Journalists were important players in making sure the country knew what was going on in D.C. on January 6, 2021, when protestors fired up by President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol threatening to hang Vice President Mike Pence or kill House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) pointed out on the second anniversary of the insurrection that journalists paid a price for that role.
According to CPJ’s Press Freedom Initiative, 18 journalists were assaulted, tens of thousands of dollars of news equipment was damaged and 10 people were charged with those assaults and destruction of equipment.
Immediately after the riot, CPJ interviewed journalists who covered the event and one freelancer told the group: “I had three different people threaten to shoot me over the course of the day.”
Others were hit with rubber bullets and had to don gas masks when police tried to disperse the crowd.
CPJ used the anniversary to raise money for its efforts to protect journalists. “Attacks on the press should not go unpunished,” it wrote in an email, “and with your support, CPJ will continue to demand that journalists in the U.S. and around the globe are able to do their jobs safely and without fear of reprisal.” ▪️
