Drop Charges Against Journalists for Doing Their Job at The Inauguration

Journalists covering the inauguration protests were arrested and charged with "felony rioting", which can mean up to 10 years in jail and a $25,000 fine. 

The freedom of the press to fully and accurately report what is happening without interference from the state is a first amendment right in the US. So why did these journalists get arrested for doing their jobs?

The journalists in question were covering protests against Trump on inauguration day, which was a very important job as the rest of country deserves to know what happened that day. Some of the folks they were covering were anarchists that smashed windows and set cars on fire. The police just arrested everyone in the vicinity, rather than figuring out who actually did anything wrong. This means journalists, legal aids, protestors (both peaceful and non) and medics were all arrested indiscriminately. This is a frightening silencing tactic used in other countries all the time. 

Whatever happened that day, we rely on the freedom of journalists to tell us about it without fear of retribution. Arresting journalists for doing this sets a really scary precedent and sends the message that the press are not safe under a Trump administration. We must stand up for the journalists charged with felony rioting. We cannot accept the jailing of reporters, our free press is one of the only things that sets us apart from oppressive states around the world. Please sign on to demand the charges are dropped immediately.