US Park Police to Investigate Alleged Assault on News Crew

The U.S. Park Police have announced that two officers will be placed on administrative leave after video showed them allegedly attacking an Australian press crew.The move came Wednesday, the same day that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said it had filed a class-action lawsuit over treatment of the press in Minneapolis.Journalists have been attacked, detained and harassed while covering the nationwide protests after the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis.As of Thursday, the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker had investigated around 280 incidents, with about 20 of those in Washington, D.C.Atlanta Journal-Constitution staff photojournalist Alyssa Pointer, kneeling, works during a news conference, June 2, 2020, in Atlanta. Pointer was detained by Georgia Department of Natural Resources officers during a protest downtown.’No need’ for handcuffs“In today’s digital age and with more journalists than ever working as remote freelancers, digital credentials are a commonly used and accepted form of identification,” Willis, who was working as a freelancer for The Washington Post, said in a joint statement with the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Georgia. “There was no need for handcuffs or confiscation.”At a Tuesday news conference, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said he had asked the commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources to “look into” the incident involving Pointer, the AP reported. Atlanta police declined to comment to the AP.The SPJ Georgia, the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and other groups called on news organizations to provide freelancers with proper credentials and protective equipment, such as masks and first-aid kits.“It is vital that members of law enforcement, who have sworn to serve and protect their citizens, do so without endangering journalists’ safety, press freedom and civil rights,” the Monday statement read. “Law enforcement must respect journalists’ role in covering events of civil unrest.”
…