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Trump's attacks on the press are bearing fruit.

"How the Supreme Court Lets Cops Get Away With Murder"

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

VIDEO - CNN Crew Covering Minneapolis Protests Arrested Live on Air 4:22

By Jasmine Aguilera

Updated: June 3, 2020 10:49 AM EDT | Originally published: June 2, 2020 6:00 PM EDT

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.

Since Friday, the tracker has received more than 190 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 four 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.”

What sets the past few days apart is the targeting of journalists by law enforcement even after they have identified themselves as members of the press, says Courtney Radsch, advocacy director at the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a nonprofit dedicated to press freedom and partner of the Press Freedom Tracker. Some of the violence has also been committed by protesters and by groups of “vigilantes” wielding bats, according to tracker officials.

As of Tuesday, the Freedom Tracker team has documented more than 30 arrests, 131 assaults on journalists—108 of which were by police, and include physical attacks or use of force like rubber bullets or tear gas—and 30 cases of equipment or newsroom damage.

Links and more - https://time.com/5846497/journalists-police-george-floyd-protests/