cbs47fresno.bsky.social was hit by a car while documenting an immigration protest in Fresno, CA, on Jan. 8.
It did not appear intentional, the station reported, and he suffered only minor injuries.
Update: The man who disabled Oklahoma TV station KWTV-DT weather radar, taking offline the system used to track tornadoes, floods and emergency alerts, was sentenced Feb. 18 to 10 years probation.
During January immigration protests in LA, reporters were affected by tear gas, pepper spray and other chemical irritants, and at times were blocked from covering the events.
Our roundup details these incidents, which we continue to track as they are confirmed.
In addition to numerous chemical irritant exposures throughout January, Evans was also photographed by federal agents, questioned about his citizenship status and had his license plate documented.
Read about his experiences and those of other journalists here.
While covering demonstrations at the Whipple Federal Building in nearby Fort Snelling on Jan. 16, Evans was once again crouching to take a photograph when a federal agent shot at his feet with pepper balls, despite him being clearly identifiable as press.
The following day, Evans was crouching as he photographed federal agents in Minneapolis pull a woman from her vehicle and detain her when an ICE officer shoved him backward, causing him to fall:
Freelance photojournalist Tim Evans was targeted by federal agents three times while on assignment for @reuters.com covering anti-ICE protests in the Minneapolis, Minnesota, area in January.
On Jan. 12, an agent shot at his feet with pepper balls:
Update: Independent photojournalist Nick Stern sued Los Angeles County and its sheriff’s department Feb. 18.
He was shot by a deputy with a crowd-control munition last June while covering immigration enforcement protests south of LA.
Eugene Weekly journalist Kat Tabor was hit in the back with an impact projectile as she was turning away from federal agents at the Oregon city’s Federal Building on Jan. 27, where she was covering a vigil for Alex Pretti.
If you are a journalist — or know one — who has been attacked, seriously threatened, denied access by a public official or targeted with a legal order in the course of reporting, let us know. You can now submit tips in English or Spanish. Email: tips@pressfreedomtracker.us
If you are a journalist — or know one — who has been attacked, seriously threatened, denied access by a public official or targeted with a legal order in the course of reporting, let us know. You can now submit tips in English or Spanish.
Email: tips@pressfreedomtracker.us
Update: A Pennsylvania man who threatened and then shot Isaías Amaro over his reporting for the Spanish-language newspaper he publishes was sentenced Feb. 5 to three years of probation, including a year under house arrest.
Photojournalist Joe Caffrey of @kstptv.bsky.social was struck in the thigh with a crowd-control munition while documenting Minneapolis protests in the hours following federal agents’ fatal shooting of Alex Pretti on Jan. 24.
Agents from the FBI visited the Eugene, Oregon, home of photographer Robert Scherle on Feb. 4, questioning him about the identities of people who attended protests he covered at the city’s Federal Building.
