SAG-AFTRA Blasts Police For Huang Arrest

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As we reported Monday, KPCC journalist Josie Huang was arrested on Saturday following a protest she says she was covering in the Los Angeles area. She posted to Twitter that she was tackled, held down, handcuffed and arrested by officers. Huang said she identified herself and was wearing press credentials.

SAG-AFTRA issued the following statement in Huang’s defense: “This is another deeply troubling interaction in a string of police arrests and often violent attacks on working journalists who are abiding by the law and simply trying to do their jobs.”

SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris said, “These unconstitutional attacks on the rights of a free press are appalling and must stop now. SAG-AFTRA champions the U. S. Constitution and the work of our journalist members, whose primary role is to provide citizens with the information they need to effectively govern a democracy.”

“The people’s right to a free press is guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution, which establishes that the press shall be free from government interference in the dissemination of information, ideas and opinions.”

SAG-AFTRA National Vice President, Broadcasters and journalist Bob Butler said, “Reporters cover the news so that the public is informed. It is outrageous that sheriff’s deputies arrested Huang, whose station identification was clearly displayed while she identified herself as a journalist several times.”

“SAG-AFTRA and our members, journalists and non-journalists alike, support a free and unencumbered press and stand with any journalist who might find his or her ability to report on our government challenged or compromised.”

5 COMMENTS

  1. Legitimate news operations should not make news themselves. She should have had the correct credentials, stayed out of the way of police and followed all of their orders. She exercised poor judgement by being too close to the action and got caught up in it.

    • Were you there? How do you know? She was surrounded by other reporters who have video of her arrest. She had the correct credentials, and she had attended the police press conference earlier in the evening. If you look at the picture, the policeman has his knee on her neck.

  2. The sheriff lied. KABC video shows her credential hanging from her neck as she was arrested. In the audio, you hear her shout that she was with KPCC. They ignored her. The sheriff is playing “CYA.”

  3. According to the sheriff’s department, the reporter DID NOT IDENTIFY herself to deputies as a member of the press at the time of her arrest AND LATER ADMITTED that she LACKED THE PROPER PRESS CREDENTIALS on her person.
    If you don’t have your press pass on you, then you can’t complain about being arrested when you run up on a police officer during another arrest.

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